Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits From Scratch
These ultra flaky homemade buttermilk biscuits are the perfect comfort food! Who can resist a crispy-on-the-outside, tender-in-the-middle, mile-high flaky buttermilk biscuit? Here’s how to make them. It’s not hard, just a few simple tricks! Keep reading! Originally posted August 30, 2017.
Charlotte, my 6 year old, has spent her entire summer reading voraciously. Sometimes she will have her nose in a book and I’ll say something like, “Charlotte, come help me fold laundry,” or even something less demanding like, “Charlotte, what do you want for breakfast?” And I get NO response. NOTHING. No glance, no “mm-hmm,” no “just a minute.” It’s like I don’t even exist.
It’s in moments like these that I know karma is real, because I’m pretty sure I do this to my kids every single day. “Mom…Mom. MOM!! Are you even listening??” (Me: huh? what? stop yelling.)
Tomorrow is the last day of summer for us! Charlotte is starting first grade and Truman will be in preschool a couple days a week this year. We made an epic bucket list and did a pretty good job getting through it. I love being at home with the kids. (Some days it makes me want to rip my hair out. But most days, it’s the best.) I will miss having no schedule and just being able to hang out with them all the time. (I will also love having a schedule and not having to hang out with them all the time. Ah, motherhood!)
Buttermilk Biscuits from Scratch
Last week my mom was visiting from Manteca (the town where I grew up, about an hour away. It means lard in Spanish. Isn’t that so great?) I was on my 4th or 5th batch of testing these biscuits (which have zero lard in them, for the record) and she was SO excited to try them. “I’ve never made homemade biscuits before,” she said. And then my head exploded.
“Really?? Like, NEVER, not once?” No, I just always use Bisquick, she said.
Part of the reason this is so disturbing to me is knowing how much my mom loves anything baked. Guys, I’m not saying Bisquick is the worst thing ever. Canned Pillsbury biscuits have their place; sometimes you just gotta git er done. But NEVER? Put your hand on your heart right now, this moment, and promise me that one day you will try making homemade buttermilk biscuits. They are SO worth the time!
Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need for melt-in-your-mouth flaky goodness.
- All purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Sugar
- Baking powder
- Butter
- Egg
- Buttermilk. Cheater buttermilk is ok, see notes!
- Ice water
How to Make Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
I’ve included some step-by-step photos to make it easy on you! But here’s the gist:
- Combine dry ingredients.
- Cut butter into the mixture.
- Beat together the egg and buttermilk and add to the flour, then a little ice water as necessary.
- Knead together in just a few strokes.
- Flatten the dough into a THICK 1-inch layer.
- Cut into biscuits.
- Freeze or refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
- Bake!
Chop your butter, or use a cheese grater! Kind of fun!
Use a pastry cutter to work the butter into the flour. If you don’t have one, you can use a knife or a fork, or heck even your hands (make sure you chill it for a few minutes if you use your hands.) You want to end up with a soft crumbly mixture, with pea-size chunks of butter.
Here’s the business letter fold. You CAN just roll out the dough without doing the business letter fold. But you won’t get those gorgeous layers, your biscuits won’t maintain their circular shape as well, and they won’t split apart perfectly when you open them up to slather them with butter and jam. I’d say it’s well worth the extra folding time.
At this point, turn it over so the seam of your “letter” is facing down.
Don’t twist your biscuit cutter when cutting biscuits. Just push straight down. Twisting seals the edges of the biscuit, making it harder for them to rise.
Butter up that cast iron skillet. You don’t HAVE to bake them in a skillet, but you will feel more Southern if you do. Plus it makes the bottoms crispier, yes please. Oh and don’t forget to brush the tops with buttermilk!! Gimme that golden top!
Why are my biscuits not flaky?
Because you didn’t follow the instructions. Just kidding, just kidding, come baaaack! Here are the techniques that will make your biscuit ultra flaky and tender:
First, don’t over mix the dough! Mixing the dough creates gluten in the flour, which gluten is magical for bread and chewy pizza crust, but terrible for the light, tender, flaky biscuit we want. Work the dough as little as possible.
Second, you need to know that cold cold biscuits going into a hot hot oven is what makes flaky layers. Do not underestimate this!! We achieve this dramatic temperature change by:
- Adding cold buttermilk, a cold egg, and ice cold water to the dough.
- Freezing or refrigerating the completed biscuits before putting them in the oven.
- Preheating your oven and making sure it is up to temperature before putting the biscuits in.
Here’s the skinny on biscuits: the dough is made up of moistened flour that has large pockets of butter (fat) sprinkled throughout. We want the fat to melt as slowly as possible in the oven so that the biscuit has time to rise and create its own structure. That way, when the butter is completely melted and absorbed into the biscuit, there is a little pocket of air left behind. These pockets of air, layered with the dough, are what we describe as “flaky.”
If your butter is halfway melted when it hits the oven, there is no chance for the dough to rise up around the butter and create a structure for where the butter used to be. It will all just melt together into a hard, rocky mass. And you will get sad, dry, tough biscuits, and even your regretful tears will not change their texture.
The reason we bake biscuits at a high temperature is so that they rise quickly when they hit the oven, creating that structure before the butter melts.
So: do whatever you need to do to make sure 1) the fat in your dough is as cold as possible so that it melts slowly and 2) your oven is as hot as possible to encourage a fast rise, which builds the structure for those flaky pockets where your butter used to be.
While researching biscuits, I read that some restaurants make their biscuit dough a day in advance and freeze them, shaped. They put them in the oven frozen solid. I haven’t tried it yet, but I bake cookie dough from frozen all the time so I’m pretty confident. You may have to bake longer. This would be a great make ahead option!
What difference does buttermilk make in biscuits?
Close your eyes and imagine that first bite of hot-out-of-the-oven biscuit breaking into flaky morsels on your tongue. Can you taste the hint of sour? The tart twist creating savory richness? That’s buttermilk. Those acidic overtones are what make a biscuit taste biscuity.
In addition to flavor, buttermilk is important for helping the dough to rise in the oven. Baking powder only does it’s job of leavening when it has an acid to activate it. Buttermilk is our acid MVP.
If you don’t have any buttermilk, you can make homemade cheater buttermilk. Add 2 teaspoons vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup, then fill to the ¾ cup line with dairy, the thicker and fattier the better: heavy cream, half and half, or whole milk will do.
And that’s it! Please, don’t wait your entire life to make homemade biscuits like my mom did. ;) These come together SO fast. The time is now! Seize the day!!
P.S. You should make Cinnamon Honey Butter to go with these biscuits. Oh my!!
P.P.S. Come back later this week, we’re putting these biscuits on top of chicken pot pie. YES!
P.P.P.S. Want to guess how many times I’ve listened to Taylor Swift’s new song already? Whatever number you’re thinking, add 5. Fangirl in the hoooouuuse.
Other biscuity recipes you are going to love!
- The Best Scones I’ve Ever Made << If you love biscuits, you are going to LOVE scones. Talk about flaky!!!
- Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuit Topping << Yes, it’s this very biscuit recipe on top of savory carrots, peas and chicken. Home-cooked heaven!
- Classic Strawberry Shortcake Recipe << Biscuits are similar but not identical to shortcake. And who doesn’t love shortcake?!?
- Cinnamon Honey Butter << There really is nothing better than this combo. For real!
- Aunt Shirley’s Famous Dinner Rolls << These are my favorite! My Aunt Shirley really does make the best rolls!
Biscuits and Gravy Casserole << It’s a make-ahead recipe! Use canned biscuits but homemade gravy & throw it in the oven. - Samoan Coconut Rolls (Pani Popo) << I have never had a softer, moister, more pillowy roll in my entire life.
- Cheddar Bay Biscuits << Like the ones from Red Lobster. So cheesy & delicious!
- 7Up Biscuits << Sounds weird, but how can you argue with a four-ingredient recipe? They are so good.
- Quick and Easy Sweet Potato Biscuits from Bless this Mess
- Berry Shortcake from The Modern Proper
- Cheddar Scallion Biscuits from Fifteen Spatulas
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How to Make Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup butter, COLD or frozen (1 and 1/2 sticks)
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup cold buttermilk*
- 1 to 2 tablespoons ice water
- 1 tablespoon butter, softened (for greasing pan)
- more buttermilk, for brushing
- honey and butter, for serving, or this Cinnamon Honey Butter ∞
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a large bowl combine flour, kosher salt, sugar, and baking powder.
- Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour. You can also use a fork, a butter knife, or your hands to work the butter into the dough. It should be crumbly with pea-size chunks. Stick the bowl in the fridge if you have any delays.
- Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour. You can also use a fork, a butter knife, or your hands to work the butter into the dough. It should be crumbly with pea-size chunks. Stick the bowl in the fridge if you have any delays.
- In a small bowl combine the egg and buttermilk. Beat with a fork. Add ice and water to a small bowl, and set a tablespoon nearby so it’s ready to go.
- Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Use a fork to hydrate the flour. Do NOT over work the dough.
- Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time. You don’t need much, this is just to help the flour absorb into the wet ingredients.
- Make as few strokes as possible to get your result: a very thick, slightly sticky dough. Switch to using flour-dusted hands for the last few kneads.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface (a pastry cloth works great, if you have one.) Use your hands to pat the dough into a rectangle, then use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a roughly 12×8 inch rectangle. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
- Fold the short sides of the dough into the middle, like a business letter. See photos.
- Turn the dough over (flouring your surface again if necessary) so that the seam of your business letter is down.
- Use your hands or the rolling pin to flatten the dough. This is the last step before cutting. Don’t roll it too thin! You want THICK biscuits. Think like at least an inch if not more. Flatten the dough enough to where you will be able to cut at least 6-8 biscuits on the first go.
- Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter (<these are the ones I wish I had!) to cut the dough. Do NOT twist the cutter. Firmly push it straight down, then pull up. Use your fingers to gently loosen the dough from the cutter.
- Continue with the rest of the dough until there are only scraps. Gather the scraps in your hands, gently press them together, then roll out again, remembering to keep the dough thick. Continue until the dough is gone.
- Prepare a 12-inch cast iron skillet** with 1 tablespoon softened butter (or melted.) Make sure to grease the sides.
- Place the biscuits in the pan. They should be touching each other, as this helps them rise in the oven.
- At this point, if you have time and space, I highly recommend freezing or at least refrigerating the pan of biscuit dough for 15-20 minutes. The butter in the dough has warmed up from your hands, and you want it hitting the oven as cold as possible to achieve Ultimate Flakiness Levels.***
- Just before you put it in the oven, brush the top of each biscuit with buttermilk. This helps it to get that pretty brown topping.
- Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden. If the tops are brown but you suspect they are not done, lift the edge of one biscuit to check the bottom. They are done when the bottoms are brown.
- If desired, brush the biscuits with melted butter. Or you could just eat them immediately, serving with soft butter, honey, jam, and/or this Cinnamon Honey Butter (<< I’m telling you guys, this stuff is legendary.)
Notes
Nutrition
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Just Made! Will let you know when we eat’em up, If liked! Stay Tuned! They look amazing!
Holy moly, were these amazing! I followed all your tips and they turned out perfect. I quit making biscuits years ago because they would always turn out dense and dry – not these! I now feel like I have made my Southern ancestors proud! :)
I’m so happy to hear you gave homemade biscuits another chance Mandy!! Your southern ancestors are cheering you on!! 🖤 thanks for taking the time to comment, super helpful!
I decided to make your biscuits tonight and freeze them for breakfast with my kids and their kids, but I have never made buttermilk biscuits with an egg, sugar and water… I always made mine with Crisco and buttermilk in the dough. I read the reviews and I had to try them and your cinnamon honey butter. It was a revelation! You have convinced an old dog that she could do a new trick! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad the biscuits were a success Glenda! I will never say no to a Crisco biscuit, but it sure is fun to make them from scratch and see what all the fuss is about, right? So good. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and leave a positive review!
OMG BEST BISCUITS I EVER MADE🤤🤤
These tasted really good but I think I did something wrong. They were golden brown on top but when we opened them the middle was more dense and heavy rather than flaky. Should they cool down before eating maybe? First time making biscuits so I’m a newbie!
Thanks
Hi HB! No eating them warm is the only way to go! It sounds like you overworked the dough. Try to make sure to only knead it until it barely comes together, then rolling out. also, make sure you are spooning and leveling your flour. Hope this helps!
Thank you, these were fantastic. So tasty and baked perfect from your wonderful instruction.
Do you suggest granulated sugar or confectioner’s sugar for this recipe?
Hi Amy! I use granulated sugar! Enjoy.
The absolute perfect biscuit recipe, I shared it with so many friends!! Thank you!
I don’t have a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter or anything like that. Is there something else I could use to cut the biscuits, a glass maybe? I’m not sure if that would be sharp enough? Can’t wait to try your recipe!
Hi Sarah! A glass is kind of blunt but it would work. You could also just try using a knife. Another idea I saw when I googled it just now was using an empty can. I think that might work best! Enjoy!
Best biscuits I’ve ever made. I think the grated butter makes the difference!
Thank you!
They turned out perfect, I baked half and the rest are in the freezer.
Beautiful flaky biscuits! Doubled it and the family still nearly ate them all!
I’m not sure if these biscuits are supposed to use unsalted or salted butter. I used salted butter and they were very salty. So maybe it’s supposed to be unsalted.
Hi Brittany! I always use salted butter. But unsalted butter will work just fine!
My daughter made these for breakfast on New Year’s Day. We all told her they were so good! She said they weren’t difficult and I asked for the recipe. (Our daughter is incredibly smart and is notorious in our family for finding the top-notch anything on the internet. She sent me the link to your posting.)
I found your post to be a delightful read! I will be making these easy-to-do biscuits today! It will be – like your mom- my first time in 33yrs making biscuits not using Bisquick. :)
Hi Charlotte! How fun is this! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe and happy to hear youre kicking the bisquick out on the curb ;) Thanks so much for chiming in, enjoy the biscuits the second time around!
Turned out perfect.. ..Excellent recipe..
This is the best buttermilk biscuit recipe I have ever tried!! I used whole wheat flour and they turned out great!
These were amazing!!!! Hubby and I LOVED them. Thank you so much!
They turned out PERFECT!!!!
So happy to hear that Elizabeth!! Thank you so much for commenting!
Too salty!
First time this Hawaiian gal made buttermilk biscuits! All I can say is “ono” (delicious in Hawaiian). I grated the butter (as you suggested, use the butter frozen) and work fast! Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Aloha.
Aloha JC! I’m so glad the biscuits were a success! They are definitely ono :) Thank you for sharing your review!
This biscuit recipe is AWESOME! Love the taste and the texture. This will be my go to biscuit recipe from now on! I used a food processor instead of hand blending/cutting. Turned out great and so easy!!
I’m so glad you loved it Chrissy! I’ve never tried this in the food processor, so glad to know it works out well. Thanks for the info, and thanks so much for reviewing!!
Can you use self rising flour if it’s all you have?
Hi Steph, I’m not sure how that would work out! Definitely leave out all the other leavening (baking powder) Let me know how it goes!
Does the addition of an egg make this recipe more of a scone than a biscuit? I read somewhere that scones typically have egg in the dough whereas biscuits usually do not. I’m still going to try this recipe but I was just curious as to the distinction.
Also, how much would you adjust for a 2 inch biscuit cutter?
Hi Jennifer! Yes, I have read that too. I just disagree :) Eggs make baked goods so much more TENDER. I can’t imagine leaving it out, it would be so much drier! I even use egg in my pie crust, even though it’s not traditional. But you are welcome to try it. An egg has about 1/4 cup of liquid, you can replace it with another liquid called for in the recipe. As for using a 2 inch cutter, just check on them early, they will cook faster! Enjoy!
Self rising or all purpose flour
All-purpose!
Ok folks. All I can say is WOW. I have been making biscuits since I was 10 years old and have always had people ask for me to teach them and have even had family members have me come and make up a bunch for freezing. I never really thought to myself “ these are really a wow biscuit “ about what I make. They are just biscuits. I will not make them the way I have all my life again. This biscuit recipe is by far the absolute best biscuit I’ve ever put in my mouth and paired with my homemade jam, preserves or peach butter makes this biscuit that much more yummy. 😋. The only thing I will change is the amount of salt. I could really taste the salt in these biscuits and it was a bit much for me but my mom said they are perfect. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Wow Jenny, you sound like a biscuit making pro! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe so much! Thank you for taking the time to review! Now I need to hear more about this peach butter?! What is that and how can I snag the recipe?? :)
(but really…karen@thefoodcharlatan.com)
i’ve made these biscuits multiple times and they’re the best!! so flaky and buttery and delicious! i was wondering if i could chill these in the fridge overnight and bake in the morning rather than the 15-20 min? i always want them for breakfast but can’t get up early enough to make them in time😂 thank you!
Hi Emma! Yes you totally can refrigerate overnight!! I’m so glad you are loving them, enjoy!!
Hi! Today is National Buttermilk Biscuit Day…so I am definitely making these today…since we are spending more time at home than we all like, I am taking to all the ‘national’ days relating to food and making something for that day…helps pass the time!
Questions, I have 2
I have a 10 1/2 cast iron skillet- will that work or will it smush them together too much and they may bake inconsistently or just go with it?
Butter…salted or unsalted…or does it matter? Some say it does…others say it doesn’t.
I need a video tutorial for some of these instructions. I’m sorry, I have no baking acumen. When you say “hydrate the flour” I’m assuming you mean mixing the wet and dry ingredients?… Are we still using a fork to “make as few strokes as possible”? Or a different utensil?… When you say “use flour-dusted hands to do the last few kneads” do you mean like a fold-and-push-away type of knead? Or just kind of folding it on top of itself a few times?… I’m sorry to be so unknowledgeable about it but I really want to try these for my “popping fresh” loving family!
Hi Michele! Yes, hydrate the flour means combine the wet and dry ingredients. Yes, I use the same fork to make as few strokes as possible after adding the ice water. And use flour dusted hands to press the dough together until it forms a ball. Knead it only until it all comes together. I hope this helps Michele! Good luck!
Just made these biscuits and they turned out great, the only issue I ran into is that I should have added a little more moisture either a few more tbsp’s of iced water or buttermilk as my flour soaked it up and my biscuits did not look quite as pretty as yours, but they were very light and fluffy and will definitely make them again.
So glad they turned out well Sal! Thank you so much for reviewing!!
REALLY AMAZING BISCUITS!! Who gets awesome biscuits on their very first run??
Everybody who makes this recipe! :D
I’ve never made one before & these were truly dinner party worthy.
hubby has health concerns so i halfed the salt & sugar (used 1 tsp coconut sugar – so they were a slight golden color all around – beautiful. used half spelt flour & half pastry flour and 1 3/4 sticks of butter. used 1/2c milk & 1/2 c yogurt emulsion blended together for the buttermilk (it too was spongy & beautiful) & used it for the coating on top before baking and it worked perfectly. the dough was just a bit crumbly, but dipped my fingers in melted butter and it all came together nicely with the bit of flour at the end. i didn’t have a rolling pin so just shaped it manually on top of parchment paper. did refrigerate the flour mix while i mixed the egg & buttermilk. also put the dough tray in the freezer for 10 min right before baking (cheat cheat instead of putting it in the fridge for 20 min….also didn’t have a biscuit cutter! so used a star shaped Christmas cookie cutter :) baked for 15 min while i made duck gravy from the roast drippings of dinner the night before. This satisfied the biscuits & gravy craving for days – ridiculously yummy.
I’m so happy to hear you loved the biscuits Mary!! Thank you so much for all your tips, and taking the time to comment! Sounds like you were able to use this base recipe to make what worked for you guys, I love it! Coconut sugar is a great idea.
I saw your recipe,what kind of flour would you want to use for these Biscuits thanks.
Hi Brenda, all purpose flour!
Your recipe was featured in the Food section of our local newspaper this week (The Spokesman Review on 2/19) but like a dummy I threw away the paper. Glad the story linked your blog so I could come here and get it from you. I’ll be baking these in half an hour or so and freezing part of the batch. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi there! I was looking for a biscuit recipe to recreate a treat that my boyfriend’s mom used to make when he was a kid. She would bake biscuits with a square of chocolate in the middle. I‘ve been trying to think of a way to fill these biscuits with a piece of chocolate without messing up those beautiful fluffy layers. My idea was that after I cut out the biscuits, I’d freeze them, slice them in half, put the piece of chocolate in the middle and replace the top half, then bake. What do you think? I understand that you probably haven’t tested this out, but that’s alright, I’ll take whatever advice you can give! Lol.
Hi Frances! Interesting idea! I’m afraid if you added the chocolate after its frozen, the chocolate will ooze out the sides. I would roll out the dough, place the chocolate on one side, and fold the dough in half, sealing the edges. Then cut with a biscuit cutter. Freezing them after cutting is a good idea so that the chocolate goes into the oven frozen, meaning it will melt slower and ooze less. Let me know how it goes! It sounds delicious!
Hello! Sorry I took an age and a half to get back to you! I’m happy to report that your recipe is delicious! With your help, the chocolate filling was successful! The funny thing is, apparently my boyfriend never said his mom put chocolate inside the biscuits, she just put it on top!!! When he said that I was like, “Are you KIDDING? I even talked to the author of this recipe to help me figure out how to put chocolate in the middle…”
Needless to say, we had a pretty good laugh. Altogether, our first Valentine’s Day was a success!
Thanks again for your recipe and your help. I hope you and your family are safe during this time!
My dough was way too crumbly I added a little more buttermilk and the two T.water.
This could possibly be the best biscuit I’ve ever baked or eaten. It’s flaky and tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. My dough was a little dry so I did add a bit more water than the 2 tablespoons. I think next time I’ll add a tiny bit more buttermilk and then add water as necessary. For me these are amazing and I’m a senior citizen who has cooked a lot of biscuits.
Woohoo! So glad you loved the biscuits Lana! It’s great to have a go to recipe for something basic like biscuits. Thanks so much for taking the time to review!
Hands down, this is the best biscuit recipe ever, I’ll never use another!
Yay! So happy to hear that Leigh! Me neither ;)
ABSOLUTELY perfect! This is the biscuit recipe I have been searching for! Made them tonight for the very best chicken à la king, and WOW!!! Such an amazing meal! Thank you for posting!
Oh man now I want to try this with chicken a la king, I haven’t had that in forever!! Such a great idea. So glad the biscuits were a success Dana, thanks so much for leaving a review!
Yes I made these wonderful biscuits and you talk the talk and walk the walk!! They are wonderful. Moist, flaky, and so easy to make. The only thing I changed was the sugar,just becausewe like ours sweeter. I’ve made several different recipes but ive got to say…… this is my favorite. AND MY HUSBANDS!! Thank you!
Cathy in tx
Hey Cathy, I’m so glad the recipe was perfect for you! I’m going to try mine with extra sugar next time, I like your style :) Thanks for commenting!
We’ve never commented on a recipe before, but these were so good, absolutely delicious. My mother who’s 91 was raised in Texas, so she’s eaten biscuits from the best, her comment was “oh my, where did you buy these? We have got to get more!” It was pretty funny, she couldn’t believe I’d made them! Served with the cinnamon honey butter, everyone loved them. Both recipes are definite keepers. Thank you so much!
Okay Rhonda, if I’m impressing a 91 year old Southern lady with my biscuits, I kind of feel like my life is complete, haha!! That is awesome! Im so glad you guys enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for sharing your story :)
Always searching for a new fluffier biscuit…my search has ended! This recipe is great. Good crunch on the outside and a buttery soft, fluffy inside. Great with honey or gravy. I have never gotten a biscuit to rise this much and have so many layers. The letter fold is a must, can’t believe I have never tried that before! I baked them on a steel baking sheet instead of cast iron. Next time I will try my cast iron as the bottoms could of crispt up a little more! Also to speed this up I used my food processor to blend the butter and dry ingredients. Will be making these again!
Hi Brittany! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! It’s true, the letter fold is totally a game changer. Great idea using the food processor. Thanks for the review and tips!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve been very unsuccessful in my biscuit making and these are so easy and delicious. They came out so buttery and flaky! Yuuum!
I’m so happy to hear that Becky! It’s so great when you finally master a recipe like that! Thanks so much for sharing!
They came out nice and light, but the tops didn’t brown (yes, I brushed with buttermilk immediately before baking), not sure what happened there. Overall, these came out pretty good, I would make them again.
Hi Danica! I’m glad they tasted good, that is strange that they did not brown! Thanks for reviewing!
I am going to try and make homemade biscuits for thanksgiving this year (i know its two months away!). I want to test out some new receipts in the coming weeks. Can I double or triple this recipe or should I do make them individually?
Hi Jessica! It’s never too early to plan Thanksgiving :) I would say yes you could double it and bake in two pans but tripling might be pushing it. I would worry that your butter wouldn’t distribute well. let me know if you try it and how it goes!
Sad to say. I made these made today and they very salty it’s the first thing you taste? Can these measures be right at 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt it’s not what you should they ruined so very disappointed had such high expectations I followed the recipe exactly wanted to serve them with peaches for peach shortcake, I will have chuck in garbage. Researched many recipes
And you tube videos before I picked this one to make not one them has this much salt?
I am a experienced baker and cook I won’t try this recipe again
I’m so sorry to hear that Katherine! I like a biscuit to have a distinct salty flavor for snacking on with butter and honey or jam (like the biscuits at Popeye’s! So gloriously salty!), but if I were making these to pair with peaches as a dessert, I would have cut the salt down. It’s not a shortbread recipe, these are biscuits. Next time use unsalted butter and cut the salt down to one teaspoon (and make SURE you’re using kosher salt!)
Hello,
I made the flaky buttermilk biscuits. They looked great and the little touches like grating the cold butter and adding an egg seemed to be the perfect touch for a great texture. Unfortunately, my biscuits were bitter. Could it have been the buttermilk I made with lemon juice? too much baking powder. IDK. Just wondering because the biscuits were amazing in all other areas with the exception of the bitterness.
Hi Mary! I’m sorry your biscuits turned out bitter! That’s a bummer. I’m not sure what happened. The lemon juice shouldn’t have made it bitter unless it was rancid. Or maybe your baking powder was expired? I’m sorry it didn’t work out!
Best biscuits i’ve ever made (and i’ve tried many recipes). I’m a decent cook, definitely not a good baker. I followed the recipe exactly.. shaved the butter, at the desired consistency put it in the fridge for 15 minutes, used 2 tablespoons of ice water and the letter technique. I should have made them a little thicker (lesson learned). I baked off 7 in my cast iron skillet and put 4 into the freezer to see how that works in a few days. I never believed i could make a flaky biscuit.. i was wrong :) i did! ty for the recipe.
I’m so glad you had biscuit success Pamela! That is awesome! Isn’t it the best feeling when you find a recipe that finally works the way you want. I love it. Thanks for commenting!
I’m gonna try your recipe hope it turn good
I hope you enjoy it Dot! Let me know how it goes!
I just made these to top your pot pie recipe. Where I currently live it’s almost impossible to find buttermilk so I used kefir instead. While it probably isn’t as good as the original, they were still delicious!
Kefir, that’s a great idea! Glad to know that worked for you. If you ever want to make your own butter milk you can just add 1 tablespoon vinegar to a scant cup of milk and let it sit for a few minutes. It’s not as good or as thick as butter milk, but it will do in a pinch.
Finally, I now have a recipe for GOOD biscuits. Thank you so much. This was my first recipe from your site I’ll be trying more.
So happy to hear the recipe was a success Sharyn! Thanks for commenting! Let me know what else you try :)
Omg! I have tried others and nothing compares to this. This was so perfect that my kids who are adults left ony three!
I’m so happy to hear that Sally! It’s always the best when you find a new “winner” recipe :) Thanks for the review!
Made these biscuits for our ham feast. They came out great but I thought they were a bit salty. What to do next time for I plan to bake them again. Thanks
Hi Mary-Jane! The amount of salt you add is entirely up to you. You could leave it out entirely if you want. Or your could use unsalted butter and then just add salt to taste. Taste the dough to see if you like it.
I made your buttermilk biscuits recipe tonight and they are the best biscuits I’ve ever had. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so happy to hear that Sue! Thanks for your review!
I never heard of putting an egg in biscuit dough? What does the egg do for the biscuits?
Hey Stella! The egg makes the dough more tender and makes it rise even taller. It also makes the flavor more rich. You can totally leave it out though! You might need to add a few extra tablespoons of buttermilk. It will still taste great.
How can I make this biscuits sweetest? I am from Argentina and here we prefer them in that way. May I add more sugar o I might add honey instead? In which proportion? Thanks and greats. Laura
Hey laura! Everything’s better sweeter, right! :) I haven’t tried adding more sugar or honey, you will have to test it out!
I didn’t fold the dough nor I didn’t use cat iron pan. The biscuits came out beautifully. I am new to baking biscuit and your recipe is Great!!!
That is awesome Patchara! So glad to hear! Thanks for coming back to leave a positive review!
I just made these today. They should be called “Mile High Biscuits”! However, I must confess, I did make some slight alterations. Because I didn’t have any buttermilk on hand, I used some Greek yogurt mixed with milk as a substitute for the buttermilk, and perhaps because I used the yogurt milk mixture (?), it needed more than 2 TBS of water to get the dough to the right consistency. The other substitute was using vodka, instead of ice water; my husband’s suggestion that he found in a pie crust recipe. It makes the pie crust lighter and flakier.
I put the vodka in the freezer to make it icy cold. I followed everything else as written, including using a cast iron skillet. I wouldn’t suggest using the yogurt milk mixture to top the biscuits before baking, as they didn’t brown sufficiently, perhaps it was too thick. The biscuits turned out marvelous though (other than not browning enough on top)! My husband said they tasted “yeasty” which may have been a serendipitous result of adding vodka instead of ice water! My husband said they were the Best Biscuits he Ever tasted, and this would have to be our go too recipe for biscuits from on!
I made these yesterday and they were amazing!! I have tried a few other recipes and they didn’t taste like I was looking for but these sure did! I am definitely keeping this recipe! Thank you for sharing this with us!
I’m so glad to hear you liked the recipe Charla! It’s always the best when you find a classic recipe like this that you can stick with. Thanks for coming back to comment, I love hearing from you!
I have been trying to work up the courage to attempt homemade biscuits for years and years. Now that you have posted a recipe, I will do it! You haven’t let me down yet!
YAY! I’m so glad you’re finally taking the biscuit plunge Aramie! You will have to let me know how it goes. Remember to be patient with yourself! Biscuits are a little advanced. But I know you can do it! Enjoy!
Hahaha! I always sound like such a dork! I bow to your biscuits, and will make them, I promise!
As for Charlotte not answering when she’s reading- neither did you when I called you; neither did I when my mom called me; (I’d wait til the 3rd yell when she was really annoyed and pretend like I just heard her) and I suspect she did the same to her mom. It’s genetic :)
I knew it! This is all your fault mom! I didn’t even think of the karma coming back to me from all the times I ignored you as a kid…I’m in for it.