Buttery, soft and made completely from scratch, these homemade butter biscuits are the perfect combination of spicy and sweet. Baked fresh and then brushed with a red pepper infused hot honey, they are so easy and quick to make in just 30 minutes. Perfect for your next weekend breakfast or brunch!
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Why This Recipe Works
- Easy to make
- You only need one bowl and a cheese grater to make the dough
- Perfect for breakfast or brunch
- They make the best biscuit sandwiches
- You get to enjoy homemade biscuits at home!
These easy homemade honey biscuit recipe are made without eggs, shortening, and buttermilk, but are still super soft, tender, and extra flakey!
Step by Step Video
Ingredient Notes
- Flour- All purpose flour, is the best flour for biscuits and can not be substituted.
- Honey- any brand of honey is great. The honey is used in both the biscuit to help them brown and is infused with the chili pepper flakes for brushing the biscuits after they bake.
- Butter- unsalted butter is the best butter for biscuits. To make these really quick and easy, you will freeze the butter then shred it with a cheese grater. The frozen curls of butter are the perfect size to make the dough really flakey once it bakes.
- Milk- 2% milk is best and it should cold straight from the fridge before using to keep the butter cold. The milk will bring the dough together and moisten it.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: In a small pot, add the honey and chili pepper flakes. Bring it to a boil over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes.
Step 2: Remove the pot from heat, pour the honey into a container and allow to cool.
Step 3: In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Step 4: Shred the frozen butter into the bowl and then place it in the freezer to keep it cold.
Step 5: Remove the bowl from the freezer and add the cold milk and honey. Mix to combine. The dough will start to come together but will be a bit dry and crumbly.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and flatten it into a rectangle. Fold it in half and then press it down again into a rectangle. It doesn't matter what size, but it should be long enough to fold in half. Fold the dough 3-4 times total.
Step 6: Sprinkle the top of the dough lightly with flour and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to about ½-3/4 inch thick.
Step 7: Use a 2 ½ inch round biscuit cutter to cut the biscuits. Press the cutter straight down into the dough and do not turn it. If you turn the cutter, it will seal the layers of the biscuit and it won't rise properly in the oven.
Once you are left with the scraps and can't cut any more rounds, gently re-work the dough back into a ½-3/4 inch thick surface and continue to cut the biscuits. You should get 8 biscuits.
Step 8: Place the biscuits on a parchment lined baking tray and bake at 425 degrees F/218 degrees C for about 10 minutes until the tops are just starting to brown and the bottoms are golden. Let cool on a wire rack and then brush with the hot honey.
Storing
These biscuits are best kept at room temperature covered with plastic wrap or kept in an airtight container.
Once the biscuit dough is cut, freeze the biscuits on a tray until completely solid then keep in a freezer bag or airtight container to keep them fresh. Then when you're ready to bake them, you can place them straight into the oven.
Variations
- Cheddar cheese and fresh chive
- Parmesan and fresh parsley
- Cheddar cheese and fresh green onion
- Cheddar cheese and jalapeno
Or use these biscuits for the biscuits and gravy!
Troubleshooting
- My biscuits won't rise
- You forgot the baking powder or your butter wasn't cold and didn't melt properly in the oven to create rise.
- Why are my homemade biscuits hard
- Either over baked or the dough was over worked and therefore baked dense.
- Why are my homemade biscuits dry
- Either over baked or the dough was too dry and needed more liquid.
Biscuit Science
Biscuits all come down to a science, as with any baked good, and the more you know the better your biscuits will be! Biscuits are made using whats called the "biscuit method", which is the process of blending butter into flour so that it provides a flaky texture.
- Why use cold butter in biscuits?
- Cold butter will give biscuits their super flakey texture. If the butter is warm, the little pockets of butter and steam will be gone and your biscuits won't be flakey.
- How do you make homemade biscuits fluffy?
- Cold butter is key to making your biscuits really fluffy.
- Not over mixing the dough.
- What happens if you over knead biscuit dough?
- Over kneading the dough too much will make your biscuits firm, dense and chewier and not fluffy.
- What is the best fat for biscuits?
- Butter is the best fat you could use! A high fat good quality European butter will give you the best flavor. Just don't use shortening!
FAQ + Expert Tips
Expert Tips
- Eat them fresh
- These biscuits are amazing straight out of the oven while they're still hot.
More Delicious Breakfast Recipes
Recipe
Hot Honey Butter Biscuits
Equipment
- large bowl
- cheese grater
- baking tray
- small pot
- pastry brush
- Rolling Pin
- parchment paper
- 2 ½ inch round cutter
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 8 tablespoon butter frozen and shredded
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ⅔ cup 2% milk cold
Hot Honey
- ⅓ cup honey
- ¾ teaspoon chili pepper flakes
Instructions
- Place the butter in the freezer. Then preheat the oven to 425 degrees F/218 degrees C.
- In a large bowl combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Shred the frozen butter into the bowl and then place it in the freezer.2 cups all purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 8 tablespoon butter
- In a small pot, add the honey and chili pepper flakes for the hot honey. Bring it to a boil over medium heat, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.⅓ cup honey, ¾ teaspoon chili pepper flakes
- Take the bowl with the flour and butter from the freezer and use a spoon to mix the frozen butter curls into the flour.
- Pour in the cold milk and honey and mix until the dough starts to come together. Lightly flour your surface and turn the dough out onto it. Press the dough down flat and fold it in half. Press it down flat again and do 3-4 folds total.⅔ cup 2% milk
- Then lightly flour the top of the dough. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out until it's ½-3/4 inch thick.
- Use the round cutter to cut out the biscuits in a straight up and down motion. When you are left with just scraps, gently re-work them into ½-3/4 thickness again and keep cutting. You will have 8 biscuits total.
- Place the biscuits on a parchment lined baking tray and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the tops are just starting to brown and the bottoms are golden.
- Allow to cool completely on a wire rack and brush with the hot honey.
Notes
- Don't over work the dough or it will be tough and dense after baking.
- Keep the butter and milk cold at all times!
- Cut the biscuits in a straight up and down motion, do not twist the cutter or it will seal all the layers and your biscuits won't rise as much.
Kenzie says
These are so easy and absolutely delicious!