Southern Biscuit Recipe (3 Ingredients Only)

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Crafted with a mere trio of essential ingredients, this timeless Southern biscuit recipe stands as an enduring cornerstone of Southern culinary tradition. These biscuits, embodying a perfect fusion of simplicity and flavor, hold a cherished place in Southern households. Soft, fluffy, and undeniably delectable, they transcend the boundaries of mealtime, seamlessly transitioning from a morning indulgence to a savory accompaniment for dinner.

Southern biscuit recipe

Each bite carries with it a taste of Southern heritage, a testament to the art of Southern comfort food. The simplicity of the ingredients belies the rich and comforting flavors that emerge from the oven. Tender and buttery, they exude a warmth that envelopes the senses. Slathered with butter or adorned with gravy, these biscuits become a canvas for a multitude of culinary delights, adapting effortlessly to various accompaniments. These flaky butter biscuits go perfect so many types of soups like Creamy Vegetable SoupHomemade Cream of Chicken Soup Recipe, Vegan Butternut Squash Soup, and Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup

3 ingredients needed to make my Southern biscuit recipe.

Ingredients To Make Homemade Biscuits

  • White Lily flour (self-rising)
  • Shortening
  • Milk or buttermilk

Helpful Kitchen Tools

How to Make This Classic Southern Biscuit Recipe

Cut shortening into flour in mixing bowl.

Place the flour into a medium bowl and add the shortening. Cut in with a fork or pastry cutter.

Flour and shortening combined in mixing bowl.

It will look like this when you are done.

Not incredibly different but you won’t be able to really see the shortening anymore once it is incorporated into the flour.

Most recipes will tell you to cut the shortening into the flour until it resembles peas. I’ve never, in my life, seen peas that look like this, or a flour/shortening mixture that looked like peas. It must have been a high imagination day when that analogy was thought up. 

Add milk to Southern biscuit dough.

Add in your milk.

Add milk to dough and combine.

Stir that milk in until your dough starts to stick together good.

Sprinkle flour onto a surface. I like to lay out a piece of parchment paper and sprinkle it on top of that for easy clean-up later.

Dump dough on floured surface.

Dump your biscuit dough out onto the floured surface.

Southern biscuit dough on floured surface.

Now you need to knead it.

However, you don’t want to over-knead it or you’ll end up with my Daddy’s hockey pucks.

I tell my kids “In biscuits, as in relationships, it’s never good to be too kneady.” LOL

Southern biscuit dough.

Then, I cut your Southern biscuits.

Cutting dough with a biscuit cutter.

Cut your biscuits with a biscuit cutter or small glass that has been dipped into flour to keep the cut biscuits from sticking to it.

Place biscuits in a baking dish.

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and place your cut biscuits in it, making sure the sides touch. This helps them to rise because they support each other as they bake and rise up.

I tell my kids “You want them touching because biscuits are like good friends, they help each other rise up.”

Classic Southern biscuit recipe, freshly baked.

 Bake these at 500 for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Remove from oven and brush tops of these classic southern biscuits with melted butter, if you’d like. Enjoy all the delicious flaky layers.

How To Store Homemade Biscuits

  • Store leftover Southern-style biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat in a low oven or in the air fryer.
  • You can also freeze the baked biscuits or unbaked biscuit dough for up to 3 months. Thaw both the frozen biscuits and dough overnight in the fridge before reheating as above or following the baking instructions.

Recipe FAQs

Why does the recipe have such a large range for how much milk to use?

Sometimes, your flour will need a little more, sometimes a little less. I could have used a little more in this tutorial but it’ll turn out just fine. Biscuits are really hard to mess up, so if yours end up a little dry, no worries, they’ll still be delicious! They’ll actually absorb honey and butter a little better. My daddy used to make hockey puck biscuits on Sunday morning but they still tasted good and we gobbled ’em all down! What’s even better, if there were any left we could use them as weapons on each other out in the backyard. Always a plus side!

How do I avoid over-kneading my Southern biscuit dough?

To avoid over-kneading, I press my dough into a ball and then press it out flat. I do this no more than two or three times. The dough should still stretch.  If it rips or tears then it’s probably over kneaded.  So once the dough is soft and springs back a little, it’s done.

Can I Create Any Variations With This Recipe?

Here are some fun variations to make with this Southern biscuit recipe:

    • For a savory alternative, add shredded cheddar cheese, chopped chives, or chopped bacon to your dough.
    • For sweet, sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar into your dough.
    • To make a scone-like biscuit, add dried fruits.

What Can I Serve With These Biscuits?

These fluffy biscuits pair best with your favorite Southern comfort food or toppings. This might be fried chicken, sausage gravy, pimento cheese dip, or bacon, egg, and cheese for the ultimate breakfast sandwich.

You may also enjoy these other Southern biscuit recipes:

Southern Homemade Biscuits

Using 3 ingredients, this classic Southern biscuit recipe is a staple in Southern homes. They're delicious to eat from breakfast to dinner.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
15 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: biscuit
Servings: 4
Calories: 545kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups White Lily self-rising flour see notes if using all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup shortening
  • 2/3-3/4 cup milk

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 500 degrees and lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
  • Place flour into a medium bowl and cut in the shortening until well incorporated. Stir in just enough milk until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl.
    2 cups White Lily self-rising flour, 1/4 cup shortening, 2/3-3/4 cup milk
  • Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead two or three times. Roll dough out to 1/2-inch thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter or small glass that has been dipped in flour. Place the biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Notes

If using all-purpose flour, combine two cups of flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, and one teaspoon of salt before cutting in shortening. Follow the rest of the directions as written.

Nutrition

Calories: 545kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

 

Who taught you how to make biscuits? Who made the biscuits in your family? Maybe you’ve never had a biscuit or to you, a “biscuit” is what we think of like a cookie – that’s just fine, too.

Share a memory with us in the comments on this post.

Similar Posts

965 Comments

  1. I so loved making biscuits with my Gramma~she put so much love in them.
    Sadly missed ~ but such great memories.
    <3 <3 <3

  2. I loved the biscuits that “Miss” Mildred, my friend’s mother, made. Yum!!!

  3. My Mama always made biscuits, but I never got the hang of it. I buy frozen biscuits in a bag. This is encouraging me to try your recipe. We surely don’t need to lose the tradition of making homemade biscuits! So many things are being forgotten because of being in a rush and taking the short cut while preparing a meal. Also there is so much info out about not eating white flour.I believe anything in moderation is fine.

  4. My favorite memory of biscuits is from when I was a little girl bout 5 and going to my aunts house… which was a treat that I looked forward to because she was and still is a fabulous cook. She would make homemade biscuits and gravy and took the time to let me help which was very important to me. It still is important to me to let my children help me in the kitchen. Even if it is super messy like making homemade biscuits!!!

  5. Gramma, my mom’s mother lived and worked a farm for many many years. She baked homemade biscuits every morning, with extra for snack with bacon (my grandparents raised their own pork, beef, chickens, and garden). There was usually biscuits left over for supper, along with the homemade cornbread she made every day. My grandfather worked the farm every day and came to the house for home cooked lunch (enough for leftovers for supper).

    She had a bin in her cabinet that only held flour, along with a special metal bowl and a special pan that she made biscuits in every day. Nothing was measured, just flour, lard and buttermilk mixed with her fingers in the bowl. Gently rolled in flour and old half of a small tin can with a hole punched in the bottom (for air) used to cut biscuits. There was no greasing the pan, just laid the biscuits side by side and cooked in the oven. The method was repeated day after day, along with homemade hot chocolate in it’s special pan.

    I dreamed about going to the farm and loved these special days of home cooked meals and exploring in the barn. My grandparents are gone now and I still dream of those wonderful days and the beautiful flowers my grandmother grew. I still have some of the seeds to plant.

  6. My mama made the best biscuits ever….I tried but could never master it! I’d love thegive away tho!!

  7. My mom has used White Lily flour for as long as I can remember& we all love to go to grandmas’ house &have buttermilk biscuits & chocolate gravy. My kids grew up having this for breakfast with bacon or sausage either one. But no matter how much I master the biscuits (also with White Lily flour) my kids still rather go to grandmas’ & have her biscuits & chocolate gravy. When they go to visit now, they are all grown, they still put in their request for breakfast the next morning.

Comments are closed.