4 Potential Reasons Your Biscuits Didn't Rise In The Oven

Whether making buttermilk sweet corn biscuits to serve alongside tonight's dinner or preparing biscuits and gravy to carry to the breakfast table, nailing the flavor and texture of homemade biscuits can make or break your meal. For tips on how to ensure that your next batch of biscuits is as tender and fluffy as possible, we spoke to chef Jay Craddick, the executive chef at Humble Baron, who certainly knows a thing or two about making baked goods.

According to Craddick, there are several reasons why your biscuits may not be rising. From following exact instructions on the recipe to controlling temperatures, small adjustments in the kitchen can have a significant impact when it comes to pulling warm biscuits out of the oven. With a bit of intention and practice, the fluffy biscuits you place into a basket for tonight's dinner party can rival those served at a restaurant. Get your favorite butters and jams ready; your next batch of biscuits is about to rise to new heights.

Even when making a straightforward recipe like 3-ingredient light and fluffy biscuits, the ratio of the ingredients you use can make or break the flavor (and appearance) of your biscuits. When we asked Jay Craddick to list some of the reasons that our biscuit recipe may not be rising correctly, his answer was quick and clear. "Not having enough flour," he states, is one major issue many run into, though it's not the only one. "Not having the proper amount of baking powder or baking soda, which having too much can sometimes create an over-rise." 

Whether you decide to include cornstarch to make fluffy biscuits or opt for a quick and easy formula, pay close attention to the measuring cups if you are following a recipe before evaluating the consistency of the dough. "When baking, your measurements are very important," Craddick warns. "Inconsistent measurements can affect them." Though it might seem insignificant, even a small inconsistency can throw a serious wrench in the plans of those fluffy biscuits that you intend to pull out of the oven before dinnertime.

Additionally, the kind of fat you use can impact the taste and texture of your biscuits. According to Craddick, it can also be the source of another fatal baking flaw. Whether you decide to use both butter and shortening in your recipes or choose to brush biscuits with bacon grease, the fat content will impact the result of the bake. "The higher level of fat used results in a better-rising biscuit," Craddick asserts. While some cooks choose to use cold butter in their recipes, this chef does the opposite.

Craddick notes that "having your butter not properly melted" is another factor in why one's biscuits may not rise properly. The chef warns against cold, stiff clumps that have the potential to wreak havoc in your recipes. Depending on whether you prefer a more crumbly or fluffy biscuit, the way in which you incorporate the butter can range, though Craddick opts for this easy-to-mix approach to build a reliable biscuit dough. Once the dry and wet ingredients have been mixed, then it is time for you to play the odds and see if your biscuit recipe will be a success. 

Unfortunately, before your biscuits can be set down onto the baking tray, there are plenty of cutting mistakes that can still be made. Unless you make butter dip biscuits in a dish, you will need to partition the pieces into separate units. "Edges that are smashed together by a dull cut have a harder time rising than a biscuit cut with a tool with sharp edges," cautions Craddick. Though you may not think that this small detail will matter if you've mastered the actual dough recipe, the way the dough is cut affects the whole bake.

If you don't have a dedicated biscuit cutter at home, get creative. According to Craddick, the next best replacement is the "open side of a glass or cup." But be cautious; use the cup carefully. Try to avoid smashing down the edges of the biscuits as you separate each piece from the dough mass. Even if you are planning to grill the biscuits in a coat of butter, the shape and size of the pieces can impact the final texture of your culinary creation.

Should you choose a more traditional baking method, the final destroyer of a perfectly decent biscuit recipe may be the temperature of your oven. To prevent this, Craddick guides, "Make sure you read the recipe and precisely follow it to the smallest of details in order to bake great biscuits." Regardless of whether you're baking drop biscuits or roll-and-cut recipes, the temperature of ingredients can impact the texture of the biscuit.

In the case of butter, this is especially true. "Biscuits made with softened butter puff up more," Craddick notes. "Biscuits made with cold butter have a flakier texture." This is due to the ability of a biscuit to trap air. "If the temperature of butter hits its melting point of 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit, its structure breaks down," the chef explains further. "It's hard for melted butter to trap air, which makes a crumb with fewer air pockets." With these suggestions in mind, your next batch of ultra-rich biscuits and gravy may very well be the best you've carried out of your kitchen.