The Best Buttermilk Biscuits
Homemade biscuits can be surprisingly easy to make. This is the best buttermilk biscuit recipe, hands down. The inside of these biscuits is pillowy, soft, and fluffy. The top crust is perfectly golden brown with a crisp texture. And a unique folding process makes all the difference in the flakiness of these biscuits!
Servings: 8 biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (¼ cup reserved for the bench)
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- In a large bowl, combine 2 ¼ cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix to combine and set aside.2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (¼ cup reserved for the bench), 1 tbsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp kosher salt
- Grate the butter on a box grater, using the thick cut. Place the grated butter in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill.8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter
- Once the butter is chilled, add the grated butter to the dry mixture and toss to combine. Pour in the buttermilk and stir to form a rough, shaggy dough. Sprinkle the reserved ¼ cup of flour onto the countertop. Dump the dough on the floured surface and use the flour on the bench to knead the rough dough into a cohesive mass.1 ¼ cups buttermilk
- Roll the dough to a rough 12-inch by 8-inch rectangle. Cut the dough into thirds and place them on top of each other. Roll out the dough into a 10-inch by 8-inch rectangle. Repeat this step one more time. On the final time roll the dough into a rectangle about ¾-inch thick. Cut six 2 ½-inch round biscuits and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Push the remaining dough together, roll out to ¾-inch, and cut out an additional two biscuits.
- Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter and place in the preheated 450°F oven until they have risen, and are golden brown, 14-16 minutes. Once baked, remove from the oven and brush again with the melted butter.
Video
Notes
- Instead of using a food processor to chop up the butter, use a grater. A food processor can add heat to the butter, causing it to melt slightly, which is not desirable when making biscuits. Additionally, a food processor can make the pieces of butter too small. In contrast, a grater prevents heat from being added to the butter and allows you to control the size of the pieces of butter.
- The old adage is incredibly true: make it cold and bake it hot. This is incredibly important when making these biscuits and is something to continually keep in mind. The biscuits will turn out best if they are placed in the oven when the dough is cold.
- This recipe is specifically written with an amount listed for all-purpose flour to be sprinkled on your surface. Since this dough must be patted together and rolled out, an additional amount of flour is necessary. Taking this into account is important, and rather than stating an unknown amount of flour to spread on your board, use the amount indicated.
- When cutting out the biscuits, do not twist the biscuit cutter. Simply place the cutter where desired and press straight down, pulling it back up to release the biscuit. If you twist, you’ll seal in the edges, which will not make for a well-risen biscuit.
Nutrition
Serving: 1biscuit | Calories: 239kcal