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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 rhubarb and strawberry jam. YUM!

stack of homemade flaky buttermilk biscuits

Why buttermilk in biscuits?
How do you make Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits from scratch?
How do you make buttermilk biscuits light and fluffy?
Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe Recipe

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).

making homemade biscuits and cutting them out with biscuit cutter

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?

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