Fluffy Angel Biscuits
“Angel Biscuits that bake ups so tender and flaky! Easy, old-fashioned recipe using simple ingredients!”
Visual learner? Watch me make these angel biscuits from start to finish!
If biscuits and yeast rolls had a baby, it would be angel biscuits. Angel biscuits are the perfect blend of flaky buttermilk biscuits and a soft, squishy yeast rolls. Don’t believe me? Make them!
I made these for my boys this week. Their response after tasting them: “oh yeah..it is a biscuit and a roll.”
I’m convinced that these were the “muh-mama-biscuits” that Martin Lawrence went crazy over on the show Martin. Their aroma scents the house so nicely! I love this episode of Martin and them doggone biscuits!
If you’re from the South, chances are you’ve run into angel biscuits many times. Angel biscuits are simply heavenly! So light and fluffy from all that leavening with such a fantastic buttery, buttermilk flavor. It’s a nice change of pace, and any leftovers are perfect with jelly or sausage biscuits.
Unfortunately, we devoured these little clouds in one sitting, but they are already on my Saturday morning breakfast menu.
You start these angel biscuits by proofing the yeast. Adding yeast is what gives these biscuits their fluffy, yeast roll texture, along with baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Now you see why they are called Angel biscuits, huh? These babies can rise to the heavens! Don’t worry if some of your biscuits are oddly shaped. That’s what gives them character. “Angel biscuits do whatever the good Lord tells them too”. Sometime mine rise right out of the pan! Placing them closer together helps keep them more uniform.
What is the best flour for biscuits?
Two words for ya: White Lily! If you don’t have access to this brand, head to Amazon, and snag a bag. It’s a soft winter wheat flour and just the best thing for making tender, fluffy biscuits. Of course, they are still amazing with regular all-purpose flour if you need to make do with what ya have on hand.
How to make the Best Angel Biscuits
- Keep the dough as wet as you can without it sticking. By this, I mean use JUST enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to everything. Adding too much flour will result in a dry angel biscuit. Boo.Hiss.
- Don’t twist the biscuit cutter. Sometimes it’s so hard not to twist the cutter, I know. Twisting the cutter will seal the dough and keep the biscuits from rising. Push the cutter straight down into the dough and then bring it back up. No twisting, ok.
- Bake on the middle rack and broil on low for the last minute to create golden tops
Should I let my angel biscuits sit overnight?
Ummm…yeah, you should do that for the BEST flavor and texture. Just about every vintage Southern cookbook I own recommends this step. I’ve never done this step, but I suppose I should. I mean, cold biscuits do bake up better. Nah, nevermind I want muhbiscuits nooooooooow! If you decide to let them sit overnight you can just throw the whole ball of dough in the fridge overnight and then cut them out the next day. Easy, peasy, sleezy!
Careful, these melt-in-your-mouth angel biscuits just might become your new favorite! Don’t blame me if you find yourself making them back to back and then wondering where they went to!! They are dangerous and I’m not sure “angel” was the correct name for them.
Want more biscuits?
Cheddar Biscuits
Butter Swim Biscuits
Get the Recipe: Homemade Angel Biscuits
Ingredients
Yeast Mixture
- 1/4 cup warm water (125 F)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 package Rapid Rise Instant yeast (1/4 oz), (2¼ teaspoons)
Biscuits
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour , ( I prefer White Lily flour)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, chopped +more for brushing finished biscuits
- 1/4 cup butter-flavored shortening
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- First, proof the yeast by add warm water and sugar to a glass measuring cup or bowl.
- Stir in the yeast.
- Let yeast proof while moving on the next step.
- In a large bowl, sift or whisk together sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt.
- Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter and shortening until mixture resembles small crumbs.
- Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour in the yeast mixture and buttermilk, stirring to combine just the yeast and buttermilk.
- Next begin pushing the flour mixture into the well, until everything is combined and a dough has formed.
- Lightly flour a work surface and turn the dough out on the work surface.
- Gently knead the dough to incorporate all the crumbs until you have a mound of soft, pliable dough.
- Fold the dough several times (this will create layers in your finished biscuits.)
- Pat the dough out into a 1-inch thick rectangle.
- Using a floured 2.5 inch round biscuit cutter, cut out 8-10 biscuits. (do not twist the cutter, simply go straight down and pull up)
- Place biscuits on a lightly greased pan, about 1/2 inch apart. ( My 9-inch pan held 8 biscuits)
- Cover pan loosely with plastic wrap and place in a very warm, draft-free location. (I put mine in the oven with just the pilot light on)
- Let rise for 1-hour and then preheat oven to 400 F.
- Remove plastic wrap and gently brush the tops with a light coating of heavy whipping cream. (This will help with browning)
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. (check on it at the 8-minute mark) Turn the oven to a low broil during the last minute to create golden tops (be sure to watch it constantly while broiling to prevent burning)
- Brush with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven.
I use instant yeast and omit the proofing. Add it to the dry ingredients. Works great every time! My big momma taught me that .
Made these biscuits for a “Girls-Fest Brunch” yesterday and this is truly an amazing recipe and the video was so helpful in giving me confidence that I could do it. Thanks so much and I will be trying more recipes from your site. I’m Southern and have eaten some of these items in my growing up years in a small town at funerals and at church “dinners on the ground” etc., but never had the recipes. So excited to try some more.
I always get so frustrated with her recipes they never come out lovely or delicious. This recipe in the video sugar was added to the yeast but that wasn’t written in the instructions so I’m wondering what else is missing in these recipes?
“I always get so frustrated with her recipes.”
Don’t make them. Geesh. At the very least suggest an edit to the recipe. You shouldn’t complain about content this woman has GIFTED to you for FREE. Or try making your own recipe, write it out with instructions, produce a video, edit it, and write a corresponding blog post so people can complain. But that would be too much like right. Gaaahhhlee.
This is the instructions.
Instructuons say in 1. Add sugar to yeast mixture. Also in 4. Add sugar to dry ingredients.
What more can she say? Everyone knows it takes sugar to proof yeast. And if you’ve ever had an Angel Biscuit in your life you know sugar goes in biscuit dough. And when in doubt go google another Angel Biscuit recipe they all say the same thing sugar in the yeast sugar in the dough. Using some common sense never hurts. Before I decide on a recipe I usually go out and read Divas and about 5 other I follow. All of the best ladies recipes are similar. When making biscuits you can either use a stick of butter or you can use crisco or you can use lard some things never change. Or do like me and get big mama to teach you to cook.
OMG you have not lived until you have tried these fluffy angel biscuits. Thank you so much for sharing.
A few helpful tips,
Dough may become sticky or a little too wet, I have made these a few times and increased my flour from 2.5 cup to about 2 3/4 cups flour. I found that they will appear to be a little dry but after working the dough (kneading) for just a couple minutes it comes together well and you don’t need to add much flour to the counter or dough. Also, don’t just follow the video, also read the recipes throughly. Videos are edited and made for production. It helps with the visual aide but should not substitute the written recipe instructions.
My family loves these biscuits and they are my go-to treat. They can work for breakfast or dinner and every meal in between.