Description
This classic recipe for Butter Buttermilk Biscuits yields soft, flaky, and buttery biscuits perfect for breakfast or any time of day. Made with simple pantry ingredients like all-purpose flour, cold butter, and tangy buttermilk, these Southern-style biscuits come together quickly and bake up golden brown with a tender crumb. Ideal for serving with jams, honey, or gravy, they’re a delicious homemade treat that will elevate your biscuit game.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional)
Wet Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cold buttermilk (plus 1–2 tablespoons more if needed)
- 1 tablespoon melted butter for brushing (optional)
Fat
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar if using to distribute the leavening agents evenly.
- Cut in Butter: Add the cold cubed butter to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
- Add Buttermilk: Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour in the cold buttermilk. Stir gently with a spoon until just combined—be careful not to overmix to keep the biscuits flaky.
- Fold Dough: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat into a 1-inch thick rectangle. Fold the dough in half and pat it out again. Repeat this folding and patting process two more times to build flaky layers.
- Shape Biscuits: Finally, pat the dough out to about 3/4-inch thickness. Using a 2 to 2.5-inch round biscuit cutter, cut out biscuits by pressing straight down without twisting to ensure they rise evenly.
- Arrange for Baking: Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet close together if you want soft sides or spaced apart for crisper edges.
- Bake: Bake for 12–15 minutes until the tops are golden brown and biscuits are cooked through.
- Finish and Serve: Optional: brush the warm biscuits with melted butter for added richness. Serve immediately while warm.
Notes
- Keep all ingredients cold to ensure the flakiest biscuits.
- If freezing unbaked biscuits, bake them straight from the freezer and add a few extra minutes to the baking time.
- Do not twist the biscuit cutter when cutting dough to preserve layers and height.
- Buttermilk can be substituted with milk plus a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice if necessary.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Southern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 biscuit
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 380 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
