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Freeze and bake biscuits are an easy way to have fresh bread on your table in no time! These homemade biscuits can be baked immediately or frozen for later. Keep them plain or add black pepper and fresh sage for a savory twist!

Black pepper and sage biscuits on a sheet pan

Freeze and Bake Biscuits OVERVIEW

Does it get any better than fresh biscuits? This is my favorite method for freezing homemade biscuits to bake off later. It makes pulling together a quick breakfast or dinner that much easier.

The optional addition of black pepper and sage really make these biscuits stand out. They’re perfect as is, topped with an egg, or topped with sausage gravy.

Why we love this recipe

  • Having homemade biscuits in your freezer is a game-changer! I like to make a big batch, freeze them, then bake off as many as I want when I want. 
  • When you need a side dish for a quick dinner, throw a couple of your frozen biscuits in the oven and you’re all set! It’s easy to pull a meal together when you have these in your freezer.
  • It’s so easy to impress with scratch-made biscuits. Not only are they more impressive to guests but they are fluffier, flakier, and more delicious than canned or even store-bought baked biscuits.

Variation Ideas

Classic Butter Biscuits: You can skip the fresh sage and black pepper in these biscuits to make a classic buttery biscuit. These would be perfect topped with a sweet jam or savory egg.

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits: skip the fresh sage and black pepper in the recipe. Add 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 400 grams (4 cups) shredded cheddar cheese to the batter. These would be perfect served as a dinner side dish.

Herb Biscuits: swap the fresh sage in this recipe for any of your favorite herbs like fresh chopped rosemary, thyme, or a combination! These would be perfect topped with sausage gravy for biscuits and gravy.

Black Pepper and Sage Buttermilk Biscuits on a baking sheet

How to Make Freeze and Bake Biscuits

This biscuit recipe utilizes the Biscuit Mixing Method. This method is the best way to make fluffy and flaky biscuits.

Step 1: Combine Dry Ingredients

All dry ingredients in a bowl

In a large bowl, whisk together your flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, coarse ground black pepper, and finely chopped fresh sage.

Step 2: Cut in the Butter

After cutting in the butter the mixture looks like coarse granules

Add the cold diced butter to the mixing bowl and cut it into the flour mixture.

I like to use a pastry cutter to cut the fat through. You want the mixture to look like coarse meal at this point. Those pieces of cold fat will produce steam when they melt and the moisture evaporates out of them. This is what helps create flakiness in biscuits.

Step 3: Mix in the Buttermilk

Buttermilk being stirred into the dough

Stir the buttermilk in to create a soft and fairly sticky dough. I like to use a wooden spoon for this but you could use a rubber spatula if you like. Stir just until a dough forms but not until smooth. You want it to be lumpy and you don’t want to stir very much.

Step 4: Shape the Dough

Biscuit dough being folded in half to create layers

Flour a clean work surface and your hands. Gently gather all of the dough and place it on the floured surface. Now, using your hands, pat the dough out to about a 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick disc. You may need to dust a bit of flour on top of the dough. Fold the dough in half and then turn it 90 degrees. Pat out and fold again for a total of 6 times. This process is creating layers that will create flaky biscuits.

Step 5: Cut out the Biscuits

Round biscuit shapes being cut out of the dough

Press the dough out to about 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick and use a biscuit cutter to cut out your biscuits. When cutting out, dip your cutter in flour, press straight down, and pull it back up without twisting it. Gently pat the scraps together to cut out the rest of your biscuits. 

Raw biscuits spread out on a baking sheet ready for the oven

Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Step 6: Freeze

Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the unbaked biscuits are frozen hard, about an hour. Transfer the frozen biscuits to a zip top freezer bag, squeezing out as much air as possible, and store in the freezer until ready to bake.

Step 7: When ready to bake

Freshly baked biscuits on a baking sheet

When you are ready to bake the biscuits, remove from the freezer and arrange the amount you want to bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake on 450°F/230°C for 15-18 minutes until golden brown. I then like to brush the biscuits with melted butter and more ground black pepper.

Biscuits sliced open and topped with gravy

FAQ

Why does the butter and buttermilk need to be cold?

Using cold butter and milk is key to get rapid evaporation and steam once the biscuits hit the oven.

Baking Tip: When making a recipe that calls for cold ingredients, leave them in the refrigerator until right before you need to add them. 

Can I freeze biscuits after baking?

Yes! Baked biscuits freeze very well. Let biscuits cool completely on a wire rack. Cut a square of parchment paper and place it on top of a square of aluminum foil. Wrap each biscuit individually in the wrap. Place wrapped biscuits in a zipper bag and make sure all the air is squeezed out. Freeze for up to 2 months.

To refresh the biscuits, place the frozen and wrapped biscuits in a 300ºF (150ºC) oven and bake for about 20 minutes until heated through. For thawed biscuits, bake for about 10 minutes.

MORE RECIPES FROM BAKER BETTIE!

If you loved this recipe, you might like to try these other biscuit recipes!

Black Pepper and Sage Biscuits
Yield: 16 biscuits

Black Pepper and Sage Biscuits

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

These homemade biscuits can be baked immediately or frozen for later. These buttery biscuits include black pepper and fresh sage for a savory twist!

Ingredients

  • 480 grams (4 cups) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
  • 20 grams (2 tablespoons) baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 12 grams (2 ½ teaspoons) kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper, coarsely ground
  • 2 tablespoons fresh sage, finely chopped
  • 170 grams (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold, diced into small cubes
  • 480 grams (2 cups, 480 milliliters) buttermilk, cold, *see note for substitution

Instructions

Prep:

  1. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. 
  2. Finely chop the fresh sage and dice the butter into small cubes.
  3. Measure out the rest of the ingredients. Keep the butter and buttermilk in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To Make the Biscuits:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour (480 grams, 4 cups), baking powder (2 tablespoons), baking soda (½ teaspoon), salt (12 grams, 2 ½ teaspoons), coarse ground black pepper (1 tablespoon), and fresh chopped sage (2 tablespoons).
  2. Add the cold diced butter (170 grams, 12 tablespoons) to the mixing bowl and cut it into the flour mixture. To do this, press down on the fat with the wires of the pastry blender or the tines of a fork as you move it around the bowl. Continue cutting the fat into the flour until most of the pieces of fat are about the size of peas with some pieces being about the size of a walnut half.
  3. Add the cold buttermilk (480 grams, 2 cups) into the bowl and stir with a spoon or a silicone spatula just until combined. This should only take a few turns. The dough will be pretty wet and sticky. 
  4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter. Dust flour over the top of the dough. With floured hands bring the dough together into one mass.  
  5. Pat the dough out (do not roll with a rolling pin) until it is about 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick. Using a bench knife (or a metal spatula can be helpful if you do not have a bench knife), fold the dough in half and then turn it 90 degrees. Pat out and fold again for a total of 6 times. This process is creating layers that will create flaky biscuits.
  6. Press the dough out to about 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick and use a round cutter that is about 2.5-inches (6 cm) in diameter to cut out your biscuits. When cutting out, dip your cutter in flour, press straight down, and pull it back up without twisting it. Twisting can seal the edge of your biscuit, not allowing it to rise fully. Gently pat the scraps together to cut out the rest of your biscuits. Alternatively, you can pat the dough into a rectangle and use a sharp knife to divide the dough into 16 rectangular-shaped biscuits. 
  7. If baking immediately: (if freezing for later use, skip this step) Place the biscuits on a sheet pan so that their sides are touching. Bake on 450°F/230°C for 13-15 minutes until golden brown. Do not open the oven door for at least the first half of baking time. You want the steam to stay trapped in the oven to help with the rise.
  8. If freezing: Place the biscuits in a single layer onto the sheet pan. They can be close together but don't let them touch. Place the baking sheet in the freezer until frozen solid, about 1 hour.
  9. Transfer the frozen biscuits into a zip top freezer bag, pushing out all of the air, and store in the freezer until ready to bake.
  10. When you are ready to bake the frozen biscuits, remove from the freezer and arrange the amount you want to bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake on 450°F/230°C for 15-18 minutes until golden brown.
  11. Optional: brush the baked biscuits with melted butter and black pepper.

Notes

Buttermilk Substitute:

If you do not have buttermilk on hand you can make "soured milk" by combining 2 cups of milk with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar and let it sit for about 5 minutes.

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© Baker Bettie
Category: Biscuits & Scones