Buttermilk Biscuits
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These Buttermilk Biscuits are flaky and buttery, melt in your mouth delicious! Incredibly easy to make, completely from scratch and ready in 20 minutes.
The Best Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe
Biscuits are one of my favorite things to bake often. This recipe for biscuits is super simple to make and with only a few ingredients, meaning you can have fresh buttermilk biscuits in only a few minutes! Who would’ve ever thought it was possible?
This recipe will make about 14 biscuits, may vary depending on size. Because of all the butter and buttermilk, they are very flaky. I love to keep these on hand for breakfast, lunch, and dinner regardless of how you serve it.
Why You’ll Love These Buttermilk Biscuits
- Quick and Easy! Using this simple 7-ingredient recipe you can have fresh homemade biscuits from scratch in just 20 minutes with just a few simple pantry ingredients.
- Classic Buttermilk! With a classic buttermilk base, these super tender buttery biscuits with flaky layers are baked to golden brown perfection and absolutely delicious with each bite.
- Family Favorite! You can’t go wrong serving biscuits. Whether it’s with eggs and sausage gravy at breakfast or with chicken stew at dinner, your whole family will love this recipe.
- Buttermilk – We want cold buttermilk for this recipe, be sure to shake it too before using.
- Flour – I used all purpose, my old stand by. Be sure to keep extra flour on hand.
- Leavening agent – We’re using both baking soda and baking powder today.
- Salt – So important for guaranteeing we get good flavor! Don’t forget the salt.
- Butter – Cold and unsalted. You can either cut this in cubes or shred it on a box grater. I find this easier to blend in with the flour, up to you.
- Egg – Just for egg wash at the end.
Imagine fresh hot biscuits in 20 minutes! Well, you don’t have to imagine anymore. You just have to follow these simple steps. This is the easiest buttermilk biscuit recipe you will ever make!
To get started, preheat your oven temperature to 450°F (232°C) to get it ready for baking! Then grab a baking sheet and set it aside for now.
It’s important to measure out the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda to a large bowl and stir it together well. Make sure the butter is super cold before adding it to the flour mixture. Then cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You can also do this using 2 forks.
Now, stir in the buttermilk and combine everything together using a wooden spoon. Then knead the dough a few times with your hands just until it barely starts to come together. Next, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it just a few more times, being very careful not to over-knead. You don’t want the butter to start melting because it will cause the dough to begin developing gluten and become tough.
Once the dough is made you can start forming biscuits! First, use a rolling pin to gently roll the dough out into a rectangle that is about ½ to ¾ of an inch in thickness. Next, use a 2-inch biscuit cutter to cut the dough into biscuits. Then place the cut biscuits on the ungreased baking sheet or into a buttered skillet. Now, gather the leftover dough and use it to cut more biscuits until there is no dough left. You should get about 12 biscuits.
Place the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet or in a cast iron skillet and brush with the egg wash to get a nice golden color as they bake.
Now let’s bake! Transfer the pan to the hot oven and bake the biscuits for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden. Then transfer the baked biscuits to a wire rack to cool.
Why Buttermilk?
First of all, the buttermilk will add complexity and depth to your dinner rolls. Secondly, it’s what makes these dinner rolls super soft and light and what keeps them from browning too quickly so that you end up with rolls that are baked perfectly on the inside yet golden on the outside.
No Buttermilk On Hand?
If you don’t have buttermilk, use a measuring cup and to it add ½ tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar and to it add milk to make ½ cup. Stir it then let it sit for 5 minutes.
Can I Use Shortening Instead Of Butter?
Yes! You can use vegetable shortening and the biscuits will be flaky. However, it will change the taste and they won’t be buttery. Another option is to use half butter and half shortening.
Can I Make Gluten-Free Biscuits?
Probably yes, but I’ve not tried. However, make sure to use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour that has xanthan gum in it, which acts as a replacement for the gluten that is naturally in all-purpose flour.
Expert Tips
- Always use cold ingredients! This is the key to a flaky biscuits with separate layers. I usually don’t take anything out of the fridge until I’m ready to use that ingredient in the recipe.
- Do not over knead and be gentle. The more you work your dough, the more gluten you develop, and the more gluten you develop the tougher your biscuit will be and more prone to shrinking. Remember, treat it with love and be gentle.
- Use fresh ingredients, specifically your baking powder and baking soda. The baking powder is what helps the biscuit layers puff up.
How To Serve
The sky is the limit! You can smear these buttermilk biscuits with some jam or smother them with butter and honey and you’ll be in paradise till the very last bite. But if you want some entree accompaniments, here’s some suggestions:
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
- Tomato Tortellini Soup
- Beef Ragu
- Minestrone Soup
- Irish Lamb Stew
- Mexican Pork Stew
- Creamy Carbonara
- Crispy Fried Chicken
Leftovers
These biscuits will stay fresh for up to 3 days in covered and stored at room temperature.
Freeze
These buttermilk biscuits also freeze well, just be sure to freeze them spaced evenly on a cookie sheet before placing in a freezer bag or airtight container. This method will allow them to stay fresh for up to 3 months.
Other Delicious Biscuits Or Scone Recipes To Try
- Copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits
- Feta Cheese And Chives Biscuit
- Fluffy Mozzarella Biscuits
- Cheddar Cheese Biscuits
- Irish Scones
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Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup butter (unsalted, chilled and cut into pieces)
- 1¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 egg (beaten for egg wash)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a large bowl add the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda and mix it all. To it add the cubed or grated butter.
- Make the dough: Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. If using grated butter, you just have to mix the butter in with the flour. Next, add the buttermilk to the bowl. Stir in the buttermilk until just moist and knead the dough a few times.
- Cut the biscuits: Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead it a couple times just until it comes together. Don't over-work it as it will start melting the butter. Roll out the dough to 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness, and cut with a 2 inch biscuit cutter. You should get about 12 biscuits. Place the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet and brush with egg wash. You can also place the biscuits into a buttered skillet.
- Transfer the baking sheet or skillet to the oven and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or until nice and golden.
Notes
- Always use cold ingredients! This is the key to a flaky biscuits with separate layers. I usually don’t take anything out of the fridge until I’m ready to use that ingredient in the recipe.
- Do not over knead and be gentle. The more you work your dough, the more gluten you develop, and the more gluten you develop the tougher your biscuit will be and more prone to shrinking. Remember, treat it with love and be gentle.
- Use fresh ingredients, specifically your baking powder and baking soda. The baking powder is what helps the biscuit layers puff up.
- These biscuits will stay fresh for up to 3 days in covered and stored at room temperature.
- They also freeze well, just be sure to freeze them spaced evenly on a cookie sheet before placing in a freezer bag or airtight container. This method will allow them to stay fresh for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Can I use my kitchenaid to knead the dough?
Certainly! You can use the dough hook attachment on your KitchenAid to gently knead the dough. Just be careful not to overwork it, as biscuit dough should be handled as little as possible to keep them tender and flaky. Give it a try and let me know how your biscuits turn out!
Can you refrigerate the uncooked biscuit dough and cook as needed for the next several days
Well wrapped, your biscuit dough could last 3 to 5 days in the fridge.
Can self rising flour be used instead?
Yes, then you can just reduce the leavening agents because it already comes with it.
If you use Bulgarian Butter it will change your life. After you spread or roll you doe fold it over and spread it or roll it and cut your biscuits, it will give you a ready made split. PS Perrygold butter is pretty good. Ground blackPepper biscuits are great with gravy
I’ll have to look for it and see if I can find it.
Excellent and fluffy biscuits. We enjoyed these for breakfast and dinner.
Have been enjoying making recipes from your Quick and Easy Meals cookbook I received for christmas. My Romanian daughter-in-law introduced me to your recipes, and have been enjoying them ever since. Wonder if there might be error in buttermilk recipe saying makes only 12 biscuits. With 4 cups of flour, just over 1/2 inch thickness, just over 2 inch cutter, i got 26 biscuits! Checking other recipes including your cheddar buttermilk biscuits which uses 2 cups flour and makes 14-16 biscuits, i think a count of 24 for 4 cups of flour makes more sense. Biscuits are great btw.
It depends on how thick you make them, and how big. If you roll out the dough a bit too much you definitely will get more biscuits. Glad you’re enjoying my book.
I made the biscuits today. I grated the butter and then so easy to incorporate into the flour. I have never tried that before. With the egg wash, the biscuits browned beautifully and were delicious. I had 2 today and can hardly wait for breakfast as I will have another one.
Would this be 4 www pts+?
Not sure Lynn, I don’t have access to the ww calculator anymore.
Thanks for your biscuit recipe to try.
Thanks a lot. I’ve never thought that way.
Great. Aren’t they calles scones? If not, what is the difference?
I always thought the difference between a scone and a biscuit is that scones are sweet, they have sugar in them and maybe some sort of fruit, and biscuits are the savory kind, with cheese, or buttermilk.