What Did I Do Wrong? Biscuit Troubleshooting Guide

Biscuits won’t rise? Bottoms are too hard? Figure out what is going wrong with this biscuit troubleshooting guide.

These are tips anyone can use! Even a seasoned biscuit maker may find themselves in a slump every now and then.

Personally, I’ve been struggling with tough biscuits recently. I keep questioning my liquid amounts (I perfected my buttermilk biscuit recipe using homemade cultured buttermilk which is much thicker than the store bought buttermilk) and as I try to adjust it, I’m overworking it.

Oh well, they’re still pretty tasty even if the texture is off! Perfect for Sausage Gravy or Tomato Gravy, Spiced Apple Jelly or Sunshine Strawberry Jam!

Biscuit Troubleshooting Guide

Didn’t rise high enough:
-Not enough baking power
-Overmixing of dough
-Oven too hot

Not Flaky: 
-Not enough fat in dough
-Too much butter and not enough shortening or lard
-Overmixing of dough

Not light and fluffy:
-Dough was not wet and sticky enough
-Overmixing of dough
-Used blunt biscuit cutter

Too dry:
-Too much baking powder
-Baked too long

Tough:
-Not enough baking powder or baking soda
-Placed biscuits too close together on baking sheet
-Overmixing of dough

Not even and smooth:
-Used blunt biscuit cutter
-Biscuit cutter twisted while cutting

Hard bottoms:
-Baking sheet too thin or dark
-Baking sheet greased with butter
-Oven rack set low

Chemical taste:
-Too much baking powder

–Biscuit Bliss: 101 Foolproof Recipes for Fresh and Fluffy Biscuits