Buttermilk Biscuits
Updated: Sep 27
Prep Time:20 mins | Bake Time:14 mins |
Total Time:34 mins | Serves:12 |
Few baked goods are as closely associated with the American South as the buttermilk biscuit. Biscuits in various forms have a much longer history, but the tender, high-rising version familiar today became particularly rooted in Southern cooking, where soft wheat flour, buttermilk, and readily available fats helped shape a distinctive regional style.
A good buttermilk biscuit relies on remarkably few ingredients, which makes the method especially important. Cold butter creates flaky layers, buttermilk contributes tenderness and a subtle tang, and careful handling keeps the dough light rather than compact. Served warm from the oven with butter, preserves, or honey, they're equally at home alongside breakfast or a savory supper.
Why Buttermilk?
Buttermilk contributes both flavor and function. Its acidity reacts with baking soda, producing carbon dioxide that helps the biscuits rise. It also lends the dough a subtle tang and contributes to a tender crumb.
For the best results, use cold buttermilk straight from the refrigerator. Keeping both the liquid and butter cold is one of the most important parts of biscuit making.
Why the Butter Needs to Stay Cold
Cold butter creates the layers we associate with a flaky biscuit. Small pieces of butter remain dispersed throughout the dough and begin to melt once they reach the hot oven. As their water content turns to steam, it helps separate and lift the surrounding layers of dough.
If the butter becomes very soft or melts while you're working, some of that layering potential is lost. If the shaped biscuits feel warm before baking, refrigerate them briefly while the oven finishes heating.
Don't Overwork the Dough
Biscuit dough isn't meant to become perfectly smooth. Mix only until the ingredients have come together into a shaggy dough, then handle it gently as you shape it.
Excessive mixing and kneading develop more gluten, which can produce biscuits that are tougher and less tender. A somewhat rough-looking dough at this stage is perfectly normal.
Why Fold Biscuit Dough?
Folding is one of the simplest ways to encourage distinct layers. Pat the dough into a rectangle, fold it over itself, then gently flatten it again. Repeating this a few times creates alternating layers of dough and butter without requiring the elaborate lamination used for croissants or puff pastry.
The key is to work quickly and avoid excessive pressure. You're building layers, not kneading the dough.
Pat, Don't Roll
A rolling pin isn't necessary for traditional biscuits. Gently patting the dough to the desired thickness gives you greater control and reduces the temptation to roll it too thin or compress it excessively.
For tall biscuits, leave the dough relatively thick before cutting. The height of the unbaked dough has a direct influence on the height of the finished biscuits.
Don't Twist the Biscuit Cutter
Press the cutter straight down and lift it straight back up. Twisting may seem harmless, but it can pinch and seal the cut edges together, making it more difficult for the biscuit to rise evenly and separate into layers. Dip the cutter lightly in flour if the dough begins to stick.
What to Do With the Scraps
After cutting the first biscuits, gently bring the scraps together and pat them out again rather than kneading them into a new ball. Cut as many additional biscuits as possible.
These second biscuits may not rise quite as evenly as those from the first cutting because the dough has been handled more, but they'll still be delicious.
Why Biscuits Need a Hot Oven
Biscuits benefit from a relatively hot oven because the initial burst of heat quickly activates the leaveners and turns moisture in the butter and dough into steam. That rapid expansion encourages the biscuits to rise before their structure fully sets.
Make sure the oven is completely preheated before the biscuits go in rather than placing them in while the oven is still coming up to temperature.
Freeze Biscuits Before Baking
Biscuits are particularly convenient to prepare ahead. Cut and shape the dough, arrange the unbaked biscuits on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and freeze until firm. Once frozen, transfer them to an airtight freezer container or bag.
They can be baked directly from frozen, although they'll generally need a few additional minutes in the oven. This gives you freshly baked biscuits without having to make an entire batch of dough first thing in the morning.
Ingredients
• 2 cups of flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold butter
• ¾ cup of buttermilk, Start with ½ cup, adding more only as needed.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 ºF (218 ºC)
Place dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix 3-4 times to combine. Dice butter and add to the dry ingredients. Mix on medium speed until the butter begins to combine. Break up any butter left with your fingers if necessary - do not over-mix. Continue mixing while slowly adding buttermilk until just combined and the dough begins to form a ball. You may not use all of the buttermilk.
Dump the mixture from the bowl onto a floured surface and finish combining the dough by kneading it. Using a rolling pin, lightly roll the dough to a rectangle about 1 inch thick and then fold over twice by folding the top third down and the bottom third up to create a block of dough. Repeat this step 2-3 times to laminate the dough and then finally roll the dough to one inch thick one last time.
Using a 2-inch cookie cutter (or other round tool) form 10-12 round biscuits. Recombining the leftover bits to form the last biscuits.
Bake for about 12-14 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
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