Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits

Experience the magic of homemade baking with these incredible Buttermilk Biscuits. Each bite offers perfect tender layers and a melt-in-your-mouth texture that will have everyone reaching for more. You won’t believe how simple it is to achieve such a professional result at home – you’ll truly feel like an expert in the kitchen!

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There’s nothing quite like the warmth and comfort of a freshly baked biscuit. These flaky, tender buttermilk biscuits are incredibly versatile, serving as the ultimate side dish for any breakfast or dinner spread. Imagine them alongside crispy fried chicken, smothered in rich sausage gravy, or simply slathered with butter and your favorite jam. They also make a fantastic base for classic dishes like this Chicken a la King recipe, adding a delightful homemade touch.

As a devoted lover of all things carb-related, I can tell you that a day is always better when a delicious bread or roll accompanies dinner. My family shares this passion, and after countless batches of these homemade buttermilk biscuits, their excitement at the breakfast table is palpable whenever these golden beauties appear. There’s a profound satisfaction that comes from making biscuits entirely from scratch.

Perhaps it’s a nostalgic connection to generations past, who often served homemade biscuits as a staple, always prepared with love and care. Or maybe it’s simply the delightful alchemy of transforming a few basic ingredients into something so profoundly delicious and comforting. Whatever the reason, once you experience the joy and superior taste of these from-scratch buttermilk biscuits, you’ll never consider going back to the canned varieties.

Essential Ingredients for Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

One of the beauties of these classic buttermilk biscuits is that they require only a handful of common pantry staples. While the list is short, paying attention to the quality and temperature of each ingredient can make a significant difference in the final product. Below, you’ll find the key ingredients along with helpful tips for substitutions.

• Unsalted Butter: The secret to incredibly flaky biscuits lies in very cold butter. Using unsalted butter gives you precise control over the salt content in your recipe. If you only have salted butter on hand, remember to reduce the amount of added salt accordingly.
• All-Purpose Flour: For optimal tenderness and a lighter texture, I highly recommend sifting your all-purpose flour before measuring. Sifting removes clumps and aerates the flour, contributing to a lighter biscuit. Measure it after sifting for accuracy.
• Baking Powder: This leavening agent is crucial for the biscuits’ rise, giving them that beautiful height and airy texture. Ensure your baking powder is fresh for the best results.
• Salt: A pinch of salt enhances all the flavors in the biscuit, balancing the richness of the butter and the tang of the buttermilk.
• Cold Buttermilk: This is truly the star of the show. While you can create a buttermilk substitute with milk and lemon juice or vinegar, I strongly believe that real buttermilk yields a superior biscuit in terms of flavor and texture. Its acidity reacts with the baking powder, providing lift, and its unique proteins contribute to tenderness. If a substitute is your only option, use it, but try to get the real deal when possible.
• Heavy Cream: I love to brush the tops of the biscuit dough with heavy cream before baking. This step helps them achieve a gorgeous golden-brown crust and a slightly richer flavor. If heavy cream isn’t available, an extra splash of buttermilk will work just fine.

Step-by-Step Guide to Baking Perfect Buttermilk Biscuits

Creating these heavenly buttermilk biscuits at home is a rewarding process. Follow these detailed steps to ensure light, fluffy, and incredibly flaky results every time.

Prepare the Dough

1. **Chill Your Butter:** The absolute key to flaky biscuits is super cold butter. Cut your unsalted butter into small cubes, then place them in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can grate the cold butter directly into the dry ingredients for tiny, even pieces. This prevents the butter from melting too quickly and helps create those coveted layers.

2. **Combine Dry Ingredients:** In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your sifted all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Ensure they are thoroughly combined to distribute the leavening evenly.

3. **Incorporate the Butter:** Add the very cold, cubed butter to your dry mixture. Using a pastry cutter, fork, or even your fingertips, cut the butter into the flour. Your goal is to work quickly to avoid melting the butter. Continue until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible. These small pockets of butter are what create steam during baking, leading to those wonderful flaky layers.

4. **Add Buttermilk and Mix:** Pour in the cold buttermilk. Stir gently with a spoon or your hands, just enough until the mixture mostly comes together into a shaggy dough. The critical rule here is: **DO NOT overwork the dough.** Overmixing develops the gluten, resulting in tough, dense biscuits instead of light, tender ones. A few dry spots are perfectly acceptable at this stage.

Fold the Dough for Layers

This folding technique is crucial for developing those irresistible, tender layers without overworking the dough. It mimics the laminating process of puff pastry on a simpler scale.

1. **Prepare Work Surface:** Lightly flour your countertop or a clean work surface. Carefully dump the shaggy dough out onto the floured surface. Gently press the dough together, if needed, to form a loose mass. Now, you’re ready to begin the roll and fold process. You can use your hands for a softer touch or a rolling pin for more even pressure.

2. **First Roll & Fold:** Gently press or roll the dough into a rectangular shape, aiming for approximately 10 inches wide by 5 inches tall. Imagine dividing this rectangle into three equal sections visually.

3. **Fold Right Side:** Take the right side of the dough and fold it over towards the center, covering about one-third of the rectangle. A bench scraper (affiliate link) can be incredibly helpful for precise folding and keeping your hands clean, but your hands work perfectly too.

4. **Fold Left Side:** Now, take the left side of the dough and fold it over, so it overlaps the section you just folded. You should now have a smaller, thicker rectangle, essentially three layers stacked on top of each other.

5. **Second Roll & Fold (Rotate):** Rotate the dough 90 degrees so the shorter side is now facing you. Gently roll or pat the dough out again, this time into a rectangle that is roughly 5 inches wide and 10 inches tall. Again, visualize dividing it into three sections.

6. **Fold Top Down:** Fold the top third of the dough down towards the middle.

7. **Fold Bottom Up:** Then, fold the bottom third of the dough up over the top section. You now have another smaller, layered rectangle. This entire process of rolling and folding twice creates multiple tender layers in your biscuits without needing extensive kneading.

8. **Final Roll:** Gently roll or pat the dough out one last time until it forms a rectangle about 10 inches wide by 5 inches tall, or your desired thickness for biscuits.

Cut and Bake the Biscuits

1. **Cut Your Biscuits:** Use a sharp biscuit or cookie cutter to cut out your biscuits. Press straight down firmly without twisting. Twisting can seal the edges of the layers, hindering their ability to rise. Arrange the cut biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

2. **Handle Scraps Thoughtfully:** You can re-roll any leftover dough scraps, but only do this once. The more you work the dough, the tougher the biscuits become. For the re-rolled scraps, I recommend folding the dough just once before cutting, rather than twice, to minimize overworking.

3. **Brush with Cream:** Before baking, gently brush the tops of your biscuits with heavy cream. This helps achieve a beautiful golden-brown crust and a slight sheen.

4. **Bake to Golden Perfection:** Transfer the baking sheet to a preheated oven and bake until the biscuits have risen tall, are light and fluffy, and have turned a glorious golden brown. The baking time will vary slightly depending on your oven and biscuit thickness, but generally around 16 minutes.

5. **Buttery Finish:** As soon as the biscuits come out of the oven, brush their hot tops generously with melted butter. This adds an extra layer of richness and a wonderfully soft finish.

Unlocking the Secrets to Light and Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits

Achieving truly light and fluffy biscuits with those coveted tender layers is an art, but it’s an accessible one with these proven tips. Here’s how to ensure your biscuits rise to the occasion every time:

• **Embrace the Cold Butter:** This cannot be overstated. Very cold butter, cut into small pieces, is fundamental. When those tiny bits of butter melt in the hot oven, they release steam, creating pockets of air and separating the dough into distinct, flaky layers. Warm butter will simply incorporate into the dough, leading to a denser, cake-like texture.
• **Do Not Overwork the Dough:** This is perhaps the single most important rule. Overmixing or excessive kneading develops gluten, which makes biscuits tough and chewy. Handle the dough as little as possible, mixing just until it comes together. A shaggy, slightly uneven dough is often the sign of a perfect biscuit in the making.
• **Press Straight Down When Cutting:** When using a biscuit or cookie cutter, press it straight down into the dough and lift it straight up. Resist the urge to twist the cutter. Twisting seals the edges of the dough layers, preventing them from rising properly and expanding into their full, flaky potential.
• **Use a Sharp Cutter:** For the best rise and cleanest cuts, use a biscuit cutter or sharp cookie cutter. The dull edges of a glass or cup can compress the dough layers, effectively sealing them together and inhibiting the rise. A sharp edge severs the dough cleanly, allowing the layers to separate freely during baking.
• **The Magic of Two Folds:** I’ve experimented with folding the dough four, six, or even more times, but I consistently return to just two folds. This method provides plenty of layers for that signature flakiness without risking overworking the dough. More folds don’t necessarily equate to more tender biscuits if you compromise the dough’s integrity.
• **Square Biscuits for No Waste:** While I adore my round biscuit cutters (affiliate link) for their classic appeal, most of the time, I opt for efficiency and cut my dough into squares using a sharp knife. This ingenious trick eliminates the need to re-roll any dough scraps, ensuring every piece of dough becomes a perfect biscuit and minimizing waste. Plus, square biscuits have just as much charm and taste just as delicious!

Explore More Delicious Biscuit Recipes

If you’ve fallen in love with the art of biscuit making, you’re in luck! There’s a whole world of delightful biscuit variations to explore. Whether you prefer sweet or savory, classic or creative, here are a few more recipes to inspire your baking adventures:

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Buttermilk Biscuits

Author:
Deborah Harroun

Prep Time:
20 minutes

Cook Time:
16 minutes

Total Time:
36 minutes

Servings:
12 biscuits

Course:
Breakfast

Cuisine:
American

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These Buttermilk Biscuits bake up with the perfect tender layers. You won’t believe how easy these are to make at home – you’ll feel like an expert in the kitchen!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, very cold
• 2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cold buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream (can substitute with more buttermilk)
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted (for brushing after baking)

Instructions

1. Cut the butter into cubes and place in the freezer for 15 minutes to ensure it is very cold.
2. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 475ºF (245ºC).
3. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the very cold butter cubes. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, quickly work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized chunks of butter remaining.
4. Pour in the cold buttermilk and stir just until the dough starts to come together into a shaggy mass. Be careful not to overwork the dough.
5. Lightly flour a clean counter or work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Gently knead the dough just enough to bring all the loose bits together.
6. Using your hands or a rolling pin, gently roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 10 inches wide and 5 inches tall.
7. Fold the right third of the dough over towards the center. Then, fold the left third of the dough over so it overlaps the first folded section. (Refer to the images in the article for visual guidance.)
8. Rotate the dough 90 degrees. Gently pat or roll the dough into another rectangle, this time about 5 inches wide and 10 inches tall. Fold the top third of the dough down, then fold the bottom third up over the top.
9. Pat or roll the dough out one last time into a rectangle about 10 inches wide by 5 inches tall. Use a round cookie cutter or a sharp biscuit cutter to cut out the biscuits, pressing straight down without twisting.
10. Gather any dough scraps and gently form them into a new rectangle. To avoid tough biscuits, only re-roll scraps once and fold them just once before cutting out any remaining biscuits.
11. Place the cut biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
12. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the heavy cream.
13. Bake in the preheated oven for about 16 minutes, or until the biscuits have risen tall and are beautifully golden brown on top.
14. Remove the biscuits from the oven and immediately brush their hot tops generously with the melted butter. Serve warm and enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

To reduce waste and eliminate the need for re-rolling dough scraps, you can use a sharp knife and cut the dough into squares instead of using round biscuit cutters.

Nutrition information is provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1 biscuit, Calories: 184kcal (9%), Carbohydrates: 20g (7%), Protein: 3g (6%), Fat: 9g (14%), Saturated Fat: 6g (38%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 27mg (9%), Sodium: 338mg (15%), Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 1g (1%)

Keywords:
baking, biscuits, breakfast, Buttermilk biscuits, flaky biscuits, homemade biscuits, easy biscuit recipe, comfort food