There's nothing quite like a warm, buttery biscuit to start your day. And when those biscuits are flavored with fresh rosemary, they're even better. Rosemary biscuits are a delicious and versatile breakfast treat that can be enjoyed on their own, or along with your favorite breakfast foods.
They're also easy to make, so they're a great option for a busy morning. Don't stop with breakfast though, these savory biscuits make the perfect companion to comforting soups like chicken tortellini soup, spicy chicken soup, slow cooker potato soup and three bean chili. They would be great with these lemon pepper chicken thighs as well!
In this blog post, I'll share my recipe for rosemary biscuits. I'll also give you some tips for making the best rosemary biscuits possible. So whether you're a breakfast lover or just looking for a delicious and easy-to-make recipe, be sure to give this one a try.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- All purpose flour. You can substitute self rising flour. If you do, you will need to omit the baking powder and salt. You can also substitute the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour for a healthier option or use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend if you want to make gluten-free biscuits.
- Baking powder. Please bear in mind that I only tested this recipe with baking powder. However, according to McCormick, in a pinch, you can substitute 1.5 teaspoons baking soda and 3 teaspoons cream of tartar for the baking powder. If you don't have cream of tartar I cautiously suggest substituting 1.5 teaspoons baking soda plus 3 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar for the baking powder.
- Granulated sugar. You can replace it with an equal amount of brown sugar or coconut sugar for a slightly different flavor. Alternatively, you can use honey or maple syrup, but you may need to adjust the liquid content in the recipe.
- Salt. The amount of salt you use here depends on whether you are using salted or unsalted butter. I used European style butter salted with sea salt. Sea salt is less salty than regular table salt. If you are using unsalted butter, you will need to increase the salt to ¾ to 1 teaspoon.
- Butter. European style with sea salt. Cubed. I used European style butter with sea salt added. European style butter has higher milk fat content than regular butter. This makes the biscuits more tender and flavorful. If you can't find European style butter, it's perfectly fine to sub regular butter. I would opt for unsalted butter and then adjust the amount of salt. Chop the butter into ½ inch cubes then place it in a bowl in the freezer while you prep everything else. It's important that the butter stay as cold as can be until you're ready to use it.
- Fresh rosemary. Chopped.
- Milk. I used 2% milk which is what I usually have on hand. Whole milk would be even better. If you happen to have buttermilk, that will work as well. You can also substitute regular milk with any plant-based milk like almond milk, soy milk, or oat milk.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Cut dough into biscuits using a floured 3 inch diameter biscuit cutter. Be careful not to twist the cutter.
Cover the baking sheet loosely with a clean kitchen towel and place the baking sheet in the refrigerator to rest for 20 minutes.
About halfway through the resting time, preheat the oven to 425 F (218 C).
When biscuits are done resting, remove them from the refrigerator and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until they are golden.
Equipment
No special equipment is necessary for this recipe. You most likely have everything you need. All of the equipment I used for this recipe is linked in the recipe card below.
Storage
The biscuits will keep in a sealed food storage bag in your pantry for a day or two. If you don't plan on eating them all right away, I recommend placing them in a sealed freezer bag and freezing them. They will keep in the freezer for up to three months.
Top tip
Be careful how you handle the biscuits when you are making them. Try not to overwork the dough and give the dough time to rest before you bake the biscuits.
FAQ
To prevent excessive spreading, make sure your butter is cold and your oven is preheated to the correct temperature. Allow the biscuits to rest in the refrigerator before baking them. Additionally, avoid overworking the dough and use a floured surface when shaping the biscuits.
The ideal baking time and temperature can vary depending on the recipe and the size of your biscuits. As a general guideline, bake the biscuits at 425°F (220°C) for about 12 to 15 minutes or until they are golden brown on top.
Yes, you can prepare the biscuit dough ahead of time and refrigerate it for a few hours or overnight. Chilling the dough can enhance the flavor and make it easier to handle. Just be sure to cover the dough tightly to prevent it from drying out.
Related Recipes
Looking for more recipe like these rosemary biscuits? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with rosemary biscuits.
Watch How to Make It
Recipe
Rosemary Biscuits
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt See Note 1.
- 5 tablespoons butter European style with sea salt. Cubed. See Note 2.
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary Chopped. See Note 3.
- 1 cup milk See Note 4.
Instructions
- Sift flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt into a large mixing bowl.2 cups all purpose flour, 2 tablespoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add cubed butter and distribute the butter throughout using a pastry cutter or fork. Note 5.5 tablespoons butter
- Stir in rosemary.1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
- Add milk and stir until the dough forms a rough ball.1 cup milk
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and gently pat it down into a rough rectangle about an inch thick.
- Fold it over and gently pat it down again into a rough rectangle. Repeat once. Note 6.
- Gently roll out the dough until it measures roughly 10 by 6 inches.
- Cut dough into biscuits using a floured 3 inch diameter biscuit cutter. Note 7.
- Carefully transfer the biscuits to a baking sheet, being careful to not touch the sides.
- Cover the baking sheet loosely with a clean kitchen towel and place the baking sheet in the refrigerator to rest for 20 minutes. Note 8.
- About halfway through the resting time, preheat the oven to 425 F (218 C).
- When biscuits are done resting, remove them from the refrigerator and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until they are golden.
Notes
- The amount of salt you use here depends on whether you are using salted or unsalted butter. I used European style butter salted with sea salt. Sea salt is less salty than regular table salt. If you are using unsalted butter, you will need to increase the salt to ¾ to 1 teaspoon.
- As mentioned in Note 1, I used European style butter with sea salt added. European style butter has higher milk fat content than regular butter. This makes the biscuits more tender and flavorful. If you can't find European style butter, it's perfectly fine to sub regular butter. I would opt for unsalted butter and then adjust the amount of salt. Chop the butter into ½ inch cubes then place it in a bowl in the freezer while you prep everything else. It's important that the butter stay as cold as can be until you're ready to use it.
- The way you chop the rosemary does matter here. I tested this recipe with finely chopped rosemary and again with roughly chopped rosemary. I found that the rougher the chop, the more the rosemary flavor comes through. If you want a lot of rosemary flavor in your biscuits like we do, chop it into about ¼ inch pieces. If you want more subtle flavor, chop it more finely.
- I used 2% milk which is what I usually have on hand. Whole milk would be even better. If you happen to have buttermilk, that will work as well.
- There are several methods out there for distributing the butter for pastry and biscuits. I have found that a pastry cutter or fork works best for me. It keeps my hands off of the butter (so they don't warm it), and I get better distribution. Some people love using a food processor, but I didn't want to bother with dirtying my food processor just for this. I also think it over works the dough. After distributing the butter, I test the distribution by picking up some dough in my hand and squeezing and releasing, if the dough holds together then it's good.
- Folding the dough over like this creates flaky layers in the biscuits. To save time, I folded it just twice. If you want more layers, you can fold it once more.
- I used a 3 inch diameter biscuit cutter. You can adjust the size according to the size of the biscuits you want. If you do size down, bear in mind that the baking time may need to be adjusted. While baking, check the biscuits at 8 minutes. If they are already golden brown, then they're done.
- This resting time in the refrigerator does a couple of things. It gives the gluten a chance to relax. It gives the butter a chance to firm up. If you prefer taller biscuits, let them rest on the kitchen counter instead of putting then in the fridge.
Nutrition
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Recipe adapted from New York Times all-purpose biscuits.
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