You won’t believe how easy it is to make these homemade buttermilk biscuits. They are so tall and soft, and with a little bit of elbow grease, full of flaky, buttery layers. They are lovely on their own but also taste amazing with a spread of homemade jam, honey, or butter on top.
I love how they only require 7 ingredients, all of which are pantry staples! They also don’t take long to make, so they’re a perfect side to whip up last minute. They’re great to have on hand for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
With this simple recipe, you’ll get the perfect tall, buttery, tender, and flaky buttermilk biscuits in no time. Once you give these a try, you won’t want to buy the pre-made ones again!
If you don’t have buttermilk, then not to worry as you can try my homemade biscuit recipe or drop biscuit recipe instead!
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Flour — all-purpose flour is ideal as you don’t want flour with high protein and high gluten content. Too much gluten and protein will make the buttermilk biscuits dense and chewy. Make sure to have some extra flour on hand for dusting.
Leavening agents — you need both baking powder and baking soda. Make sure they’re fresh, as old or expired leavening agents will leave you with flat biscuits.
Sugar — the sugar adds flavor to the buttermilk biscuits.
Butter — make sure your unsalted butter is super cold for this recipe so the butter does not melt as you work it into the flour and can instead melt inside the buttermilk biscuits as they bake. The steam that forms inside as the butter melts makes them airy and flakey. If you have difficulty cubing the butter, grate it with a box grater instead.
Buttermilk — I recommend using full-fat buttermilk! Buttermilk makes the biscuits super tender, and the acidity reacts with the baking soda to help them rise in the oven. Buttermilk also provides a delicious tangy flavor.
How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits
1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Add the butter, and toss in the flour to coat. Using a pastry cutter, cut in until the butter is pea-sized.
2. Gently stir in ¾ cup buttermilk until shaggy dough forms.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, and pat dough into a 10-x8-inch rectangle, about ¼-inch thick, with the long edge facing you.
4. Fold the dough into thirds like a letter, gathering any crumbs and placing them on top of the dough. Turn the dough 90 degrees, and use a rolling pin to roll it into a 10-x8-inch rectangle again, about ¼-inch thick. Repeat the process of folding, turning, and rolling two more times. On the final roll, shape the dough into a 10×5-inch rectangle, about ½ to ¾-inch thick.
5. Using a floured 2½-inch round cutter, cut out 8 biscuits, re-rolling scraps if desired to cut 2 more biscuits. Place biscuits in an even layer on a lined baking sheet with the sides of the biscuits barely touching.
6. Brush the tops with the remaining 2 teaspoons of buttermilk. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown on top. Let the buttermilk biscuits cool slightly on the baking sheet, about 5 minutes, before serving
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- When cutting the biscuits, don’t twist the cutter. Press it straight down into the dough and lift it straight up. Twisting can compress or pull the layers making the biscuits rise less or lean to one side while baking.
- You can also bake these in a medium 10-inch cast-iron skillet for 8 biscuits or a large 12-inch cast-iron skillet for 10 biscuits. Skillet doesn’t need to be lined or sprayed before baking.
- Having your biscuits close together on the baking sheet and touching gives them support as they rise. Biscuits that bake touching tend to rise taller.
- Be careful not to overmix the biscuit dough. Overworking the dough will result in tough and flat biscuits.
- The dough will seem like it doesn’t have enough liquid and will never come together, but after the first fold and roll, you will be amazed at how nicely the dough forms. Trust the process!
- If you live somewhere warm, freeze your cubed butter for around 15 to 20 minutes beforehand so they hold up better as you work it into the biscuit dough.
- To ensure tall and fluffy biscuits, it is important to preheat the oven to 425F before placing the dough inside. The high temperature will help the buttermilk biscuits fluff up nice and tall.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unbaked and cut biscuits can be frozen on a baking sheet, uncovered, until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer to an airtight container for up to 1 month. Bake from frozen as directed, adding 1 or 2 additional minutes if needed.
It’s best to enjoy these buttermilk biscuits the same day you bake them. However, they keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. I recommend warming them back up before enjoying them. You can reheat them for a few seconds in the microwave or for a few minutes in the oven.
After the baked buttermilk biscuits have fully cooled, put them in a freezer-safe bag and keep them in the freezer for 3 months. When you want to eat them, let them thaw on the counter and then warm them up either in the microwave or oven until they are heated through.
For some variation, you can fold in shredded cheddar cheese, parmesan, chives, chopped bacon, or fresh herbs to the dough.
If you’ve tried this Buttermilk Biscuits recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Buttermilk Biscuits
Video
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Large baking sheet
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cubed (85g)
- ¾ cup plus 2 teaspoons cold buttermilk divided (180mL)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Add the butter, and toss in the flour to coat. Using a pastry cutter, cut in until butter is pea-sized. Gently stir in ¾ cup buttermilk until shaggy dough forms.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, and pat dough into a 10-x8-inch rectangle, about ¼-inch thick with the long edge facing you. Fold the dough into thirds like a letter (I fold the left side over the center and then the right side over the left), gathering any crumbs and placing on top of dough. Turn dough 90 degrees, and roll into a 10-x8-inch rectangle again, about ¼-inch thick. Repeat the process of folding, turning, and rolling two more times. On the final roll, shape the dough into a 10×5-inch rectangle, about ½ to ¾-inch thick.
- Using a floured 2½-inch round cutter, cut out 8 biscuits, re-rolling scraps if desired to cut 2 more biscuits. Place biscuits in even layer on the prepared baking sheet with the sides of the biscuits barely touching. Brush the tops with the remaining 2 teaspoons of buttermilk.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown on top. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet, about 5 minutes, before serving.
Notes
- When cutting the biscuits, don’t twist the cutter. Press it straight down into the dough and lift it straight up. Twisting can compress or pull the layers making the biscuits rise less or lean to one side while baking.
- You can also bake these in a medium 10-inch cast-iron skillet for 8 biscuits or a large 12-inch cast-iron skillet for 10 biscuits. Skillet doesn’t need to be lined or sprayed before baking.
- Having your biscuits close together on the baking sheet and touching gives them support as they rise. Biscuits that bake touching tend to rise taller.
- Be careful not to overmix the biscuit dough. Overworking the dough will result in tough and flat biscuits.
- The dough will seem like it doesn’t have enough liquid and will never come together, but after the first fold and roll, you will be amazed at how nicely the dough forms. Trust the process!
- If you live somewhere warm, freeze your cubed butter for around 15 to 20 minutes beforehand so they hold up better as you work it into the biscuit dough.
- To ensure tall and fluffy biscuits, it is important to preheat the oven to 425F before placing the dough inside. The high temperature will help the buttermilk biscuits fluff up nicely and tall.