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
Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram
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.)
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!)