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My Gram’s Fabulous Biscuits

This vintage biscuits recipe comes from my Gram. They use no Bisquick and taste amazing. Some links in this article are affiliate links that may earn me a commission if you purchase through them.

I am a carb person. What can I say? I love carbs.

I think some of it was spending time in Europe as a child, but to me few meals are complete without some sort of bread. That includes eating pasta with bread, of course. And post-Thanksgiving, I’ve been known to make sandwiches (more as a child, but still) of leftover mashed potatoes and dressing.

Biscuits are another favorite of mine, especially fresh and right out of the oven. I’m not a huge fan, however, of the taste of overly processed ones, and I love to make them from scratch.

When I first sought to do so, I literally could not find a recipe that didn’t include Bisquick. And I stubbornly didn’t want to use Bisquick, as that seemed like cheating to me.

I whined about this to my mom who looked at me blankly, as she’d never made biscuits in her life. She finally suggested talking to my grandmother who fortunately had one recipe that didn’t call for Bisquick – yay!

Her vintage biscuits recipe tastes fantastic whether I serve them for breakfast drizzled with butter and honey or enjoy them as a side to a hearty Sunday supper.

These are super easy to make, and we rarely have leftovers. They do require a little bit of labor. Personally, I think it’s well worth it in the end.

Gram's biscuits on a plate

How to Make Gram’s Vintage Biscuits Recipe

Mix all dry ingredients together in medium sized bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter until pieces are pea sized (if you go more, it won’t be fluffy!).

If you don’t have a pastry cutter, you can use two knives, but go out and buy a pastry cutter. They’re so much fun to use!

Use a pasty cutter or two knives to but the butter into the flour mixture

Add the milk and stir with a spatula until JUST combined. Knead 10-12 strokes with your hands and turn out to a lightly floured surface.

Knead the dough by hand

Roll to 1/2 inch  thickness and use a 2 1/2 cup glass or a biscuit cutter to cut the dough into biscuits. You can reroll the dough to get all ten biscuits.

For the glass, I like to use tall tumblers because the opening is the size I like to make my biscuits, but this isn’t that particular. To keep the dough from sticking to the glass, dip it in flour periodically.

Roll the dough to a rough rectangle

You can also get lazy (like me!) when you aren’t having company and simply cut them into ten or so biscuits rather than using the glass to make them into perfect rounds.

They taste the same and are faster to make, but I’ll admit they aren’t as pretty. They also don’t rise as much when you cut them this way instead of using a glass or biscuit cutter.

Cut biscuits instead of using glasses to make them round

Place your biscuits onto a jelly roll pan lined with a silpat or parchment paper to ensure they don’t stick.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

What do you serve with your homemade biscuits?

Gram's Biscuits

Gram's Biscuits

Yield: 10 biscuits
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

This simple vintage biscuits recipe comes from my maternal grandmother. It takes a little manual labor, but they taste SO good and do not require any Bisquick.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c butter, cold
  • 2 c flour
  • 1 T baking powder
  • 1/4 t salt
  • 2 t sugar
  • 1/2 t cream of tartar
  • 2/3 c milk

Instructions

  1. Mix all dry ingredients together in medium sized bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter until pieces are pea sized.
  2. Add the milk and stir with a spatula until barely combined. Knead 10-12 strokes with your hands and turn out to a lightly floured surface.
  3. Roll to 1/2" thick cut into biscuits with 2 1/2" glass or biscuit cutter.
  4. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Notes

  • If you don’t have a pastry cutter, you can use two knives, but a pastry cutter is faster and far easier to use.
  • You can reroll the dough to get all ten biscuits.
  • For the glass, I like to use tall tumblers because the opening is the size I like to make my biscuits, but this isn’t that particular. To keep the dough from sticking to the glass, dip it in flour periodically.
  • These are best straight from the oven but will keep for a day or two in a tightly sealed container on your counter.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1 biscuit
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 185Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 287mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g

This site uses an outside source to provide nutrition as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.

Did you make this recipe?

Please rate the recipe above and save it on Pinterest so you can find it to make again and again. Leave me a comment to let me know what you think about it, too!

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  1. shopannies says:

    hubby is a biscut lover I will try your recipe and see if I can make him smile thanks

  2. pseudostoops says:

    I, too, love carbs.

    How much butter do you need? (I don't see it in the ingredient list, but I can't imagine biscuits without butter…)

  3. Lisa@BlessedwithGrace says:

    Carbs…. yum!

  4. Unknown Mami says:

    I'm a carb person too! They bring me joy.

  5. septembermom says:

    I'm a carb person too! You should hear me at the dinner table, “please pass me another biscuit”. I don't know what I would do without carbs. Thanks for the recipe.

  6. Roxane says:

    Oh sweet carbs how I love thee!
    My sister and I were just discussing the wonder of biscuits and gravy… I might have to give it a try when the temperature comes down from the 90's!

  7. Kori says:

    Ooo I love homemade biscuits hot out of the oven with butter and honey. Oh so good.

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