Looking for the best homemade Buttermilk Biscuits? Look no further. This buttermilk biscuit recipe is so easy to scale up or down. Make a lot for a dinner party or just a few for dinner for two. Make it sweet or more savory. I’ll also show you how to create those amazing flaky layers!
Lucille’s BBQ biscuits and apple butter have got to be my favorite grub there, the BBQ comes second. If you want to replicate those delicious flavors at home, you are in luck, my friends! Just make my honey butter with apple butter to serve with these flaky tender buttermilk biscuits.
How to make flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
These homemade buttermilk biscuits are made with all butter for the best flavor, plenty of buttermilk for tenderness and a slight tang, with just a touch of sugar and salt.
- Start by sifting together the dry ingredients except for the salt. Kosher salt has large grains so just stir it into the flour mixture with a whisk.
- Add the cold cubed butter to the flour mixture, and work it into the flour with your fingertips until about pea-size.
- Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in buttermilk.
- Fold with a spatula until a shaggy dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and pat it out into a rectangle, it doesn’t have to be perfect.
- Fold it over itself a few times. Finally, pat it into a rectangle about 1” thick.
- Cut into 6 squares with a knife or use a round biscuit cutter.
Brush the top of the biscuit dough with additional buttermilk, and sprinkle with either sugar (for sweeter biscuits) or salt (for more savory biscuits) before baking. This will give them color during baking.
These biscuits are mildly sweet just the way I like them. But if you prefer even more savory biscuits, increase the salt to ¾ teaspoon.
What does buttermilk do for biscuits?
Buttermilk is acidic and inhibits gluten formation, which gives these biscuits a tender soft texture.
Can I use milk instead of buttermilk?
You can substitute milk, but your biscuits will turn out a little harder than if you were using buttermilk since regular milk isn’t acidic and will actually encourage gluten formation.
I suggest making a buttermilk substitute by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice to 7.5 oz of regular milk to make a cup or using a mixture of half milk half sour cream.
Are buttermilk biscuits the same as scones?
While biscuits and scones are both quick bread, they are not exactly the same. Biscuits tend to be more savory while scones tend to be sweeter with flavorings like orange zest, vanilla, and add-ins like raisins.
If you look at the ingredient list for my basic buttermilk scones, you’ll see that they are made with a lot more sugar, they include egg and vanilla extract while these biscuits are made with just a touch of sugar and don’t include egg or any flavoring like vanilla extract.
Storing and making ahead
Storage
These buttermilk biscuits will keep at room temperature for a couple of days. They will keep in the fridge for up to a week. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. If kept frozen beyond 3 months, they are still safe to eat but the flavor may start to degrade.
Reheating
Biscuits are best when still slightly warm straight from the oven. Next day biscuits can be reheated in the oven at 350°F for 5 minutes.
To reheat frozen biscuits, you can thaw them at room temperature and then toast in the oven at 350°F for 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can toast them in the oven directly from the freezer without thawing at the same temperature for 10 – 15 minutes.
Making ahead
If you’re planning for a big party, you can bake the biscuits ahead of time, freeze them, and reheat them in the oven as directed above for serving.
But if you want freshly baked buttermilk biscuits, freeze the unbaked dough instead. Roll it out, shape it, cut it into the size and shape you want, layer it on a baking sheet in 1 layer and freeze until solid. Once frozen solid, you can transfer the frozen biscuit dough to a freezer bag for storage.
Follow the instructions for baking from the recipe, but increase the baking time for frozen biscuit dough by 3 – 5 minutes.
Baker’s Tips
- Patting the dough out and folding it over itself will help create distinct layers and help create that flaky texture in your biscuits.
- When cutting the dough whether with a knife or a biscuit cutter, cut straight down, don’t twist the cutter or slide the knife back and forth. This is to avoid sealing off the edges to allow the biscuits to rise higher.
- When baking the biscuits, you can place them apart or together. But placing them closer together will allow them to lean on each other when they expand and rise in the oven, which can help them rise higher and not fall over.
- You can also bake these biscuits in a cake pan with taller sides to keep them from falling over.
- This recipe makes 6 large biscuits, you can divide it into 12 smaller portions if you wish. You’ll need to shorten the baking time for smaller biscuits, about 12 minutes.
- You can easily halve the recipe if you just want a few biscuits for dinner and no leftovers, double or triple the recipe to make a larger batch.
How to serve buttermilk biscuits
- Serve them for brunch with sausage gravy, bacon and egg, or a frittata.
- Serve them at Thanksgiving Dinner in place of dinner rolls.
- Use them to sop of sauces and dunk them in cozy soups like this chicken corn chowder.
- Split open leftovers and serve them with strawberry compote and whipped cream for a quick strawberry shortcake dessert.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, send me a photo, rate it and don’t forget to tag me @wildwildwhisk on Instagram. I’d love to see what’s cooking up in your kitchen. Cheers!
📖 Recipe card
Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cup all-purpose flour (265 g)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3 oz unsalted butter (85 g, cold and cubed)
- 1 cup buttermilk (242 g, cold)
- Extra buttermilk for brushing
- Turbinado sugar (granulated sugar or sea salt for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Sift flour, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder into a medium mixing bowl, add kosher salt and mix with a whisk to combine.
- Add the cold cubed butter to the flour mixture and work it into the flour with the tip of your fingers until about pea size and larger. You want the butter pieces to be different sizes and more flat than round.
- Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the cold buttermilk. Fold with a spatula or wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board, pat the dough out to about ½” thick and fold it over itself. Do this two to three times and then shape the dough into a rectangle.
- With a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a rectangle about 6”x14”. Fold in three like a letter. Roll the folded rectangle out one more time, and fold it again. This will create distinct layers when baked. Then if needed pat it down to about 1” thick. Cut into 6 squares.
- Alternately, if you want to cut your biscuit into rounds, use a biscuits cutter, flour it well and push it straight down to cut without twisting. Cut as many as you can, and reshape the leftover per the above instructions and cut again until all gone.
- Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, close together, brush the top and sides with some extra buttermilk, sprinkle the top with sugar for sweeter biscuits or with some sea salt for more savory biscuits. Bake for 15 - 17 minutes until golden brown.
Notes
- This recipe makes 6 large biscuits, you can divide it into 12 smaller portions if you wish. You’ll need to shorten the baking time for smaller biscuits, about 12 minutes.
- You can substitute buttermilk with a mixture of 1 tbsp lemon juice + 7.5 oz regular milk or ½ cup sour cream + ½ cup regular milk.
- For more savory biscuits, increase the salt to ¾ teaspoon.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on 9/1/2014. The post and recipe have been updated and republished on 3/6/2020 with the latest improvements, extra tips, and process photos to help you in the kitchen.
Reina
Thank you so much for this recipe! It is fantastic. My family loved the biscuits! I will be making them often.
Trang Doan
Thank you Reina!
Susana Cortes
Just got these out of the oven and they’re the best! Thank you for a great recipe. I’ll definitely be trying more of your scrumptious recipes.
So glad I found you Trang!
Trang Doan
Thank you Susana, so happy to hear!!
Heather
These biscuits were amazing!! Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
Ryan
sounds delicious 🙂
Carolyn
This recipe is similar to the one l’ve been using for close to 15 yrs. I find 1 & 1/2 cups of flour & 1/2 cup of cake flour makes for light & tasty biscuits. I only add 1 tea of sugar. I recently purchased a jar of apple butter, can’t wait to try your recipe on fresh biscuits. Happy Holidays.
Trang
Thanks for the tip Carolyn! I will try with cake flour next time. I have a major sweet tooth so I tend to make bread and biscuits on the sweeter side but of course adjustment is entirely welcome 🙂 And happy holidays to you and your family!
Cecilia
Biscuits and butter look so yummy!! Can’t wait to try them myself, quick question do you have a recipe for the apple butter used in the butter recipe or do you buy an already made apple butter, if so which one? Please let me know.
Thanks!
Trang
Hi Cecilia, thank you for your kind words. I just used a premade apple butter, some store brand, I can’t remember which one, but I do remember it has clove and cinnamon in the ingredients… Just make sure it’s apple butter and not the cinnamon apple sauce. I think apple sauce might be more liquid-y…
love food life alcemy
You are not the only weird one out there. I love Lucille’s apple butter and biscuits. I go there for the same reason. I have been looking for a recipe for it for the longest time. Thanks so much! Can’t wait to try it.
Oana
Wow, they look amazing. I love how puffed up they are. Gief me some!
Trang
Thank you! If only I can send them to you through the screen I would!
Vanessa @ Vanessa Baked
Your biscuits look delicious and then spread some honey apple butter on them! Oh my! Need a biscuit this morning- ASAP!
Trang
Thank you! Soft biscuits and sweet butter can be a quite comforting breakfast I think 😉