These heavenly Angel Biscuits are the perfect marriage of traditional buttermilk biscuits and soft dinner rolls. Ready in just 1 hour, including resting time, these cloud-like biscuits offer a delightful balance of flakiness and tenderness.
With only 177 calories per serving, they’re a lighter alternative that doesn’t compromise on taste. Whether served alongside your morning eggs or paired with a cozy dinner, these versatile biscuits will become your new go-to recipe.
Ingredients
- Instant yeast: 2 teaspoons, essential for the perfect rise
- All-purpose flour: 2½ cups, creates the foundation for tender biscuits
- Leavening agents: 1 teaspoon each of baking powder, salt, and baking soda
- Sugar: 2 tablespoons, adds subtle sweetness
- Cold butter/shortening: ½ cup, cut into pieces for flakiness
- Buttermilk: 1 cup, ensures moisture and tenderness
- Water: ¼ cup, helps create perfect dough consistency
- Melted butter: 2 tablespoons, for brushing tops
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients: Combine yeast, flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl
- Cut in butter: Work cold butter pieces into dry mixture until crumbly texture forms
- Add liquids: Stir in buttermilk and water until smooth dough forms
- Shape dough: Turn onto floured surface, knead gently, and roll to ½-inch thickness
- Cut biscuits: Either cut into 16 squares or use round cutter for traditional shapes
- Prepare for baking: Place in buttered cast iron pan or lined baking sheet
- Rest time: Brush with melted butter, cover, and let rest 30 minutes
- Bake: In preheated 425°F oven for 13-18 minutes until golden brown
Cooking Techniques
The magic of angel biscuits comes from combining two leavening methods – yeast and baking powder/soda. When cutting in the butter, use cold butter and work quickly with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture looks like coarse bread crumbs.
Don’t overwork the dough when kneading – just a few gentle turns will do! The 30-minute rest before baking lets both the yeast and chemical leaveners work their magic, giving these biscuits their signature light, fluffy texture.
Make-Ahead Tips
One of the best things about angel biscuits is how flexible they are with timing! You can keep the dough in your fridge for up to 3 days, which makes them perfect for busy schedules. Just pop the dough in a covered container and pull it out when you’re ready to bake.
The extra time in the fridge actually helps develop more flavor. When you’re ready to bake, just shape, let rest for 30 minutes, and pop them in the oven!
Serving Suggestions
Fresh from the oven, these fluffy biscuits are amazing with just a pat of butter and honey. Try them split and topped with sausage gravy for a classic Southern breakfast, or serve them alongside your favorite soup or stew.
They also make wonderful sandwich buns – try them with ham and cheese, or use them to soak up the last bits of gravy at dinner time. For an extra touch of comfort, brush the hot biscuits with melted butter right as they come out of the oven.
Storage Tips
Once baked, keep your angel biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. To reheat, wrap them in foil and warm in a 350°F oven for about 5 minutes. You can also freeze baked biscuits for up to 3 months – just thaw overnight and warm them up before serving.
The best part? You can freeze unbaked biscuits too! Place them on a baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. When ready to bake, place frozen biscuits on your baking pan, let them thaw and rise for about an hour, then bake as usual.
Angel Biscuits
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl or stand mixer
- Cast-iron pan or baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 cup butter or shortening cold, cut into pieces
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer stir together yeast, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Cut in the butter or shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Stir in the water and buttermilk until smooth. Turn onto a floured surface and knead a few times. At this point you can roll out and cut the biscuits, or refrigerate the dough in a covered container for 1-3 days.
- Roll out the dough to about ½ inch thick. I usually just use my hands to press the dough out into a square (½ inch thick) then I cut the square into 16 pieces. I combine the corner pieces together, to make about 14 even sized biscuits.
- Place cut out biscuits in buttered cast iron pan, or a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Uncover biscuits and bake for about 13-18 minutes, until golden brown.
