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    Home > Bread

    Published: Jul 17, 2014 · Modified: Apr 11, 2023 by Helen S Fletcher · This post may contain affiliate links · 16 Comments

    Really Easy Cream Biscuits

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    How about tall, light, easy biscuits made in minutes with no butter being cut in. Cream Biscuits are the easiest and most delicious way to make this Southern favorite. They are especially good served with Strawberry Balsamic Jam.

    A basket of Cream Biscuits on a yellow napkin.

    This has to be the easiest biscuit recipe ever with only 4 ingredients.  Cake flour is used to ensure tenderness.  The cream takes the place of butter. When you think of butter, it is only cream that is whipped to a solid state with the liquid being spun out.  So the use of all cream makes perfect sense.

    Jump to:
    • Why this Recipe Works
    • Recipe Ingredients
    • Step by Step Instructions
    • Expert Tips
    • You Might Want to Try One of These Quick Breads
    • Cream Biscuits

    Why this Recipe Works

    • The cake flour makes a very tender product because it's protein count is so low.
    • There is no butter cut in so it's fast and easy to make.
    • The cream replaces the butter for the needed fat content.
    • You just need to pat out before cutting out the biscuits.

    Recipe Ingredients

    BACK ROW: Cake flour, heavy cream

    how to bake better custard
    Baking gets better when you subscribe

    Baking gets better when you subscribe to receive this PDF on getting the most out of baking including information on equipment, ingredients and baking equipment.

    FRONT ROW: Salt and baking powder

    *Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*

    Step by Step Instructions

    Flour, salt and baking powder are placed in a mixing bowl.

    Step 1. Place the flour, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a mixer. Mix briefly to combine.

    With the mixer running, the cream is poured in.

    Step 2. With the mixer running, pour in the cream.

    The dough is combined in the mixer.

    Step 3. The ingredients are combined in the mixer. The dough should be rather wet when finished. If it is not, add a bit more cream.

    The dough is removed from the mixer and shaped into a ball.

    Step 4. Remove the dough from the mixer and knead briefly to bring it together. Shape into a smooth ball.

    The ball is flattened with the heel of a hand.

    Step 5. Flatten the ball with the heel of our hand.

    The dough has been flattened to ½" and a cutter is in place.

    Step 6. Flatten the dough to about ½" deep. Cut out as many biscuits as possible with a 3" round cutter. Bring the scraps together and cut out more biscuits.

    The cut out biscuits placed on a tray.

    Step 7. Place the cut out biscuits on a parchment lined sheet several inches apart.

    The biscuits are brushed with cream just before baking.
    What makes Southern Biscuits different?

    Soft flour such as cake flour or White Lilly flour found mostly in the south. Closer in protein to cake flour, it gets its lightness from the soft red winter wheat from which it is made. The lower protein also make it more forgiving if over-beaten.

    Why are Cream Biscuits faster to make?

    There is no butter to cut in which is the step a lot of people find trying. The cream is just poured in as the mixer runs and it is done.

    Can All-Purpose Flour be Used to Make Cream Biscuits

    Yes, but the biscuits won't be as light and fluffy as if made with cake or White Lilly flour.

    Expert Tips

    • The dough will be a bit wet and that it as it should be.  I learned the traditional way of making biscuits from Shirley Corriher, a biochemist who wrote, Cookwise and Bakewise.  With Shirley being from the south, I can't imagine a better teacher.  She stressed the importance of the dough being very wet so the steam created in a hot oven would cause the biscuits to expand to great heights.
    • If you're dough isn't wet, add more cream. Some flours are drier than others due to how they are stored or how long they have been stored. The measurements are a guide.
    • Keep the flour used to pat out the dough to a minimum so it isn't incorporated into the dough.
    • Make sure to use heavy cream for the best results.
    • Cut the biscuits out without twisting the cutter back and forth for the sides to be even.
    • To get ahead a bit, these can be refrigerated for a few hours without the cream wash. Apply the cream, and bake as directed, increasing the time slightly.
    • Serve immediately or cool and freeze.
    Cream biscuits on a plate with Strawberry Blasamic Jam and butter,

    You Might Want to Try One of These Quick Breads

    • Breakfast Scone
      Breakfast Scones - An Easy Morning Treat
    • French Beignets with coffee
      Irresistible French Beignets - A Weekend Treat
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      Bacon and Cheddar Cheese Popovers
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      The Beauty of Buttermilk in Baking

    Love this recipe or any other on my site? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card & consider leaving a review in the comments further down, thanks!  Star ratings help people discover my recipes online. Your support means a great deal to me.

    A basket of Cream Biscuits on a yellow napkin.

    Cream Biscuits

    Helen S Fletcher
    For the easiest, fastest, best Cream Biscuit with no butter being cut in, give these a try and have them on the table in no time.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 50 minutes mins
    Course Bread
    Cuisine American
    Servings 9 biscuits
    Calories 196 kcal

    Equipment

    • 3" round cutter

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups sifted cake flour (300 grams or 10 ½ ounces) Sift the flour into the measuring cup, then level off.
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 ½ - 1 ⅔ cups heavy cream

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F for a softer top and bottom or 450°F for a crisper top and bottom.
    • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
    • Place the flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix briefly to combine the ingredients.
    • With the machine running, starting with the least amount of cream, pour it in and mix until the dough comes together. It should be wet. If it isn't, add additional cream until it is.
    • On a lightly floured surface, remove the dough from the bowl and knead it several times to bring it together into a smooth ball.
    • Pat it ½" thick. Cut out the biscuits without turning the cutter back and forth and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Re-roll as necessary.
    • Double pan the baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes or 450°F for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown and risen.
    • Cool slightly and serve immediately or cool completely and freeze.

    Notes

     
        • To heat the biscuits from the frozen state, preheat the oven to 350°F.  Place the biscuits, directly from the freezer, on a baking sheet and heat for 8 to 10 minutes.  
        • I learned the tradidtional way of making biscuits from Shirley Corriher, who wrote, Cookwise and Bakewise.  With Shirley being from the South, I can't imagine a better teacher.  She stressed the importance of th e dough being very wet so the steam created in a hot oven would cause the biscuits to expand to great heights. 
        • If you're dough isn't wet, add more cream. Some flours are drier than others due to how they are stored or how long they have been stored. The measurements are a guide.
        • Keep the flour used to pat out the dough to a minimum so it isn't incorporated into the dough.
        • For the sides to be even, do not twist the cutter when cutting the biscuits out.  
        • Make sure to use heavy cream for the best results.
        • To get ahead a bit, these can be refrigerated for a few hours without the cream wash. Apply the cream, and bake as directed, increasing the time slightly.
        • Cake or White Lilly flour makes a very tender product because the protein count is so low.
        • The cream replaces the usual butter than needs to be cut in.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1biscuitCalories: 196kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 2gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 415mgPotassium: 55mgFiber: 0.002gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 842IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 116mgIron: 0.2mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @helensfletcher or tag #pastrieslikeapro!

    Watch me make these on TV.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Donna Woerth says

      January 29, 2024 at 9:46 am

      I was thinking about trying your cream biscuit recipe. I see it calls for 3 cups sifted cake flour (100 grams or 3 1/2 oz.). Could these equivalents be right? It appears to me that the ounce and gram equivalents might be per cup rather than per 3 cups.

      Reply
      • Helen S Fletcher says

        January 29, 2024 at 1:22 pm

        Yes, it should be 300 grams or 10 1/2 ounces flour.

        Reply
    2. Linda Rollins says

      June 06, 2023 at 4:19 pm

      5 stars
      I made the cream biscuits and they are wonderful and so quick to make! Thanks, Helen.

      Reply
      • Helen S Fletcher says

        June 06, 2023 at 5:46 pm

        Quick is the word Linda. Glad you like them.

        Reply
    3. Cop Car says

      July 22, 2014 at 4:12 am

      Hi, Helen: Sorry that your other blog is over - happy that you still have your pastry blog running. In our family, there were as many varieties of biscuits as there were cooks - male and female. My dad and his side of the family made flaky biscuits; my mom and her side of the family's biscuits were not flaky, but tender with a chewy crust. As far as I know, none ever used butter - they used lard, bacon grease, or Crisco. My great-grandfather's standard evening meal comprised a glass of crumbled, left-over biscuit (with cornbread when available) which he salted and peppered before adding milk. Memories.

      Reply
      • hfletcher says

        July 24, 2014 at 10:53 am

        Thanks so much Evelyn. So many different way of doing everything! Thanks for sharing

        Reply
    4. Marianne says

      July 18, 2014 at 12:34 pm

      Thanks a lot for this discovery, ...MMMHH !
      Yes, scones are different, you may add raisins.
      What about English Muffins, quiet different too, and tasty with orange
      marmalade ? HHmmm ...

      Marianne

      Reply
      • hfletcher says

        July 18, 2014 at 7:32 pm

        Hi Marianne - Raisins, cherries almost any dried fruit. Citrus peel and here in the states we even add chocolate chips. I agree about the English Muffins - really good. Very tasty made with whole wheat flour!

        Reply
    5. diane says

      July 18, 2014 at 5:26 am

      Dear Helen, thanks for this post. Quick question on the jam (and when to finish the cooking - I agree that the test of doneness can be tricky!) -- is it 200 or 220 since both are referenced --- and is it degrees C or F? Thanks again! diane

      Reply
      • hfletcher says

        July 18, 2014 at 7:38 pm

        Hi Diane: Paris, huh? Thanks for pointing out the discrepancy. I fixed it so it reads correctly which is 200 degrees. In the states, it's always Fahrenheit. These stay moist for days - I am still eating them. Used one for a peach shortcake today. When I was small my mother gave me shortcakes with half and half to get me to eat something - anything! I treated myself today and returned to my childhood for a short while.

        Reply
    6. Eva Forson says

      July 17, 2014 at 12:06 pm

      Helen, I have always supposed that the American biscuits are savory, made with buttermilk and eaten as bread with an entree, and that scones are sweet, very British, made with cream and eaten at breakfast.

      I am very confused so please educate me.

      Reply
      • hfletcher says

        July 17, 2014 at 1:49 pm

        Hi Eva: American biscuits are indeed eaten like a bread especially for breakfast or brunch. They can also be used as a topping for cobblers which are sweetened fruit baked with the biscuits on top as well as to top pot pies where a stew like filling is topped with the biscuit and they are baked together. Americans also sometimes use a sweetened version for a dessert called shortcakes where the biscuits are split, filled with a fruit filling and served with sweetened whipped cream. As you can see we use them for all parts of a meal. They do not have to have buttermilk, they can be made with cream, buttermilk, or milk. They originated in the South where they pride themselves in how light and fluffy they can make them.

        English scones as I understand them can be served for breakfast or tea with jams, preserves or lemon curd and clotted cream.

        English biscuits are what we call cookies in America.

        Hope this helps.

        Reply
    7. Mari gold says

      July 17, 2014 at 8:36 am

      Can't wait to try,my strawberries are still producing. Do you process the extra jars? And can this be doubled? Thank. You again an again.mari

      Reply
      • hfletcher says

        July 17, 2014 at 8:50 am

        Hi Mari - I envy you having your own strawberries. What a treat! I have never made this in an amount large enough to process. But certainly you could. I usually just leave mine in the fridge. As to doubling, I have never tried it. What a treat as a gift!

        Reply
    8. manisha says

      July 17, 2014 at 8:35 am

      :) Nice recipe Helen.....

      I make scones in a similar way. Thanx for simplifying recipes for us.

      Reply
      • hfletcher says

        July 17, 2014 at 8:48 am

        Hi Manisha: Mike loves scones. Make them with white whole wheat flour for him because of his diabetes.

        Reply
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