Best Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe: It combines buttermilk, basic dry pantry ingredients, and cold, unsalted butter.
This recipe is similar to making a pie dough: mix the dry ingredients, cut in the butter, and add your liquid. It creates a super tall, flakey, and buttery biscuit.
It pairs perfectly with butter, jam, or jelly. Eat these a biscuit for breakfast, lunch…or dinner! Honestly, this recipe is perfect if you need to make a side dish or a homemade baked good.
INGREDIENTS AND EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
- Ingredients:
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 teaspoon white sugar
- 2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted, cubed, cold butter
- 1 1/2 cup buttermilk
- Equipment:
- Large mixing bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Parchment paper
- Cookie tray
- Chef’s knife
- Bowl scraper (or spatula)
- Cutting board
- Plastic wrap
QUESTIONS WHEN MAKING BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
Q: Do I really need buttermilk? Can I use regular milk?
A: For this recipe, yes, you will need buttermilk. The acid in the buttermilk will react with the baking soda. This means a whole lotta height and volume in your biscuit.
Q: Do I really need to freeze the dough before baking?
A: Yes! When butter (or any other fat) is frozen, it solidifies. When solidified butter goes into a hot oven, it expands! Then you will have super flakey and tall biscuits. Are you short on time? Yes, you can bake ’em without freezing the dough. It just won’t be as tall.
Q: What does it mean by cutting in butter?
A: Simply, rub the butter between your hands and dry ingredients. When you are doing this, you are “cutting” the gluten strands in the flour. A flakey baked good will have lots of fat because fat shortens gluten strands….kinda like pie dough. Want to make pie dough? Make my all-butter pie crust for your next pie recipe.
Q: Once I freeze the dough, how do I cut it?
A: Bring it out to your kitchen counter for 30 minutes – 1 hour, then cut. OR, put the frozen dough in the fridge overnight (do this the night before)
Q: What about a biscuit cutter?
A: Yes! Use one of those if you have it. Another option is to use a tall drink glass rim.
PRO TIPS FOR BUTTERMILK BISCUIT SUCCESS
- Always use cold butter and cold buttermilk
- Cut the biscuits as large or as small as you want. Remember, the larger the biscuit = longer time
- Preheat your oven: this will make the cold butter expand rapidly! Making a super tall biscuit
- Double line your cookie tray with parchment paper. This will prevent excess browning on the bottom
- If the bottom is getting too dark, flip the biscuit onto another side. Continue to flip as needed
- Need a vegan biscuit recipe? Check out this Vegan Biscuit Recipe from Minimalist Baker
BEST BUTTERMILK BISCUIT RECIPE | Super Flakey!
Course: SidesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy20
servings20
minutes40
minutes8
minutes1
hour10
minutesIngredients
4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 teaspoon white sugar
2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted, cold, cubed butter
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (more, if needed)
- Egg Wash
1 egg (for egg wash)
1 tablespoon water
Pinch of sea salt
Directions
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: 4 cups all purpose flour, 2 tablespoons baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, 4 teaspoons white sugar and 2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Add 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) cold, cubed unsalted butter to the dry ingredients. Rub the butter between the dry ingredients. The butter should end up pea-size.
- Next, add 1 1/2 cups buttermilk. Using a bowl scraper (or spatula), gently fold in the buttermilk into the dry ingredient-butter mixture. If it is too dry, add more buttermilk.
- Shape into a square. Flatten with your hands. Wrap with plastic wrap. Freeze for at least 8 hours, better overnight.
- Remove the biscuit dough from freezer and let it sit on your kitchen counter for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place two layers of parchment paper over a single cookie tray
- Place biscuit dough onto a cutting board. Cut into 20 pieces (5×4 pieces) with a chef’s knife. Place biscuits onto parchment-lined cookie tray.
- Make egg wash: whisk 1 egg, 1 tablespoon water and pinch of salt in a small bowl. Brush this on top of the biscuits before baking
- Baking for approx. 30 minutes. Times will vary depending on size. I found medium size biscuits take 30-40 minutes to fully bake
Notes
- Your bottoms getting too browned? Simply, flip ’em onto another side and continue baking. I often have to do this with larger size biscuits.
