Best Biscuits in the South! (5-ingredient recipe)
Biscuits and the South go together like peas and carrots! And for that reason, if there’s one thing that most Southerners know how to do, it’s make fluffy biscuits! My family is no exception to that southern biscuit rule. My stepdad and my mother have an easy biscuit recipe, and they are sure to become your family’s favorite! But don’t let the simplicity fool you, the flavor and texture are second to none. I’m here to show you how to make the Best Biscuits in the South! (5-ingredient recipe)
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(FYI: I have two sets of pictures on this post. They are two different batches of biscuits I made. It’s the exact same recipe. Just different baking pans and some I wanted more brown than others.)
Saturdays and Sundays were the days for “breakfast” biscuits at our house. The weekends were a little bit slower and therefore we actually had time to sit around the table in the mornings instead of having to rush out of the door for school and work. But biscuits weren’t just limited to the mornings at our house. During the school week my mom would make this same recipe of easy drop biscuits for dinner at least 3 or 4 nights. I’m pretty sure that we had biscuits at EVERY SINGLE MEAL.
This ensured a few things: First, my parents got really good at making delicious biscuits. Second, anything other than my parent’s homemade biscuits weren’t going to pass at our table. Third, since we were eating biscuits so often, we got creative with what we ate them with.
Lip smackin’ biscuit toppings and gravy
Of course there are the traditional things that you eat with biscuits: Butter, jelly, and honey. But we also like to top our buttery biscuits with homemade fig preserves, muscadine jam, maple syrup, and most definitely gravy!
A lot of people like white sausage gravy. My husband is THAT kind of person (ha), but in my family, my mom made brown gravy for us to pour over our biscuits. And on REALLY special occasions, my stepdad would go in the kitchen and whip up his tomato gravy. That tomato gravy had just the right amount of acidity to cut through those rich, tender biscuits. It was enough to just send you over the moon! Or maybe even back to bed after you’ve stuffed yourself that full for breakfast!
Let’s discover the history behind the American biscuit!
What is your favorite topping for biscuits? Do you like butter and jams? or do you prefer gravy?
Type in the comments below how you like to dress up your biscuits! I’d love to hear your ideas!
Best Biscuits in the South! (5-ingredient recipe) with the kids
My mom was really great about letting me and my siblings into the kitchen to help her cook. As a matter of fact, when we got to be teenagers, we would get the chance to decide on the menu for one of the week’s meals, then go to the grocery store with my mom to buy the ingredients, and later return home to make the meal for the family. She always stayed close by in case we needed help, but she let us do everything ourselves.
We would manage to cook multiple items at one time. Our main dish would be simmering, our vegetables sauteing, and our breads baking in the oven. Most importantly, we learned time management and how to keep things moving along in the kitchen smoothly.
I loved the independence that she gave us. As a result, it really built our confidence that we were able to take care of ourselves and ultimately provide something to our family of worth…food! It truly developed a love of cooking in us at a young age and an appreciation for the hard work that goes into putting a home cooked meal on the table every night.
This recipe is ideal for letting little hands help. As a matter of fact, the recipe calls for hands to do the mixing and not utensils which is perfect for the little ones. And the simple ingredients coupled with easy instructions means that there really isn’t a way to mess it up!
The only thing that I have noticed is that when mixing the milk and vegetable shortening with your hand, it can get pretty cold. It’s always surprising to the kids but soon enough with the warmth of your hand, the chill is taken off.
Be Sure To Pin It For Later!
And if this is your first time making biscuits, then this homemade biscuit recipe is a good one to start with. And I’ve compiled a list of reasons why:
- You don’t need expensive or fancy equipment like a food processor, pastry blender, stand mixer, etc… Just a mixing bowl and your hands!
- You also don’t need a rolling pin. These are homemade drop biscuits so no extra space, kneading, or flouring of surfaces is required.
- This recipe uses common ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, so there aren’t any extra trips to the grocery store.
Tips for the Best Biscuits in the South! (5-ingredient recipe):
- Make sure that you use a deep enough bowl that you can make a well in the middle of your flour.
- You can either brush the top of your biscuits with the melted butter or you can use vegetable oil. Either way, you need to brush the top of them to keep them from being dry and to get that golden brown color.
- Don’t overcook your biscuits while trying to get them brown on top. Cook them for the time alloted in the recipe and let the broiler do the rest for you.
Make the Best Biscuits in the South! (5-ingredient recipe) with me on YouTube!
Best Biscuits in the South! (5-ingredient recipe) Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup of vegetable shortening or softened butter
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 cups of flour (self-rising)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon cold butter (melted)
Best Biscuits in the South! (5-ingredient recipe) Instructions:
- First, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Second, place the dry ingredients: self-rising flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well (or a hole) in the center of the flour in the bowl.
- Third, pour the milk into the well in the middle of the flour mixture.
- Next, place the vegetable shortening (or butter) in the well with the milk.
- Then, using your hands, squish the vegetable shortening (or butter) and the milk together until combined. Some people use a pastry cutter, but I don’t find it to be necessary. You can achieve the same effect with your fingers. It just gets a little bit messier.
- Slowly mix in the flour by pulling it from the sides of the bowl.
- Pour a tablespoon of vegetable oil into a cast iron skillet and use paper towel to rub it all over the skillet.
- When the flour is completely incorporated, separate the biscuit dough into 5 equal portions.
- Roll dough into a ball. (The dough will be a bit sticky so you can just use a little flour on your hands to keep it from sticking) You could also use a biscuit cutter to make them a uniform shape and size. But I prefer to have the homemade rugged look.
- Then, place the 5 biscuits into the greased cast iron skillet and pat down slightly.
- Next, brush with melted butter.
- Place the biscuits in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Turn on broiler after the 20 minutes has passed and let the top of the biscuits get golden brown.
- Finally, enjoy with your favorite toppings!
Storage for the Best Biscuits in the South! (5-ingredient recipe):
- Biscuits can be stored in an airtight container or Ziploc bag for 3 days at room temperature.
- Leftover biscuits can be stored in an airtight container or Ziploc bag for 1 week.
What are the macros for the Best Biscuits in the South! (5-Ingredient Recipe):
Makes 5 servings (Nutritional information below is for 1 serving = 1 biscuit)
- Calories – 328.2
- Protein – 6.34 grams
- Carbs – 39.2 grams
- Fat – 6.3 grams
What else can I do with biscuits?
There are endless possibilities for how to take this simple, delicious biscuit and convert it to a dessert, a breakfast sandwich, or even use it in a holiday dinner dish!
- Breakfast Ideas:
- Bacon/sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit sandwiches
- Easy biscuit breakfast casserole
- Lunch/Dinner Ideas:
- Deer steak biscuit
- Southern dressing with biscuit crumbles
- Hot Ham and Cheese Biscuit sliders
- Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie
- Homemade version of Cheddar Bay Biscuits (Make the above biscuit recipe with the addition of 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese in the dough and a generous brush with garlic butter when they get out of the oven)
- Desserts:
- Biscuit cobblers (blueberry/apple)
- Biscuit bread pudding
Check out some of my other bread recipes!
Brown Butter Banana Bread with walnuts
Bread Pudding Pie – New Orleans Style
If you try this recipe and love it, please consider giving it 5 STARS.
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Here’s a throwback to one of my very first YouTube videos for my BLOG. The first biscuit video!
Best Biscuits in the South! (5-ingredient recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 cups self rising flour
- 1/3 cup of vegetable shortening
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
Instructions
- First, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Second, place the dry ingredients: self-rising flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well (or a hole) in the center of the flour in the bowl.
- Third, pour the milk into the well in the middle of the flour mixture.
- Next, place the vegetable shortening (or butter) in the well with the milk.
- Then, using your hands, squish the vegetable shortening (or butter) and the milk together until combined. Some people use a pastry cutter, but I don’t find it to be necessary. You can achieve the same effect with your fingers. It just gets a little bit messier.
- Slowly mix in the flour by pulling it from the sides of the bowl.
- When the flour is completely incorporated, separate the biscuit dough into 5 equal portions.
- Roll dough into a ball. (The dough will be a bit sticky so you can just use a little flour on your hands to keep it from sticking) You could also use a biscuit cutter to make them a uniform shape and size. But I prefer to have the homemade rugged look.
- Then, place the 5 biscuits into a greased cast iron skillet and pat down slightly.
- Next, brush with melted butter.
- Place the biscuits in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Turn on broiler after the 20 minutes has passed and let the top of the biscuits get golden brown.
- Finally, enjoy with your favorite toppings!
Best Cathead Biscuits I have eaten. Easy to do and great with Blackberry Jelly.
So glad that you made them and enjoyed them!