These buttermilk biscuits have tender, crunchy tops and are filled with flaky, buttery layers of pure gold.
Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
I think everyone can think of that brunch restaurant near them that just makes the best buttermilk biscuits. You order them every time! I’ve always had a deep love for biscuits – sweet, savory, somewhere in the middle – it doesn’t really matter to me, I’m going to love it. There’s just something about the flaky layers of butter and dough in the center of a biscuit that just always keeps me coming back for more.
I know I said I’ve always been a biscuit lover – but my goal through this recipe is to also make you a biscuit lover. Because let’s be honest, biscuits are a southern classic, and I truly believe that someone in every household should know how to make them.
What are buttermilk biscuits?
The term “biscuits” has different meanings depending where you’re from. You’ve probably heard British people or people from Europe call what you think of as a cookie – a biscuit. That’s not what we’re talking about here!
In the US, biscuits are similar to a dinner roll, but are denser and flakier because they aren’t (typically) made with yeast. Since there’s (usually) no yeast involved and the leavening agent (what makes things rise) is either baking soda, baking powder, or both– biscuits are more of a quick bread than anything, but I personally think they should have their own category 🙂
You can also check out this biscuit recipe on the blog if you’re interested: Chocolate-Pecan Cream Cheese Biscuits
Equipment needed
Here are a few things you may want to pick up before making this recipe:
- Mixing bowls: I love these glass mixing bowls from Amazon. They’re especially perfect for food photography.
- Measuring cups/spoons: I’ve been linking these in all of my posts because I love them SO much! They are beautiful and look just like some other expensive ones on the market (but wayyy cheaper).
- Bench scraper: great for bringing these biscuits together on the board.
- Pastry brush: we’ll use this to brush the butter onto the biscuits before baking.
- Rolling pin: I love this rolling pin so much. It’s the perfect length and it’s super lightweight.
- Box grater: for grating the butter at the beginning
Ingredients for Buttermilk Biscuits
- All-purpose flour – all of my recipes are tested using King Arthur flours, so I recommend you use the same!
- Unsalted butter – use salted if that’s all you have, just reduce the salt by 1/2 tsp.
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Buttermilk
- Kosher salt – I use Diamond crystal kosher salt always.
- Granulated sugar – this is primarily for browning on the edges of the biscuits, but if you’re wanting to make a sweet biscuit feel free to increase the amount of sugar!
So now we’ll get into the step-by-step process:
Step 1 – Grate the butter & freeze
First we’ll need to grate our cold butter (keyword: cold) into small pieces. I like to use just a simple box grater for this, but you can use any cheese grater that will give you similar sizes. I think this is the easiest way because it won’t require you to “cut” the butter into the flour – you can just toss it in the flour!
I like to grate the butter onto a sheet of parchment paper, then stick it in the freezer while I combine the dry ingredients.
Step 2 – Combine dry ingredients
We’re using our flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, and granulated sugar in this step. Just combining it all in a large bowl and whisking it together.
Step 3 – Toss the butter into the dry ingredients
Next, we’ll take our frozen butter out of the freezer and add it to the dry ingredients. You only need to use a fork for the tossing in this step. If you use a bigger spoon you might crush the butter together – we’re just looking to coat the small pieces in flour.
Step 5 – Slowly stream in the buttermilk while tossing
We want to incorporate the buttermilk slowly and thoroughly, which is why we’ll continue tossing with our fork while we’re streaming in the buttermilk. This will help everything combine seamlessly.
Step 6 – Turn out onto a surface and pat into a square
Next, we’re going to turn everything out onto a board. The mixture will look dry, this is ok. Use your hands to gently knead the dough a couple times, if necessary. You can then use your bench scraper to help you bring everything together into a 1-inch thick square.
Step 7 – Create more layers
We want our biscuits to be extra flaky. My trick for this is to cut the square into 4 quadrants, stack them on top of each other, then roll them back out into another 1-inch thick square. Now we have quadruple the layers in our biscuits!
Step 8 – Roll out and cut into squares
If necessary, use your rolling pin to roll the dough back out into a 1-inch thick square. I can typically just use my hand to pat everything back out, but rolling pins are handy if you have one.
You’ll then cut your biscuits out. I cut mine into squares because then we won’t end up with scraps. Rolling the scraps back out just never yield biscuits, and squares ensure there are no scraps! Of course, use round biscuit cutters if you’d like!
Step 9 – Brush with butter, sprinkle with salt, and bake
We’re going to brush these with some extra butter, sprinkle with some extra salt, and bake these at 400°F. They should be a deep golden brown color on the tops and edges, and you should be able to see tons of layers on the insides.
I recommend serving these biscuits straight from the pan, extra warm with some honey butter or a sweet strawberry jam. These will be a crowd favorite, I promise! If you make these be sure to tag me @sarahsdayoff so I can see them!
Love,
Sarah
“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord; He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust Him.” -Psalm 91:1-2-
Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp salted butter
- 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for flouring the surface
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp cold buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Melt salted butter in a small bowl and set aside.
- Set a box grater on top of a sheet of parchment paper. Use the box grater to quickly grate both sticks of unsalted butter into small strands. Transfer grated to the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl, whisking to combine.
- Gently stir butter into flour mixture using only a fork to toss. Slowly drizzle buttermilk into flour mixture, tossing with a fork while you work.
- Knead mixture a few times in the bowl before transferring to a floured surface. The mixture will be dry, do not over mix. Pat dough into a 1-inch thick square.
- Using a knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into 4 quadrants. Stack the 4 pieces on top of each other, and pat dough back down into a 1-inch thick square.
- Cut dough into desired amount of square biscuits (I usually make 9). Transfer biscuits to prepared baking sheet. Brush with melted salted butter, and sprinkle with extra salt (if desired).
- Place biscuits in oven, reduce temperature to 400°F, and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until biscuits are a deep golden brown color on the tops and edges. Cool slightly and serve warm.
amazing – so much fun to make
Yay! I’m glad you loved them!!