Soda Biscuits

What You'll Love

My oldest absolutely adores these biscuits, and I've been making them regularly since she was just six years old. She recommends enjoying a biscuit warm with a drizzle of honey. We love these because they're:

• SO quick. When the vegetarian cream of tomato soup is hot, and you realize you didn't have time to bake a loaf of bread, soda biscuits are always the answer! No rising time, no resting time - what could be better?
• Light and airy. No stodgy biscuits here - thanks to the lemon juice and baking soda plus the high oven temperature, the biscuits rise beautifully.
• Butter-free. Unlike some biscuits, which deliciously call for butter, these are on the simpler side, relying just on baking soda and the buttermilk mixture to help them rise.

Ingredients Needed

Here's a run-down of the simple ingredients that go into these biscuits. Make sure to scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!

• Flour - Use all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour to make gluten-free soda biscuits (see my notes lower down).
• Baking soda
• Salt - Fine sea salt or table salt.
• Milk - I use 2% milk, and you can use whole milk if you prefer a richer biscuit - but 2% milk is just fine.
• Lemon juice - I use fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and white distilled vinegar or apple cider also works. This is used to make a DIY buttermilk.

Tips & Recipe Notes

• Use buttermilk. In the spirit of the original recipe - and because I rarely have buttermilk in the fridge! - I prefer to use lemon juice or vinegar to "sour" the milk. However, you can use buttermilk instead of milk, or use yogurt thinned out with a bit of water to mimic the consistency of buttermilk.
• Add whole wheat flour. For a heartier biscuit and extra whole grains, swap 1 cup of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour.
• Make them gluten-free. Use a 1:1 gluten free flour mix, like my homemade gluten free flour blend, for the flour.
• Go dairy-free. Substitute your favorite non-dairy milk for the milk to make these soda biscuits dairy-free.
• Make them sweeter. For an easy scone-like biscuit, add 2-4 tablespoons of sugar to the flour mix for a touch of sweetness (my kids love this).
• To serve: Softened butter, honey, jam, or whipped cream if you want to make a cream scone.

Proper Storage

• Counter - Transfer cooled biscuits to an airtight container and store them on the counter for up to 2 days.
• Freezer - Freeze the baked biscuits in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge before serving.
• Freeze dough - You can freeze the formed biscuit dough! Cut out the biscuits and place them on a lined tray, then freeze for about 20 minutes until firm. Transfer the cut-out biscuits to a freezer-safe container or bag, and freeze for up to 2 months. Bake the dough directly from the freezer; you may need to add a few extra minutes of baking time.