Angel Biscuits are mini biscuits that are soft and fluffy. The size makes them perfect for feeding a crowd and this biscuit recipe makes a lot! They can be made ahead of time, thawed and reheated when ready to serve.
How to make easy biscuits from scratch
This versatile roll can pretty much go with any meal. At just 2-3″ in diameter, you can make mini egg sandwiches, dunk them in a cup of warm soup or serve the alongside a three course meal. No matter when you serve them, you’ll be appreciated as the bearer of fresh yeasty bread – the angel with the Angel Biscuits.
Angel Biscuits are also known as the “Bride’s Biscuit.” With three leavening agents in them – yeast, baking powder and baking soda – they are pretty much foolproof. So newbies to bread baking can dive right in. You can’t go wrong! And if you need a step-by-step tutorial – check out my biscuit making class here.
How long do angel biscuits last?
A few notes about Angel Biscuits:
- make-ahead dough (stores up to 1 week in fridge + gets more flavorful with time)
- freezable and equally delicious when defrosted
- feeds a massive crowd
- not technical at all – a perfect start for new bread bakers
- use any small glass – I used a shot glass – to cut these out if you don’t have a mini biscuit cutter
These biscuits are perfect for holiday gatherings. Since they are mini, this Angel Biscuit recipe makes enough biscuits for a crowd and are small enough that you won’t fill up on bread – because we all know dessert is on the menu!
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These easy biscuits are soft and fluffy. The recipe makes a lot of these mini rolls, but you can freeze them as well!
- 1 package active dry yeast 2 1/4 tsp
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tbs warm water 110-115 degrees F
- 5-6 cups self-rising flour store-bought or homemade mixture in notes
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup shortening cut into ½” pieces and brought to room temp
- ½ cup salted butter cut into ½” pieces and brought to room temp
- 2 cups buttermilk room temp
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Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water in a small bowl. Set aside for about 10 minutes.
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Whisk 5 cups of self-rising flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Break the shortening and butter into pieces and toss with flour.
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Work in the flour by rubbing your fingers together as if you’re snapping your fingers until it looks like crumbly feta cheese.
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Make a well in the center of the flour. Stir the yeast mixture into the buttermilk and pour the mixture into the hollow center. Stir it with a wooden spoon pulling flour in from the sides, until a shaggy, slightly damp dough remains.
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Flour a working surface and turn the dough out. Knead with floured hands, folding it in half and pushing it out, continuing until it’s nice and soft to the touch. About 10 minutes.
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You can choose 3 options to proceed with from here: 1) roll, cut + bake the biscuits, 2) cover dough in a well oiled bowl and let the dough rise for a lighter biscuit or 3) store the dough in the fridge and use as needed, within a week. In my video, I cut the dough in half – 1 to bake immediately and 1 for the rest of the week. If you refrigerate the dough, bring to room temp before baking.
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When ready to use, divide the dough in half. Roll out into a ½” thick rectangle. Fold again and roll out to 1” thick. You’ll eventually repeat this with the 2nd half as well.
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Dust your biscuit cutter in flour, cut biscuits without twisting the cutter. Move to a greased baking sheet and let double at room temp – 30 to 40 minutes. A good place is in the oven with the oven light turned on to keep it slightly warm. Sometimes my oven light makes it too warm, so make sure to check on it.
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After the biscuits have risen, preheat oven to 400F. Bake biscuits on the middle rack for 10-12 min, rotating halfway through, until golden brown. If the bottoms start to brown too fast, you can slide another baking sheet underneath the current one as added protection.
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Remove from oven, brush with melted butter. You have the option to dust them with powdered sugar (as Angel Dust). Or for a little twist, brush with butter and sprinkle with a spicy mix (for Devilish Dust).
Angel biscuits can be frozen, but should be baked first, then frozen. They reheat just perfectly.
Adapted from Southern Biscuits by Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart.
Homemade Self Rising Flour: The basic ratio for making your own self-rising flour is 1 cup all purpose flour, ¾ tsp salt and 1½ tsp baking powder. You would need to multiple these amounts by 5 to reach the amount of self-rising flour needed in this recipe.
Some great biscuit cookbooks for the biscuit lover!
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How much is in 1 package of yeast? We only have jars over here.
Hi Jan,
1 packet of yeast is about 2 1/4 tsp (1/4 oz). Hope you enjoy baking them!
Do you have to use shortening or can you use 1 cup of butter?
Hi Amber,
I haven’t tried all butter, but I think it should work just fine. Let me know if you do!
Hi, Emily–I’m Carol. I can’t have chickpeas, nor beans. Any suggestions for a substitution in your Roasted Red Pepper & Walnut Dip? I’ll be grateful for your help. Several of your recipes look really good. Thank you for your thoughts, & for sharing. I would appreciate a private reply if you have time. Thanks again. — cjc-GiDI
Hi Your method says leave to rise, roll out, cut and then leave to rise again. Can I roll out and cut and then leave to rise?
Hi Sam! You can skip the first rise and go straight to the cut/rise step. Some bakers find that a single rise affects the flavor slightly. You could do a test and make half the dough with one rise and the other with two; then determine which you prefer. Keep us posted on your results!
Hello the self rise flour is it 1 cup of flour, salt and baking powder and the balance of flour is regular flour or do I have to add salt and baking powder for each cup of flour?
Hi Mary Ann, great question! To make enough homemade self-rising flour, you would need to scale the homemade ratio from the notes section (x 5) so that you have the 5 – 6 cups that you need.
can you roll these out thinner and cut them bite size for passing as an hor d’oeuvre ?
Hello Julie. You can definitely make cut them into smaller biscuits, but do watch them as they may bake faster. As far as thinner, I would leave the thickness so they maintain that fluffy biscuit quality. Good luck with your baking adventure!