This flaky, buttery joanna gaines biscuit recipe is made with rich buttermilk, cold salted butter, and fresh eggs, ready in about 40 minutes plus chilling time. Watching the layers rise tall and golden brown in the oven creates genuine anticipation for that first warm bite. I love how these turn out consistently tender every single weekend.
Jump to Recipe💛 What I Learned Making This:
When I first tried this recipe, I made the mistake of thinking the dough was too wet and added extra flour, which resulted in a heavy, dense biscuit. I learned that the secret to JoJo’s biscuits is trusting the sticky dough and letting it rest in the refrigerator rather than fighting it.
Another surprise was the use of eggs in the dough, which isn’t standard for traditional Southern biscuits. This addition, along with a generous amount of salted butter, gives them a richness and cake-like texture that sets them apart from the usual water-and-lard versions.
❔ What Are Biscuits?
The term “biscuit” depends entirely on your location:
1. The American Biscuit
A soft, flaky quick bread similar to a savory scone.
- Texture: Light, airy, and layered.
- Usage: Served warm as a side dish, often with gravy or butter.
- Key Icons: Think Joanna Gaines or Pioneer Woman style.
2. The British Biscuit
What Americans call a cookie.
- Texture: Firm, thin, and crunchy with a distinct “snap.”
- Usage: Usually sweet and meant for dunking in tea.
- Key Icons: This is Mary Berry territory (Shortbread, Digestives).
🥚 Joanna Gaines Biscuit Recipe Ingredients
- Self-Rising Flour: 4 cups (plus extra for dusting the surface)
- Baking Powder: 2 tablespoons
- Baking Soda: 1 teaspoon
- Salted Butter: 1 ½ cups (3 sticks), cold and cubed
- Eggs: 2 large, beaten (for the dough)
- Buttermilk: 1 ½ cups (plus 1 tablespoon for the wash)
- Egg Wash: 1 additional large egg
🥯 How To Make Joanna Gaines Biscuit Recipe
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the self-rising flour, baking powder, and baking soda until well combined.
- Cut in Butter: Add the cold, cubed salted butter to the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender or your fingers to cut the butter into the flour until the pieces are about the size of peas.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Stir in the 2 beaten eggs with a wooden spoon. Pour in the 1 ½ cups of buttermilk and stir just until the dough comes together into a sticky mass.
- Chill the Dough: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to overnight). This step is crucial for handling the sticky dough.
- Preheat and Prep: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Shape and Cut: Scrape the chilled dough onto a floured surface. Press it down with floured hands into a round roughly ½-inch thick. Use a floured 2 ¾-inch round cutter to cut out the biscuits, pressing straight down without twisting.
- Bake: Arrange the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet so that they are all touching each other. Whisk the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon of buttermilk and brush the tops. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.
💡 Recipe Tips
- Keep Butter Cold: The butter must be cold when it hits the oven to create steam pockets. If your butter melts while mixing, pop the bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes before continuing.
- Don’t Twist the Cutter: When cutting your biscuits, press straight down and pull straight up. Twisting seals the edges and prevents the layers from rising fully.
- Crowd the Pan: Placing the biscuits so they touch each other forces them to rise up rather than spread out, resulting in taller, softer sides.
👉 Why Won’t My Biscuits Rise?
If your biscuits are coming out flat, it is usually due to one of these three mistakes:
- Warm Fat: The butter must be ice-cold. When cold butter hits the oven, it creates steam that forces the layers upward. If it melts before baking, the biscuits stay flat.
- Twisting the Cutter: Press the cutter straight down. If you twist it, you “seal” the edges, which prevents the dough from rising.
- Expired Baking Powder: Biscuits rely entirely on chemical leaveners. If your baking powder is older than 6 months, it may have lost its lifting power.
Quick Fix: Try the “Stack and Fold” method. Instead of kneading, fold the dough over itself 5 or 6 times. This creates physical layers that act like a spring in the oven.
🍳 What To Serve With Biscuits?
These rich biscuits are perfect when served warm with a side of strawberry butter or quality fruit preserves. For a savory breakfast, they hold up beautifully under a ladle of creamy sausage gravy or alongside crispy bacon and scrambled eggs.
💨 How Do I Get Flaky, Layered Biscuits?
To get those tall, “pull-apart” layers for your blog photos, follow these three steps:
- Grate Frozen Butter: Grate a frozen stick of butter into your flour. Small, cold shards create better steam pockets than hand-cut chunks.
- The “Letter Fold”: Instead of kneading, pat the dough into a rectangle and fold it in thirds like a letter. Repeat this 5 times. This physically stacks layers of butter and dough.
- Crowd the Pan: Place the biscuits so their edges are touching. They will use each other for support and “climb” upward instead of spreading outward.
Pro Tip: Press the cutter straight down without twisting. Twisting “seals” the edges and kills the rise.
🎚 How To Store Leftovers Biscuits?
Store leftover biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, freeze baked biscuits for up to 2 months and reheat them in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes before serving.
FAQs
Why do I need self-rising flour plus baking powder?
This recipe uses both to ensure a very high rise. The extra leavening agents give the biscuits their signature height and fluffy interior despite the heavy butter content.
Can I use unsalted butter?
You can, but the original recipe specifically calls for salted butter for flavor. If you use unsalted, add about 1 teaspoon of salt to the dry ingredients.
Why is the dough so sticky?
The high hydration ensures a moist biscuit. Chilling the dough hydrates the flour and solidifies the butter, making it manageable without adding excess flour that would dry it out.
More Recipes You’ll Love!
- Joanna Gaines Fried Chicken Recipe
- Joanna Gaines Banana Muffins Recipe
- Joanna Gaines Bacon Quiche Recipe
- Pioneer Woman Spinach Mushroom Quiche
- Pioneer Woman Sausage Rolls Recipe
📊 Biscuits Nutrition Fact
- Calories: 255
- Total Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Cholesterol: 65mg
- Sodium: 690mg
- Total Carbohydrate: 22g
- Protein: 4g
joanna gaines biscuit recipe
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minutesThis flaky, buttery joanna gaines biscuit recipe combines rich buttermilk, salted butter, and eggs for a tender bite every time. Ready in roughly 40 minutes plus chilling, these biscuits are perfect for a cozy weekend breakfast.
Ingredients
4 cups self-rising flour (plus extra for dusting)
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) salted butter, cold and cubed
2 large eggs, beaten
1 ½ cups buttermilk
1 large egg (for wash)
1 tablespoon buttermilk (for wash)
Directions
- In a large bowl, whisk together self-rising flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Cut the cold butter into the flour using a pastry blender until pea-sized crumbs form.
- Stir in the 2 beaten eggs, then add 1 ½ cups buttermilk. Mix until a sticky dough forms.
- Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Press dough onto a floured surface to ½-inch thickness. Cut with a 2 ¾-inch cutter.
- Place biscuits on the pan so they are touching. Whisk remaining egg with 1 tablespoon buttermilk and brush the tops.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Cool slightly before serving.
