What Did I Do Wrong? Biscuit Troubleshooting Guide

Biscuits won’t rise? Bottoms are too hard? You’re now having a hard time thinking about what went wrong with your little baking activity. However, worry not! Figure out what is going wrong with this biscuit troubleshooting guide.

These are tips anyone can use! Even seasoned biscuit makers may find themselves in a slump every now and then. Some people try to make Biscuit Topped Chicken Pot Pie and Cheddar Baked Cod with Garlic Butter Biscuits, (where obviously, the biscuit is one of the main ingredients), and they all got to encounter the same problem.

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 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 Tomato Gravy, Spiced Apple Jelly, or Sunshine Strawberry Jam. There are a lot of ways to enjoy your biscuit. Personally, I love topping them with pickled cucumbers. Weird, right?

Biscuit Troubleshooting Guide

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

Not Flaky: 
-Not enough fat in the 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 the 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

Bonus Read: Biscuit Bliss (Foolproof Recipes for Fresh and Fluffy Biscuits)