Buttermilk Biscuit
intro
Tall, ultra-flaky Southern buttermilk biscuits with crisp golden edges, tender crumb, and rich buttery flavor, perfect warm with jam, gravy, or butter.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep oven and dry mix
Preheat your oven to 232°C (450°F) and line a rimmed 33x45cm (13x18 inch) baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 315g (2 ½ cups) all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp (14g) baking powder, 1 tsp (5g) fine sea salt, and ¼ tsp (1.25g) baking soda until fully combined, about 30 seconds of steady whisking.
Cut in cold butter
Add 113g (½ cup / 1 stick) of ice-cold unsalted butter, cut into 1cm (½-inch) cubes, to the dry flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or your cold fingertips to press the butter into the flour until the mixture forms coarse crumbs with pea to almond-sized butter pieces remaining; this takes 2-3 minutes, and work quickly to keep the butter from softening.
Mix in cold buttermilk
Pour 240ml (1 cup) of ice-cold full-fat buttermilk into the flour-butter mixture, and stir with a wooden spoon only until just combined, about 15-20 seconds. The dough will be shaggy, slightly sticky, and hold together when gently squeezed; stop stirring as soon as no dry flour pockets remain to avoid tough, dense biscuits.
Fold for flaky layers
Turn the shaggy dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and pat it into a rough 2.5cm (1-inch) thick rectangle. Fold the dough in thirds like a letter, pat it back to 2.5cm thickness, and repeat this folding process 4 more times (5 total folds) to build distinct flaky layers; complete this step in under 2 minutes to keep butter cold.
Cut biscuit shapes
Pat the final folded dough out to a uniform 2.5cm (1-inch) thickness. Use a sharp 6cm (2.5-inch) round biscuit cutter, pressing straight down without twisting, to cut out biscuits; gently gather dough scraps, pat once to 2.5cm thickness, and cut remaining pieces to yield 8 total biscuits. Arrange biscuits 2.5cm (1-inch) apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake until golden
Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the preheated 232°C (450°F) oven, and bake for 10-12 minutes, until biscuit tops are deep golden brown and the layers have puffed to 4-5cm (1.5-2 inches) tall. Do not open the oven door for the first 8 minutes of baking to prevent biscuits from deflating.
Brush with melted butter
Remove the baked biscuits from the oven, immediately brush the tops with 2 tbsp (28g) of melted salted butter, and let them rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before serving warm.
Tips
2.Never twist your biscuit cutter when pressing down to cut shapes: twisting pinches and seals the cut edges of the dough, which prevents the biscuits from rising evenly to their full height during baking.
3.Avoid overworking the dough at every stage: overmixing, over-kneading, or repeated re-rolling of scraps develops excess gluten in the flour, leading to tough, chewy biscuits instead of tender, melt-in-your-mouth results.
OMG these biscuits are SO good!!! I’ve been trying to nail flaky southern biscuits for literal years and this recipe is totally foolproof. My kids devoured 3 each with honey butter at Sunday dinner, even my picky 7 year old asked for seconds. Total game changer for potlucks too, I’m already making a double batch for our church supper next weekend!
Perfect easy recipe for meal prep! I baked a batch on Sunday, split them and froze them, and they reheat perfectly in the toaster oven for quick breakfasts all week. Only took 25 minutes start to finish which is ideal for my chaotic weekday schedule. No more sad grocery store biscuits for me!
Followed the recipe exactly and they came out perfect first try, even as someone who burns toast half the time. Served them with sausage gravy for Saturday breakfast and my wife said they’re better than the ones we get at our favorite local diner. 10/10 will make again.
Wait, quick question—can I use regular milk if I don’t have buttermilk on hand? I really want to make these for tonight’s dinner but I didn’t make it to the grocery store after work!
Brought these to my office potluck yesterday and they were the first thing gone! Everyone kept asking where I got the recipe, I felt like a total baking rockstar. The flaky layers are insane, people thought I bought them from a fancy bakery downtown lol
These are so buttery and flaky I could eat the whole batch by myself! I added a little sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top before baking and it took them to the next level. Perfect with strawberry jam for breakfast or as a side with crispy fried chicken for dinner. Obsessed!
Tried these today and they tasted great, but mine didn’t get super tall and flaky like the photo. Any idea what I might have done wrong? I used cold butter like the recipe said, so I’m stumped!
I grew up eating my grandma’s buttermilk biscuits in East Texas and I swear this recipe tastes exactly like hers. I haven’t had a biscuit that good since she passed, I actually teared up a little when I took the first bite. Thank you so much for sharing this easy, perfect recipe!