Homemade Angel Biscuits

Homemade angel biscuits are tall, fluffy biscuits leavened with both yeast and baking powder, then mixed with cold butter, cold shortening and cold buttermilk. The dough can be baked the same day or kept in the refrigerator and cut as you need it, which makes a large batch easy to spread across breakfasts. For more breakfast bread, try these perfect fluffy homemade biscuits and this easy homemade artisan bread.

Why You’ll Love These Homemade Angel Biscuits

• Yeast plus baking powder: the double lift gives homemade angel biscuits a soft, tall crumb that sits between a classic biscuit and a dinner roll.
• Make-ahead dough: after the dough comes together, you can roll and bake at once, or cover the bowl and keep it cold for later in the week.
• A generous batch: 5 cups of flour and 2 cups of buttermilk make about 2 dozen biscuits, enough for a breakfast or a gravy spread.
• Familiar pantry fats: cold butter and cold shortening, cut into the flour, keep the layers tender.

What Are Homemade Angel Biscuits?

Homemade angel biscuits are a hybrid biscuit. They use the usual biscuit method of cutting cold fat into flour, but they also include a small amount of active dry yeast mixed with warm water, plus baking powder and baking soda. The yeast adds a gentle rise, while the baking powder and baking soda help the biscuits spring in a hot oven. The dough is soft, easy to roll, and more forgiving than a tightly mixed yeast roll.

Ingredients for Homemade Angel Biscuits

• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 1/2 cup shortening, cold
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
• 2 cups buttermilk, cold

Ingredient Notes

The ingredients follow the original list. A little extra flour for the board, and melted butter for brushing the baked tops, are the only additions, and both are optional in the method below.

• All-purpose flour: 5 cups is a large biscuit batch. Spoon the flour into the cup and level it, rather than packing it, so the dough does not turn dry.
• Sugar: 1/4 cup helps the yeast and gives the biscuits a light sweetness without turning them into a dessert biscuit.
• Baking powder and baking soda: 1 tablespoon of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of baking soda work with the buttermilk and the yeast. Check that both are fresh.
• Salt: 1 teaspoon seasons the full 5-cup batch.
• Cold unsalted butter: 1/2 cup, cubed, should go into the flour while it is still firm. The small pieces melt in the oven and help the layers lift.
• Cold shortening: 1/2 cup, also cold, keeps the crumb tender. Cut it into chunks before you add it so it blends at the same pace as the butter.
• Active dry yeast: 2 teaspoons is enough for this dough. Dissolve it in the 1/4 cup of warm water, held between 105°F and 115°F. Water that is too hot can damage the yeast.
• Cold buttermilk: 2 cups brings acidity for the baking soda and keeps the dough soft. Cold liquid also helps the fat stay in pieces.
• Melted butter, optional: a light brush on the hot biscuits adds sheen and flavor. It is not required for the rise.

How to Make Homemade Angel Biscuits

1. Wake the yeast: in a small bowl, stir the yeast into the warm water (105°F to 115°F). Let it stand until the surface looks foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Mix the dry ingredients: in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Cut in the fat: add the cold cubed butter and the cold shortening. Cut them in with a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-size pieces of fat still visible.
4. Add the liquids: stir the yeast mixture and the cold buttermilk into the flour mixture just until a soft dough forms. Stop mixing once the dry flour disappears.
5. Knead lightly: turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it gently 4 to 5 times, only until it holds together.
6. Roll and cut: pat or roll the dough to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter, pressing straight down without twisting, so the edges can rise. Gather the scraps, pat them out once, and cut again.
7. Rest, or bake now: place the rounds close together on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. You can bake them right away, or let them rest for 20 to 30 minutes for a slightly taller rise. The uncut dough can also be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
8. Bake: heat the oven to 400°F. Bake the biscuits for 12 to 15 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the centers feel set.
9. Finish: if you like, brush the hot tops with a little melted butter. Serve the homemade angel biscuits warm.

Hands-on time is about 20 minutes. If you give the cut biscuits a short rest, add 20 to 30 minutes. Bake time is 12 to 15 minutes. The recipe makes about 2 dozen biscuits.

Tips for the Best Homemade Angel Biscuits

• Keep the fats cold: if the kitchen is warm, cube the butter and shortening and chill them for 10 minutes before you cut them in. Warm fat makes the biscuits bake up short.
• Do not twist the cutter: a straight downward cut leaves a clean edge that can climb in the oven. Twisting pinches the edge and can hold a biscuit down.
• Set the rounds close together: biscuits that almost touch support one another as they rise and tend to bake up taller.
• Use the dough within 3 days: if the refrigerated dough looks puffy when you take it out, gently pat it down, then roll and cut as usual.
• Watch the last few minutes: 400°F can brown the tops quickly. Pull the pan when the biscuits are golden, so the insides stay soft.

What to Serve With Homemade Angel Biscuits

Homemade angel biscuits are at home on a breakfast table with butter and jam, or split and spooned over with a savory gravy. They sit especially well next to this biscuits and sausage gravy or this biscuits and gravy breakfast casserole. For a simple sweet finish, add a dish of blackberry honey butter. Serve the biscuits soon after they come out of the oven, while the crumb is still tender.

Variations

• Bake now or later: cut and bake the full batch the day you mix the dough, or keep the dough cold and bake a few biscuits at a time. Start checking a smaller pan at 12 minutes.
• Herb biscuits: stir 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh chives or parsley into the dry ingredients for a savory batch.
• Half batch: halve every ingredient if you do not need 2 dozen. The yeast still needs the same water temperature.

Storage

Let leftover homemade angel biscuits cool, then keep them in a covered container at room temperature for a day, or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. See this FDA guide to storing food safely and this USDA guide to leftovers and food safety for general storage advice. Reheat the biscuits, wrapped in foil, at 300°F for 8 to 10 minutes, until the centers are warm. The unbaked dough can stay covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; roll, cut and bake it from the cold bowl.

FAQ

What are homemade angel biscuits?

They are fluffy biscuits made with all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cold butter, cold shortening, active dry yeast and cold buttermilk. The mix of yeast and chemical leaveners gives them a tall, soft crumb.

Can I make homemade angel biscuit dough ahead of time?

Yes. After the dough comes together, cover the bowl and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. Roll, cut and bake the biscuits when you need them.

Do I have to let homemade angel biscuits rise before baking?

No. You can cut the biscuits and bake them right away. A short 20- to 30-minute rest on the pan can make them a little taller, but it is not required for a good batch.

Why didn’t my homemade angel biscuits rise well?

The usual causes are water that was too hot for the yeast, baking powder or baking soda that had lost its strength, fat that was too warm, or a cutter that was twisted instead of pressed straight down. Keep the butter and shortening cold, and cut clean rounds.

How should I store leftover homemade angel biscuits?

Cool them, then keep them covered at room temperature for a day or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat them in a 300°F oven, wrapped in foil, until the centers are warm. Baked biscuits can also be frozen for up to 2 months and reheated from frozen, still wrapped.