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Learn how to make the best ever Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe! They’re tender, soft, flakey, and buttery biscuits made with just a few ingredients and done in under 45 minutes, perfect as a side dish with butter or gravy or as breakfast with jam!
NOTHING compares to soft and fluffy homemade buttermilk biscuits – these are soft and buttery with tender, flakey layers and that classic crunchy bottom that comes with a restaurant style biscuit. These have a few more steps than drop biscuits, but it’s totally worth it – it’s way easier than you think.
I used to think biscuits from a can or from the yellow box were superior – until I made this recipe. Once I realized how easy it really is to make them I never went back to store-bought again. This biscuit recipe is sure to become your absolute favorite!
Ingredients needed
- Self-Rising Flour or All-Purpose Flour: You can use either one in this recipe, with a few substitutions. Self-rising flour includes leavening agents and salt. If you use self-rising flour you only need 3 ingredients, but if all you have is AP flour you can just add salt and baking powder.
- Butter: cold salted butter that’s cubed, plus 2 tablespoons for brushing
- Buttermilk: The acidity in the buttermilk adds a nice tang and also works with the self-rising flour to help the biscuits rise. I recommend buying buttermilk not making your own for this recipe.
How to make Buttermilk Biscuits
- Place flour (and salt and baking powder, if using AP flour) in a large bowl. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or 2 forks.
- Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk, stirring with a fork to work the flour into the buttermilk just until moistened and it’s a shaggy dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press it to get it into a cohesive ball. At this point we’re going to laminate the dough to make it flakey – fold it over on itself 3-4 times. (This is a similar process to making puff pastry or croissant dough.)
- Roll or pat out to desired thickness. Cut biscuits with a pastry cutter or drinking glass to cut into rounds. Place on buttered cookie sheet or cast iron pan.
- Brush the tops with the melted butter. Bake until they are puffy and golden brown.
Expert tips
- Use cold butter and buttermilk in the biscuits to keep them tender – the little bits of butter help create those flakey layers.
- Don’t overflour your work surface or your biscuits will turn out dry. Similarly, do not overwork your biscuit dough.
- Make sure your self-rising flour is not expired. Self-rising flour includes baking powder which will lose its potency over time and cause your biscuits to not rise properly and not be flaky and tender.
- I don’t recommend using homemade buttermilk in this recipe – for biscuits you want to buy actual buttermilk.
- Laminating the dough a few times is what creates those flaky layers!
- Serving biscuits: these are delicious plain, as a sandwich, with butter, sausage gravy, or jam. We use them as a side dish mostly, but I’ve also been known to eat one (or two) for dessert!
Storing Biscuits
Store leftover biscuits at room temperature in an airtight container for a couple of days. You can wrap them well in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for a month or so.
FAQs
The buttermilk reacts to the rising flour, creating a perfectly tender biscuit.
Yes, it should be cold to get the best results.
Was your self-rising flour or baking powder expired or old? This will cause the biscuits to not rise, as will using warm butter or buttermilk.
Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe
Recipe Video
Ingredients
If using SELF-RISING FLOUR
- 3 cups (375g) self-rising flour
- ½ cup (113g) cold salted butter cubed
- 1 cup (237ml) cold buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons (28g) melted butter
If using ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
- 3 cups (372g) all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113g) cold salted butter cubed, plus 2 tablespoons for brushing
- 1 cup (237ml) cold buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons (28g) melted butter
Instructions
- Cube ½ cup butter and place back into the refrigerator while prepping dry ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or bottom of a cookie sheet.
- Place the flour (and salt and baking powder if needed) in a large mixing bowl.
- Use a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk, stirring with a fork to work the flour into the buttermilk just until moistened and a shaggy dough forms.
- Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and gently press until it becomes a cohesive dough.
- Fold the dough over on itself a 3-4 times (laminate the dough).
- Roll or pat out to roughly ¾-1-inch thickness. Use a 2-2½-inch biscuit cutter or drinking glass to cut into rounds. Place on prepared pan.
- Melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and brush over the tops of the biscuits. Bake for 17-20 minutes until they are puffy and golden.
- Store biscuits in an airtight container for 2 days or freeze for up to one month.
- Chocolate Honey Butter: Beat ½ cup (113g) butter until creamy, about 30-60 seconds with a hand mixer. Slowly mix in ½ cup (57g) powdered sugar, ¼ cup honey, and 1 tablespoon (5g) unsweetened cocoa until combined. Serve room temperature so it’s spreadable, store in refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
- Yield and calories will depend on the thickness of the dough and size if your biscuit cutter.
- Use cold butter and buttermilk
- Don’t over-flour your floured work surface. Otherwise your buttermilk biscuit recipe will turn out too dry. Don’t overwork the dough.
- I don’t recommend using homemade buttermilk in this recipe – for biscuits you want to buy actual buttermilk.
- Don’t skip the laminating step – this creates the flakey layers.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature or freeze.
Recipe Nutrition
This recipe is from Melissa’s Southern Cookbook – grab your copy today!
These biscuits look so EASY but so good! And I love cookbooks where I want to make everything in them. Those are rare and glad you’re loving Melissa’s! And that honey butter…omg.
What?! Chocolate honey butter?! That sounds fantastic!
That chocolate honey butter is definitely calling my name! I would use it on EVERYTHING!
Dorothy – I’m a vintage girl and probably should have been born about 20 years earlier. Oh well. I’m happy with wifi and cellphones as well. These biscuits…I need them in my life. Occasionally, we’ll have biscuits for dinner, but now we can eat them for dessert instead! 🙂
Okay, no lie here: I own a calico sunbonnet from my Little House phase. I was OBSESSED as a kid, both with the books and the show. I just wanted to eat the food and wear the fashion, I think…because yeah, indoor plumbing is so lovely.
These biscuits would be very much at home in the Ingalls family, for sure. They look PERFECT. And chocolate honey butter?! Whoa. Makes me swoon even more than Almanzo. 😉
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