Angel biscuits use a combination of baking powder, baking soda, and yeast for a unique light and fluffy texture that’s like a cross between a traditional biscuit and yeast roll. The simple dough can be made up to 72 hours ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until you plan to bake the biscuits.
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Back in the mid-90s, my mom started taking all of her favorite recipes, typing them up, and keeping them in a big 3-ring binder. She’d add more recipes as she tried them and we declared them “keepers” until eventually she had to start a whole new binder because the original was full.
Sometimes when I need recipe inspiration (or just miss her), I’ll flip through that first binder, which is still my favorite. I always rediscover gems I’ve forgotten, like this angel biscuit recipe.
This is a recipe my mom got from her friend Phoebe when they met in college in the ’70s. Her notes at the top of the page say, “Very good!” and thats honestly an understatement.
Angel biscuits are a vintage classic that deserve more attention. Unlike sweet potato biscuits or Red Lobster biscuits which only use chemical leavening (baking powder and baking soda), angel biscuits use that and active dry yeast. Using both gives the biscuits a unique fluffy texture, somewhere between a traditional biscuit and yeast rolls like Texas Roadhouse rolls.
This recipe makes 22 biscuits, and the best part is you can store the dough in the fridge for up to 72 hours. Take out as much as you like to bake just a few biscuits at a time or bake up the whole batch for a holiday dinner!
Stephie’s testing notes and tips
- Use a mix of shortening and butter for flavor and texture. Just like when we make homemade pie crust, the two fats each play a different roll in this recipe. Shortening keeps the fluffy biscuits nice and tender, while butter adds the flavor we know and love.
- For the best rise, make the dough at least 8 hours ahead of time. You can bake the biscuits the same day, but you get taller, more flavorful biscuits if you let the dough chill in the refrigerator overnight first.
- Don’t twist the biscuit cutter. Press the cutter straight down and pull it straight back up. Twisting it impedes the rise of the biscuits.
How to make perfectly fluffy angel biscuits
The dough for angel biscuits is very similar to a traditional biscuit dough, but with the addition of yeast into the mixture.
Before you start, mix the yeast with warm water. Ideally the water should be around 100-110°F. Let this rest until the yeast is foamy—this process is activating the yeast so it can better do its job later.
From there, whisk together the dry ingredients, then cut the butter and shortening in with a pastry cutter. The mixture should resemble coarse meal with some pea-sized pieces of fat throughout.
Now stir the yeast mixture and the buttermilk in just until there are no more dry pockets of flour. Don’t over-mix the dough—it should be pretty sticky.
Transfer the biscuit dough to lightly greased bowl or container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 72 hours.
When it’s time to bake, take out as much of the dough as you’d like. Gently pat it out to 1/2-inch thick on a floured surface, cut out the biscuits, and transfer them to a baking sheet or cast-iron skillet. Bake at 400°F until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.
Same-day baking
If you don’t want to wait until the next day to bake the yeast biscuits, pat out the dough and cut out the biscuits right away. Lightly cover the cut-out biscuits with a clean tea towel or piece of plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours, then bake.
Freezing
You’ve got about 72 hours to use the angel biscuit dough, so you don’t need to bake all of the biscuits the same day. But if you want to store them for longer, the unbaked biscuits freeze quite well.
Make the dough, let it rise in the fridge overnight, then shape and cut out the biscuits as directed. Instead of baking them, transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 1-2 hours to flash freeze the biscuits. Once they’re frozen through, transfer them to a zip-top freezer bag. They’ll keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When you’d like a fluffy, hot-from-the-oven biscuit, bake the biscuits as directed from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes to the baking time. I find that they usually need 15-17 minutes rather than 12-15 minutes.
Storage
Like most biscuits, these angel biscuits really are best the same day they’re baked. But leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
After a day or two, I suggest warming them rather than eating them cold. A toaster oven is perfect for this, or you can pop a biscuit into the microwave for about 15-20 seconds.
Angel Biscuits
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 (0.25-ounce) packets active dry yeast (4 ½ teaspoons)
- ½ cup warm water about 100-110°F
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- ¼ cup shortening
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold, cut into pieces
- 2 cups buttermilk
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Instructions
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together the yeast and the warm water. Set aside for 5-10 minutes, until foamy.2 (0.25-ounce) packets active dry yeast, ½ cup warm water
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a dough cutter, work the shortening and butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal with several pea-sized pieces of butter and shortening throughout.5 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons fine sea salt, ¼ cup shortening, ½ cup unsalted butter
- Add the yeast and water mixture and buttermilk and stir until just combined and there are no dry pockets of flour left.2 cups buttermilk
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or lidded container, such as a Cambro container. Cover and place in the refrigerator to rise for 8 hours or overnight. Dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400°F.
- Remove as much of the dough from the refrigerator as you would like and gently turn out onto a floured work surface. Pat dough to ½-inch thick, lightly dusting with additional flour as needed.
- Use a floured biscuit cutter to cut the dough, pressing the cutter straight down and pulling it straight back up (do not twist the cutter). Carefully transfer biscuits to an ungreased sheet pan, placing biscuits close together.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the tops are golden. Serve warm.
Notes
To make the same day:
- After mixing the dough, turn out onto a floured surface and cut into biscuits as described above. Transfer to a baking sheet. Lightly cover with a sheet of plastic wrap or a clean tea towel and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 ½ hours. Bake at 400°F for 12 minutes.
To freeze:
- After dough has risen in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, turn out onto a floured surface and cut biscuits as described above. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 1-2 hours, or until the biscuits are frozen through. Transfer to a zip-top freezer bag; freeze for up to 3 months.
- When ready to bake, transfer as many biscuits as you would like to a baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for about 15-17 minutes, or until golden.
Nutrition
Serving suggestions
Angel biscuits are honestly perfect any time of day. They’re great for breakfast or brunch, spread with jam or cinnamon honey butter or slathered with classic sausage gravy. Topping them with homemade pimento cheese is also a very, very good life choice.
I also love them alongside a bowl of soup, like turkey sweet potato chili.
But holiday meals are one of the places this recipe shines best, especially since it can easily feed a crowd. They’re incredible alongside your Christmas ham, Thanksgiving turkey, or Easter leg of lamb, and you can even use them to make sandwiches out of the leftover meat.
Frequently asked questions
Absolutely. Cut biscuits using a smaller cutter—as small as 1 inch—for mini biscuits that would be perfect for a brunch buffet. I find that these smaller biscuits still need about 12 minutes to bake.
Yes! Add-ins such as cooked and crumbled bacon or shredded cheddar cheese are incredible in these buttery biscuits. Stir mix-ins into the flour mixture just before adding the wet ingredients.
About Stephie
Stephie is the creator of Stephie Cooks, a food blog that focuses on creating memories around the food we share, with family recipes at the site’s heart. Stephie lives in Central Illinois with her husband, daughter, and a menagerie of cats and dogs. When she’s not in the kitchen or at her computer writing, you can usually find her curled up with a book or working on one of her many grandma-esque hobbies. Learn more >