Love the spinach dip at restaurants like TGIFriday's and the Olive Garden? Make it at home with these easy-to-follow copycat recipes.
Old Fashioned Soda Biscuits
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These old-fashioned buttermilk biscuits are ready in a jiffy, perfect for dipping in heavy sausage gravy or mopping up runny eggs on a big, All-American breakfast plate.
serves/makes:
ready in:
under 30 minutes
under 30 minutes
16 reviews
1 comment
ingredients
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons shortening
3/4 cup buttermilk (see note)
directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Sift the flour then measure it to yield 2 cups. Sift it again with the baking soda and salt into a mixing bowl.
Add the shortening and using a pastry cutter or fork, work the shortening into the flour to form a crumbly dough.
Make a well in the center of the dough and pour in most of the buttermilk (reserve a couple of tablespoons). Stir the mixture to form a soft dough. If needed, add the remaining buttermilk to form a soft dough.
Place the biscuit dough on a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle the top of the dough lightly with flour. Knead the dough 5 or 6 times, no more.
Pat the dough out into a 1/2-inch thick round. Cut the dough with round biscuit cutters and place on an ungreased baking sheet.
Place the biscuits in the oven and bake at 425 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.
Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
cook's notes
If you do not have buttermilk, you can make sour milk by adding 4 tablespoons vinegar to 3/4 cup of milk.
recipe tips
Do not overwork the dough to keep the biscuits light and fluffy.
For a golden crust, brush the biscuits with melted butter or milk before baking.
Space the biscuits about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
Serve the biscuits warm for the best flavor and texture.
Try adding herbs or cheese to the dough for a more savory flavor.
For a layered effect, fold the dough over a few times before cutting.
Use a sharp biscuit cutter and do not twist it to make sure the biscuits rise properly.
If you don't have a biscuit cutter, a round glass or cup can be used.
Serve with gravy, jam, or honey for a traditional Southern breakfast.
Always preheat the oven for the best baking results.
common recipe questions
Is there a substitute for shortening?
Butter or lard can be used as alternatives, but they may change the flavor and texture.
Can I make these biscuits without buttermilk?
Yes, you can use the sour milk alternative as mentioned in the cook's notes or use plain milk with a slightly different result.
How should I adjust the recipe for a sweeter biscuit?
Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar to the dry ingredients for a sweeter taste.
How do I store and reheat leftovers?
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days and reheat in the oven or microwave.
Can these biscuits be frozen?
Yes, freeze them before baking. Place the cut biscuits on a tray in the freezer, then transfer to a bag once frozen. Bake from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
nutrition data
240 calories, 9 grams fat, 33 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams protein per serving.
Keeping a can of frozen orange juice concentrate in the freezer means you can make more than just orange juice. Try it in a variety of orange-flavored recipes.
The name, vodka, comes from the Russian phrase zhiznennaia voda, or "water of life". It can be made from everything from potatoes to beets. It's considered to be fairly flavorless which makes it a great liquor for mixed drinks.
reviews & comments
January 8, 2024
I love soda bread so I was thrilled to find a soda biscuits recipe. Turned out perfect! Will make again.
Looks good - pretty sure we'll like it at our house. My husband needs flat buns for his breakfast sausage!
August 21, 2020
I made it as directed other than I used SOUR CREAM in place of the buttermilk. Next time I will replace salt with SUGAR and add 1 teaspoon of VINEGAR or lemon juice to activate the baking soda for more lift. Best biscuits I've ever made but thats not saying much... 5 stars
May 1, 2020
I used all the ingredients besides salt and buttermilk. But i did replace the salt with the sugar. And they turned out great
March 11, 2020
My mom used to make baking soda biscuits from scratch and I loved them. This recipe tastes just like them you can the baking soda in them which is the perfect amount!! just like moms. THANK YOU!!!this is my favorite recipe for biscuits
December 24, 2019
For those that mention too much soda, uh, they are called SODA biscuits. They are supposed to have a baking soda flavor to them (and this isn't overpowering at all - it's the right amount). These turned out perfect for me and I've made them twice now.
December 19, 2019
Is work to find baking powder without Al here so I tried these. I folded the dough 30F & leaded gently 30F. Baked at 400F & watched for Browning. Put Indian Maid Products' DurumPopper Buttr on.. YUM! My new recipe for biscuits!
August 8, 2018
Didn't Notice I needed to sift flour and I used butter instead but still turned out pretty good, my grandson helped me make them. Would make ag as in in a pinch. My husband sent wrong flour to my daughter's so we found it he recipe and trye
July 29, 2018
They would have been perfect,if they didn't have to much baking soda. Next time I'll use less soda, but they were still good. Thanks for the recipe.
April 26, 2018
And they even tell you how to make sour milk!! Saves time and money!!
April 21, 2018
This morning's craving for fresh homemade biscuits was fierce! What, no baking powder? Bummer...until I found your recipe. A few changes and I was in buttery biscuit Heaven! Here are a few tips: Use fresh squeezed lemon juice to sour the milk, let rest 5 minutes(in place of buttermilk), replace shortening with unsalted sweet cream butter(use a grater to shred into flour and stir in lightly) Handle dough as little as possible and knead only 4-5 strokes, bake at same temperature in upper 1/3 of oven, brush tops with a little of the sour milk, only cook 8 to 9 minutes, DO NOT OVERCOOK. So light and fluffy with an exceptionally, spongy crunch on the bottom. Great taste and texture!
October 12, 2017
Since I was using these with a pasta dish for dinner I cut back on the salt added garlic lowered the oven temp and they were awesome... Well for sure make these again
September 14, 2014
I think this would be a good recipe with a little tweaking I personally felt there was too much soda flavor, salt?, oven was to hot and biscuits were doughy on in BROWN on out. a lot of this is easy fixes. just need to work around the base
April 18, 2014
Very good and simple recipe. Salt was left out of recipe (for these proportions 1/2 to 1 tsp. salt based on your taste should be correct. I prefer 1/2 tsp. sea salt) I think they made a mistake on temperature and it should be 425 Fahrenheit (~ 220 Celsius) for ~ 15 minutes. (Ovens always differ... watch your biscuits!) Also I hate shortening as partially hydrogenated oils are very bad for you. I substituted unsalted creamery butter. (Normal substitution for shortening is 1 to 1 or 1 to 1 1/4 butter instead of the shortening. I used 1 to 1 and it was fine)
March 8, 2014
These were very baking soda flavored. I added 1/4 tsp salt, because I worried they would be bland & I reduced the oven temp to 325 so they wouldn't brown so quickly. They looked pretty, but I couldn't even finish eating one because of the bitter taste.
November 6, 2013
I baked at 450 and they still got brown too quickly. Good biscuits though.
The oven is supposed to be at 425 degrees F, not 450.
November 3, 2012
These were very good biscuits. I was out of baking powder and had to find a new recipe. These turned brown on top before I got them out of the oven, but they stayed extra soft, not hard at all. My babies loved them also.