Easy 3 Ingredient Self-Rising Flour Biscuits (American Style Biscuits)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ¼ cups self-rising flour, see notes for substitution
• ½ cup (1 stick) very cold salted butter, see notes for substitution
• ¾ cup - 1 ¼ cups milk or buttermilk, see notes for substitution

DIRECTIONS

PREP

1. Position an oven rack to the center position and preheat to 450°F/230°C. 
2. Spray non-stick spray or melt a pat of butter into a cast-iron skillet or line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
3. Cut up the salted butter (113 grams/ ½ cup) into small pieces and put it back in the refrigerator to stay cold. Measure out the rest of the ingredients.

MAKE THE BISCUITS

1. Place the self-rising flour (2 ¼ cups) in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the cold salted butter to the mixing bowl and cut it into the flour mixture. To do this, press down on the fat with the wires of the pastry blender or the tines of a fork as you move it around the bowl. Continue cutting the fat into the flour until most of the pieces of fat are about the size of peas with some pieces being about the size of a walnut half.
3. Add the cold milk or buttermilk starting with the smaller amount listed (¾ cup) into the bowl and stir with a spoon or a silicone spatula just until combined. This should only take a few turns. The dough will be pretty wet and sticky. Add more milk as needed to bring the consistency to a very thick batter. You want it thin enough that it could not be rolled out like a dough but still very thick.
4. Using a 2 ounce scoop or a ¼ cup measuring cup, scoop out your biscuits into the cast iron skillet or onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake for 14-18 minutes until golden brown. Do not open the oven door for at least the first half of baking time. You want the steam to stay trapped in the oven to help with the rise.
6. Brush biscuits with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky salt if desired.
7. Biscuits are best eaten fresh but they can also be stored after completely cooled at room temperature and wrapped in foil for 2 days. Alternatively, you can freeze the biscuits raw and bake straight from frozen at 425°F for 18-21 minutes, until baked through. 

NOTES

• If you do not have self-rising flour, substitute it with all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Measure out 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Whisk the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl before adding the butter.
• If you do not have salted butter, substitute it with unsalted butter and salt. Add ¼ teaspoon of salt to the self-rising flour and whisk it together before adding in the unsalted butter.
• This recipe works well with regular milk and buttermilk. Buttermilk will give your biscuits more of a tangy flavor. You can use any variety of milk you have on hand: skim, 1%, 2% or whole. Whole milk will give the biscuits a richer flavor. You can also use non-dairy milk if you prefer.
• Buttermilk Substitute: If you want your biscuits to have the tang of buttermilk but you do not have any on hand, you can easily make a substitute. Put 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup and add milk to the cup until it measures 1 cup. Stir and let stand for 5 minutes before adding it to your dough.
• To make these biscuits gluten free: You can use any all-purpose gluten free baking blend in combination with 1 tablespoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Whisk the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl before adding the butter.