Description
Learn the simple method to bake tall, fluffy, and flaky buttermilk biscuits from scratch. These buttery biscuits bring classic Southern comfort to your table.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 3/4 cup cold buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, for brushing
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. This is your dry mix.
- Add the cold butter cubes to the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender or your fingers to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. These pieces create the flaky layers.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the cold buttermilk all at once.
- Use a fork to gently mix until just combined. Do not overmix; the dough will look shaggy.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick.
- Fold the dough into thirds, like a letter. Turn the dough 90 degrees and gently pat it down again to about 1 inch thick. Repeat this folding and turning process two more times. This technique builds the layers for tall biscuits.
- Pat or roll the dough to a final thickness of about 3/4 inch.
- Use a sharp biscuit cutter (about 2.5 inches) to cut straight down without twisting. Place the cut biscuits close together on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. For taller biscuits, place them touching.
- Brush the tops lightly with the melted butter.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius) for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown and cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and immediately brush the tops with the remaining melted butter for extra flavor. Serve warm.
Notes
- Keep your butter and buttermilk very cold. Cold fat hitting the hot oven creates steam, which results in flaky layers.
- Do not twist the biscuit cutter when cutting the dough; press straight down to keep the edges clean, which helps the biscuits rise tall.
- For an extra buttery flavor, substitute 1 tablespoon of the flour with cornstarch.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Southern American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 biscuit
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 1
- Sodium: 350
- Fat: 12
- Saturated Fat: 7
- Unsaturated Fat: 5
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 25
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 4
- Cholesterol: 25