Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits are easy to make!
This is the best buttermilk biscuit recipe you'll find, and I tell you step by step how to make them. There are few things better than delicious and hot Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits in the morning. Cover them in sausage gravy or serve with butter and homemade preserves. YUM!
Why buttermilk in biscuits?
A quick Google search will tell you that buttermilk brings a pleasant tang to cakes, breads, biscuits and other family favorites while adding very little fat. It is an acidic ingredient, like yogurt or sour cream, that also helps tenderize gluten, giving baked goods a softer texture and more body. Buttermilk also helps quick breads rise, leading to the desired fluffy result.
I had never made buttermilk biscuits and was terrified of the process. I have heard that it’s all about the technique, and if you do it wrong, all you get is a hard lump of flour. Lucky for me, I found some inspiration in a Food Network episode which shared some great baking pointers, and it got me motivated to try (see step one below).
How do you make Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits from scratch?
- First step is to ensure your butter is extra cold. Stick it in the freezer if that helps. Then grate it like you would cheese.
- Next, you'll combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a bowl. You will then add in the butter and mix everything well to ensure each piece of butter is coated with the flour mixture.
- Make a well in the middle and add the buttermilk. Use your hands to mix just enough to make all of the ingredients. Don't be afraid - it's fun to get messy!
- Next you will dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently flatten the dough into a rectangle that is about 9 inches long and 5 inches wide. You can use a roller or just your hands for this step. Just try not to over work the dough. Now here's how you get those flaky buttermilk biscuit layers: Fold the long sides over in thirds so that you now have a rectangle that is 3 inches long and 5 inches wide. Repeat that process two more times. Flatten the final rectangle so that its about an inch thick. My secret has been revealed!
- Finally, you'll use a biscuit cutter to press straight down (don't twist otherwise your biscuits won't rise). You should get a total of about 6 biscuits. To get the last couple, you'll have to gently squeeze the scraps together into a shape that's just bigger than the biscuit cutter. Bake and enjoy!
How do you make buttermilk biscuits light and fluffy?
Aside from the ingredients in the recipe to help the dough rise, one of our local breakfast joints, Pine State Biscuits, shared the tip on Food Network to freeze and grate your butter before adding it to the rest of the ingredients. That tip alone seems like a bonus in creating those light and fluffy biscuits! The rest of the magic comes from the folding and cutting technique which is explained in the steps above.
Additionally, the biscuit cutter really does make a difference. If you don't have one, you can use a glass, but the sharp edges of a biscuit cutter are what allows you to press straight down without sealing the edges. Sometimes the tools we use in the kitchen can make all the difference, and this is a great example. These are the best light and fluffy, flaky buttermilk biscuits! See all the wonderful layers?
Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe
CLICK TO PLAY RECIPE VIDEO
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (cold)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Ensure your butter is extra cold. Stick it in the freezer if that helps. Then grate it like you would cheese.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add in butter and mix well to ensure each piece of butter is coated with the flour mixture.
- Make a well in the middle and add the buttermilk. Use your hands to mix just enough to combine all of the ingredients.
- Dump dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently flatten out to a rectangle that is about 9 inches long and 5 inches wide. Fold the long sides over in thirds so that you now have a rectangle that is 3 inches long and 5 inches wide. Repeat process two more times. This is how you get the layers. Flatten the final rectangle so that its about an inch thick.
- Use a biscuit cutter to press straight down (don't twist otherwise your biscuits won't rise). You should get a total of about 6 biscuits. To get the last couple, you'll have to gently squeeze the scraps together into a shape that's just bigger than the biscuit cutter.
- Bake in a preheated 425 degree F oven for about 15 minutes. Enjoy!
NUTRITION INFORMATION
This post was originally created in February 2015 and has been updated with more fun facts and tidbits for your reading pleasure.
Melissa Neal
Can you freeze them? I've never made Biscuits before I'm excited to try.
Krissy
I've always baked them right after I've made the dough. You can freeze the cooked biscuits though!
Lisa
What do you mean by "make all of the ingredients" in step 3? Or is this a typo? Thanks!
Krissy
Doh! I literally just made these biscuits about an hour ago and was reading off my printed recipe and didn't even catch that! I'll replace the word make with combine. Sorry about that!
Rachel
I didn't freeze and grate my butter - I mixed all the dry ingredients up with my pastry blender, and that worked just fine. I also don't have biscuit cutters (they're on my list), so I cut square biscuits with my dough scraper. The biscuits rose well and were so tasty and fluffy! So, you can not quite follow the directions and they'll still turn out great! Thank you!
Barbara
I am lazy, so I just use a knife to cut the biscuits into squares. Much easier than trying to minimize waste with a round cutter. That last one you make from the scraps never rises like the others and it's always the last one in the basket.
Nicole
I learned in culinary school that the reason that they do not rise is because they are usually overworked. You just have to try not to work the dough too much. but usually you the first batch comes out very nice and then the rest does not come out as nice.
She is right about the cold butter, and once it get warm with your hands that makes a difference with how the dough cooks as well.
Rita
Can this recipe be doubled or do you have to make additional batches if you want more biscuits? Can’t wait to try it!
Krissy
Absolutely! The serving size on the recipe has a slider that will automatically adjust the amount of ingredients if you want to make a larger batch.
Dorian
Such a solid recipe! I forgot to fold it the first time and I got very soft, pillow like biscuits. Remembered to fold the second time and got some great rise and delicious results.