Tips for Making Great Biscuits Preheat the oven 10 minutes ahead. For the best biscuits, make sure shortening and leavening (baking soda and baking powder) are fresh. Measure ingredients carefully with standard measures to ensure your homemade biscuits rise well and don’t have a coarse or crumbly texture. Cut shortening into the flour using a pastry blender, two table knives, or a wire whisk. Look for pieces that are the size of small peas. Running short on time? Bisquick® mix makes biscuit-making easy—and requires fewer ingredients. Want light, flaky biscuits of the same thickness? Place dough between 2 dowel rods, 1/2 inch thick and 14 inches long. Roll or pat dough evenly and gently between the rods. Push biscuit cutter (dipped in flour) straight into the dough. Try not to twist as you cut so that biscuits are of equal size. Cut biscuits as close together as possible. Lightly press—but don’t knead—leftover scraps of dough together to squeeze out a few more biscuits (they may be slightly uneven, but will taste just as good). Homemade Biscuit Recipes: Easy Cream Biscuits Biscuits Butter Biscuits Self-Rising Biscuits Parmesan Herb Biscuits Big-Batch Cheese-Garlic Biscuits Glazed Fruit-Filled Drop Biscuits Pesto Biscuits Sweet Potato Biscuits