Flaky, Buttery Buttermilk Biscuits

Buttermilk biscuits hold a special place in many people’s hearts and kitchens. Light, tender, and melt-in-your-mouth, these savory treats evoke memories of big Sunday breakfasts with family, weekend slumber parties with friends, or a comforting snack on a cold winter’s day. While you can certainly buy biscuits at the store, nothing beats the flavor and texture of homemade. And whipping up a batch is easier than you think!

This simple recipe yields biscuits with deliciously flaky layers and a hint of tang from the buttermilk. They’re also rich from cubes of cold butter that get incorporated into the dough. As the biscuits bake, the butter melts, leaving behind pockets of air and giving that signature light, fluffy texture.

It does take a few tricks to achieve this melt-in-your-mouth texture. Let’s walk through the key steps so you can get perfect homemade biscuits every time.

The Foundation: Flour, Leaveners, Sugar & Salt

First things first, gather the dry ingredients that form that base of the dough. All-purpose flour provides structure and that fluffy texture. Baking powder gives the biscuits lift and makes them tall in the oven. Just a small amount of baking soda enhances browning for a pretty golden hue. A couple teaspoons of sugar add a subtle sweetness that complements the buttermilk. And finally, salt is essential for bringing out all the flavors. Whisk everything together so it’s evenly distributed.

Now, on to the star of the recipe – the butter!

Incorporating Cold Butter is Key

Many novice biscuit-makers simply mix melted butter into the dry ingredients. But to get that coveted light, flaky layering the butter needs to go in cold and solid. Cut up 6 tablespoons of very cold, very firm unsalted butter into small cubes then work it into the dry flour mixture with a pastry cutter or your fingers until reduced to crumbs with some larger, pea-sized chunks.

Why keep those larger bits? They melt in the heat of the oven, leaving pockets and layers. Too small and the biscuits turn more cake-like. Too large and they don’t fully incorporate.

Pro Tip: For super cold butter, not only start with sticks straight from the fridge but also put the measured cubes in the freezer for 10 minutes before adding them to the mix.

The Buttermilk Provides Tang and Tenderness

Once the butter is worked in, make a well in the center and pour in cold buttermilk. The acidity helps activate the baking soda for even more rise. More importantly, it introduces moisture, tang, and tenderness to balance the hearty flour and butter.

Use a fork to gently draw the dry ingredients into the liquid, mixing just until incorporated. Resist overmixing at this stage or else you risk tough biscuits. Undermixed is better than overmixed.

Shape Layered, Flaky Texture

Now comes the fun part – shaping the biscuits for optimal texture! Gather the shaggy dough onto a floured surface. With floured hands, gently pat and press the dough into a small rectangle, about 1-inch thick.

Here’s where the magic happens! Fold the dough like a letter into thirds. Pat it down into another rectangle then fold into thirds again. This process creates visible flaky layers, for heavenly texture.

Pro Tip: You can fold and pat as many times as you want for even more distinct layers – 3 or 4 times total. But be gentle so you don’t smoosh the butter layers.

Cut, Place, and Bake

Gather up the dough and pat it down to 1-inch thickness one last time. For uniform, round biscuits use a round 2.5 to 3-inch cutter, pressing straight down without twisting. Place the raw biscuits snugly on a parchment-lined baking sheet then brush the tops with melted butter. This gives a gorgeous sheen and enhances browning and flavor, but you can certainly skip if you’re avoiding the extra calories.

Bake near the top of a 450°F oven so the tops brown beautifully. Baking at a higher temp than usual for pastries gives that signature rise and flaky texture we love in biscuits. After about 15 minutes when the tops are golden brown they’re ready!

Eat and Enjoy While Warm

Let biscuits cool just briefly when they come out of the oven – it’s hard but important! Biting in too soon can make them crumble apart instead of having that sublime, melt-in-your-mouth experience.

After 2 or 3 minutes of patience they’re ready to enjoy warm from the oven. Slather them with butter and drizzle on some honey if you like things sweet. Smoky ham and melty cheese make excellent savory biscuit sandwiches for breakfast or dinner. And you really can’t go wrong with a big dollop of jam! Raspberry and strawberry are classic. But also consider apricot, blueberry, or orange marmalade as fun flavors.

Tips for the Best Homemade Biscuits

Now that you know the secrets behind tender, flaky biscuits let’s chat about some variability in ingredients and troubleshooting tips for the very best batch every time.

Flour Tips:

• Use spoon & sweep method to accurately measure flour – don’t pack it down
• Low-protein flour allows for flakier texture vs chewier texture (like bread)
• All-purpose flour is typically 10-12% protein. That’s the sweet spot!
• Avoid self-rising flour with salt & leaveners already added

Buttermilk Tips:

• Always use cold
• Provides acidity to react with baking soda for lift
• Tangy flavor & tenderness to balance butter & flour

Butter Tips:

• Use very cold, cubed butter
• Larger bits = flakier biscuits
• If too warm, biscuits may turn out cake-like instead of flaky

Baking Powder & Baking Soda Tips:

• Always check expiration dates! Old leaveners won’t rise properly
• Use amount listed in recipe
• Baking soda MUST be paired with acid (buttermilk) to activate

Technique Tips:

• Overmixing makes biscuits tough!
• Stir wet into dry ingredients gently just until combined
• Kneading will make them rubbery rather than light & tender

Follow these tips for fluffy, tender biscuits every time. Adjust any ingredients to suit your tastes or dietary needs. Add herbs, spices, cheese, or cooked veggies to the mix for creative variations. And don’t toss those leftovers! Day-old biscuits make excellent shortcake, bread pudding, croutons and crackers.

However you enjoy them, a warm homemade biscuit fresh from the oven is a delicious treat any time of day. So preheat that oven and whip up a batch to share with your lucky family and friends!

Buttermilk Biscuits

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Print Recipe

Flaky, Buttery Buttermilk Biscuits

• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 8 biscuits 1x

Ingredients

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• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 3/4 cup buttermilk, cold
• 2 tablespoons melted butter, for brushing (optional)

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Instructions

1. Preheat the Oven:
   • Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix Dry Ingredients:
   • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.
3. Add Butter:
   • Add the cubed butter to the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
4. Incorporate Buttermilk:
   • Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the cold buttermilk. Gently mix with a fork, gradually drawing the dry ingredients into the buttermilk until just combined. The dough should be tacky but not overly wet.
5. Shape the Dough:
   • Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Gently pat it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Fold it in thirds like a letter, then pat down again to about 1-inch thick. Repeat this process once more. This helps create layers.
6. Cut Out Biscuits:
   • Using a round cutter (about 2.5 inches in diameter), press straight down to cut out biscuits. Do not twist the cutter. Re-form the scrap dough to cut out more biscuits.
7. Bake:
   • Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart. If desired, brush the tops with melted butter for a golden finish. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
8. Cool and Serve:
   • Remove the biscuits from the oven and let them cool slightly on the pan. Serve warm.

• Author: Lindsey Chastain
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes

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