Oh, friend, let me tell you about a little piece of heaven on Earth. Growing up, there was nothing quite like a warm, fluffy biscuit right out of the oven. That smell, that flaky texture, just melting in your mouth… it’s pure comfort food magic. And when you add a touch of sweet, glorious honey butter? Forget about it! These aren’t just biscuits; they’re little moments of pure joy.
I used to think making perfect biscuits was some kind of secret art, but trust me, it’s not! This recipe is incredibly simple, surprisingly quick, and delivers those picture-perfect, buttery-soft biscuits you dream about. Get ready to become everyone’s favorite baker!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fast
- Easy
- Giftable
- Crowd-pleasing
Ingredients
Gather ’round, butter lovers! Here’s what you’ll need to whip up these beauties. It’s a short list, which just makes it even better!
- ½ cup salted or unsalted butter (frozen and grated): This is our little secret for flaky layers! Freezing it solid is key.
- 3 cups self-rising flour: Makes life so much easier! It already has leavening and salt mixed in.
- 1 cup whole milk: Gives our biscuits richness and helps them rise beautifully.
- ¼ cup honey: Sweetens the dough just slightly.
- 4 Tbsp salted butter (melted): For that irresistible butter brush before baking.
- 1 Tbsp honey: To mix with the remaining melted butter for the glorious finishing glaze!
How to Make It
Alright, apron on? Let’s get these golden disks of deliciousness baking! Follow along, and you’ll have warm biscuits in no time.
First things first, you need to plan ahead just a tiny bit. Your butter needs to be frozen solid. I usually pop the ½ cup stick in the freezer the night before. Trust me on this one!
Okay, ready to bake? Preheat your oven to a hot 425°F (220°C). Biscuits love a hot oven to get that quick rise! Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. This makes cleanup a breeze and prevents sticking.
Grab that frozen stick of butter and a box grater. Grate the butter directly into a medium-sized bowl. It might look like little butter snowflakes!
Add the 3 cups of self-rising flour to the bowl with the grated butter. Now, take a fork and gently toss and combine the flour and grated butter. You want the butter pieces to be evenly distributed throughout the flour, almost looking like coarse crumbs, but don’t fuss over it too much. Just get it mixed in.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the 1 cup of whole milk and the ¼ cup of honey until they’re combined.
Make a little well (like a small crater) in the center of your flour and butter mixture. Pour the milk and honey mixture into the well. Now, using a fork or a spatula, gently mix everything together. Mix just until all the dry bits are moistened and it starts to come together into a shaggy dough. Seriously, stop mixing as soon as it looks like a dough.
Lightly flour a clean surface – your counter works great. Turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Gently fold and turn the dough just a few times, maybe 3 or 4 folds, until it comes together and isn’t super sticky. The goal here is to handle it as little as possible! Overworking biscuit dough is the enemy of flakiness.
Pat or gently roll the dough into an 8×8-inch square, about 1-inch thick. You don’t need a rolling pin if you don’t want one; your hands work perfectly!
Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 9 large biscuits (a 3×3 grid) or 12 medium biscuits (a 3×4 grid). Cutting with a knife helps the biscuits rise straight up, unlike a biscuit cutter which can seal the edges.
Carefully place the cut biscuits onto your prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between them so they have room to spread a tiny bit and cook evenly. Now, melt your 4 Tbsp of salted butter. Brush the tops and sides of each biscuit generously with the melted butter. This helps with browning and adds flavor!
Pop the baking sheets into your preheated 425°F oven. Bake for about 12 minutes. They should be puffed up and starting to look lightly golden.
Now for the magic finish! Turn on your broiler. Keep a close eye on them! Broil for just 3-5 minutes, or until the tops are beautifully golden brown. This happens fast, so do not walk away!
While they’re still piping hot from the oven, quickly mix the remaining 1 Tbsp of honey into any leftover melted butter you have (if you ran out, just melt a little more!). Brush this sweet honey butter glaze over the tops of all the hot biscuits.
Serve them immediately! They are truly best enjoyed warm, split open with a little more butter, or just devoured as is.
Substitutions & Additions
This recipe is wonderful as is, but here are a few ways to switch things up:
- Milk: You can probably get away with 2% milk, but whole milk really gives the best texture. I haven’t tested non-dairy milks, but if you do, choose one with a higher fat content if possible.
- Honey: Any kind of honey works great! Feel free to adjust the amount in the dough or glaze to your preference. Maple syrup could be an interesting swap for the glaze!
- Butter: If you only have unsalted butter, just add ½ teaspoon of salt to the dry flour when you mix in the grated butter.
- Make it Savory: Skip the honey in the dough and glaze. Add black pepper, chives, garlic powder, or even shredded cheddar cheese (about ½ cup) to the dry ingredients before adding the milk. Brush with plain melted butter or garlic butter at the end.
Tips for Success
Making great biscuits is easy once you know a few tricks!
- Don’t Overwork the Dough: This is the most important tip! Gently mixing until just combined and minimal handling on the counter keeps the biscuits tender and flaky. Overworking develops gluten and makes them tough.
- Keep Ingredients Cold (Except the Milk/Honey Mix): The cold, grated butter is crucial for creating steam pockets that make flaky layers. The milk/honey mixture doesn’t need to be ice cold, just not warm.
- Grate the Butter: This method distributes the cold butter more evenly than cutting it in, leading to better flakiness.
- Don’t Twist the Cutter (if using one): If you opt for a biscuit cutter instead of a knife, press straight down and lift straight up. Twisting seals the edges and prevents a good rise. Using a sharp knife is actually my preferred method for the best rise!
- Hot Oven is Key: A hot oven helps the biscuits rise quickly before the fat melts completely, creating those beautiful layers.
- Watch the Broiler Like a Hawk: Seriously, broiler time is quick and can go from golden to burnt in seconds!
How to Store It
Let’s be honest, these are best eaten warm, right out of the oven! But if you happen to have leftovers (a rare occurrence in my house!), here’s how to store them:
Once completely cooled, store biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. For longer storage, you can refrigerate them for up to a week or freeze them for up to 3 months.
To reheat, I like to pop them in a toaster oven or regular oven at about 300°F (150°C) for a few minutes until warmed through. Microwaving works in a pinch, but can sometimes make them a little chewy.
FAQs
Got questions? I’ve got answers!
Q: Can I use regular all-purpose flour instead of self-rising?
A: Yes, but you’ll need to add leavening and salt. For 3 cups of all-purpose flour, whisk in 4 ½ teaspoons of baking powder and ¾ teaspoon of salt.
Q: Why do I need to grate the frozen butter?
A: Grating creates tiny, cold butter pieces that are evenly distributed throughout the flour. As the biscuits bake, these butter pieces melt and create steam, which pushes the layers of dough apart, resulting in that wonderfully flaky texture.
Q: My dough is too sticky, what did I do wrong?
A: You might need just a tiny bit more flour when you turn it out onto the surface. Add flour sparingly. The goal is just enough so you can handle it without it sticking completely, not so much that the dough gets dry or tough.
Q: Can I make the dough ahead of time?
A: You can prepare the dough, cut the biscuits, and place them on a baking sheet. At this point, you can cover and refrigerate them for a few hours (no more than 4-6 is best for optimal rise). Bake as directed, adding a minute or two to the bake time if needed. You can also freeze the cut, unbaked biscuits on the baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding several minutes to the bake time.
Easy Homemade Honey Butter Biscuits
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Step 1: Ensure butter for the dough is frozen solid. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Step 2: Grate the frozen ½ cup butter directly into a medium-sized bowl. Add the 3 cups self-rising flour to the bowl. Gently toss and combine the flour and grated butter with a fork until distributed like coarse crumbs.
- Step 3: In a separate bowl, whisk together the 1 cup whole milk and ¼ cup honey until combined.
- Step 4: Make a well in the center of the flour and butter mixture. Pour the milk and honey mixture into the well. Gently mix with a fork or spatula just until all the dry bits are moistened and a shaggy dough forms. Do not overmix.
- Step 5: Lightly flour a clean surface and turn the dough out. Gently fold and turn the dough 3-4 times until it comes together. Pat or gently roll the dough into an 8x8-inch square, about 1-inch thick.
- Step 6: Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 9 large biscuits (a 3x3 grid) or 12 medium biscuits (a 3x4 grid).
- Step 7: Carefully place the cut biscuits onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between them. Melt the 4 Tbsp salted butter. Brush the tops and sides of each biscuit generously with the melted butter.
- Step 8: Bake in the preheated 425°F oven for about 12 minutes, or until puffed and lightly golden.
- Step 9: Turn on your broiler (keep oven rack in the same position). Broil for just 3-5 minutes, or until the tops are beautifully golden brown. Watch constantly as they can burn quickly.
- Step 10: While the biscuits are still hot, quickly mix the remaining 1 Tbsp of honey into any leftover melted butter (or melt a little more if needed). Brush this honey butter glaze over the tops of all the hot biscuits.
- Step 11: Serve immediately. Biscuits are best enjoyed warm.