Homemade Biscuits Without Baking Powder

Soft, fresh, and flaky biscuits are one of the best things you can make for yourself. Homemade biscuits are a welcome piece of home-style comfort on any plate. 

Most recipes for the biscuits call for baking powder, but I am here to tell you that baking powder is not mandatory. You can make homemade biscuits without baking powder, and they will turn out great and flaky every time.

So let’s dive into the details and learn how to make fluffy biscuits without baking powder!

No baking powder? No problem!

Your recipe may call for baking powder, but this ingredient can be easily substituted with baking soda.

Baking soda is an alkaline ingredient, and you can add in just a few drops of lemon juice or cider vinegar to start the chemical reaction that makes biscuits super flaky. This reaction will give you a nice and soft dough.

Baking powder is nothing more than baking soda combined with a dry acid to start the chemical reaction. 

When using baking soda for homemade biscuits, you can also add buttermilk. This will be enough to start the desired reaction. Some recipes call for both baking soda and baking powder, so you will need to improvise a bit.

It is very easy to do and simple math will help you. Baking soda is stronger, so use ¼ tsp baking soda for every 1 tsp of baking powder.

You will also have to increase the acidic ingredients in the recipe, but to ease yourself, just follow our recipe and you will soon enjoy the flakiest and the best biscuits you can imagine. 

Do homemade biscuits need self-rising flour?

While self-rising flour isn’t necessary for homemade biscuits, it’s a great thing to consider.

Self-rising flour actually has baking powder and some salt mix in it, so you just have to add liquid and desired fat. This version allows you to essentially make biscuits with only three ingredients.

My recipe is a bit different and involves more ingredients and work, but I think you’ll find that the final results are amazing.

Should you use butter or shortening?

More traditional biscuits use shortening, but you can use other types of fat as well. The first option (and what I used) is cold butter.

Butter gives a nice flavor and makes biscuits even flakier. Still, if you do not have butter, you must know that any type of fat that is solid at room temperature will work fine.

Although butter gives nice texture and flavor, you can also use lard. If you are a vegan, then simply go with coconut oil. 

Should you use cutout or drop biscuits?

Drop biscuits have a slightly more crumbly texture, while cut out biscuits have more of a firm dough.

Drop biscuits will have a more rustic appearance, while the cutout biscuits will have neater look, ideal when you want to brag a bit about your culinary skills.

Tips For Making Homemade Biscuits

Get your plain flour and combine it with baking soda and some salt.

Add the cold and chopped butter and work it in the flour, either with CLEAN fingertips or dough blender.

Once you have a nice and crumbly mixture, it is time to add the milk. Stir the dough with a spatula until it comes together.

Transfer the dough on a kitchen surface, dusted with flour, and knead until you have a smooth ball of dough. 

Roll the dough using a rolling pin. Make sure your dough is ½-inch thick and do not go thinner otherwise your biscuits will be too flat.

Cut out the biscuits using a cookie cutter, a small cup or glass. Anything you have will be useful. You can even use donut cutters.

Arrange the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You can gather any pieces of the dough and roll again. There is no need to throw away such good dough!

Once you have it all prepared, bake the biscuits for 10-12 minutes. Cool briefly before serving. 

How To Make Homemade Biscuits Without Baking Powder

Step 1

Gather your ingredients.

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.

Add butter and work it in with your fingers or dough blender. 

Step 2

Once you have a coarse mixture, add buttermilk and stir until the dough comes together.

Step 3

Transfer the dough on a kitchen surface, dusted with some flour.

Knead the dough for 20 seconds and roll out to ½-inch thick. 

Step 4

Cut out the cookies and arrange on a baking sheet.

Step 5

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

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