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Southern

Homemade Biscuits

Flaky buttermilk biscuits come together with cold butter and a light hand. They bake high and golden, with a soft center that is fully cooked.

Prep
20 min
Cook
16 min
Total
36 min
Servings
8
Difficulty
Medium
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Stack of tall golden biscuits torn open to show flaky layers on a wooden board

Why you’ll love it

  • Cold butter, not melted, is what makes the layers.
  • A short fold builds flakes without turning the dough into bread.
  • A hot oven sets the rise before the butter leaks out.
  • The center should be cooked through, not gummy, when the tops are deep golden.

Ingredients

Servings8

Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.

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Instructions

  1. 1

    Heat the oven to 450°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment.

  2. 2

    Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a bowl.

  3. 3

    Cut the cold butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the pieces are pea-sized. Leave some bigger flakes.

  4. 4

    Pour in the 3/4 cup buttermilk. Stir with a fork until a shaggy dough forms. Do not eat the raw dough.

  5. 5

    Turn the dough onto a floured counter. Pat it into a 1-inch-thick rectangle. Fold it in thirds, then pat it to about 3/4 inch thick.

  6. 6

    Cut straight down with a 2 1/2-inch cutter. Do not twist. Press the scraps together once and cut again. You should have 8 biscuits.

  7. 7

    Set them on the pan so the sides almost touch. Brush the tops with the remaining buttermilk.

  8. 8

    Bake 14 to 16 minutes, until the tops are deep golden and the centers are set, not doughy. A biscuit broken open should look flaky and cooked through.

Pro tips

  • If the kitchen is warm, chill the cut biscuits 10 minutes before baking so the butter stays solid.
  • Twisting the cutter seals the edges and they will not rise as high.
  • Bake them close together if you want soft sides, or an inch apart for crisper edges.

Easy substitutions

buttermilk
3/4 cup milk plus 2 tsp lemon juice, rested 5 minutes
unsalted butter
cold salted butter, and use 1/2 tsp salt in the dough
all-purpose flour
white whole-wheat flour for a nuttier biscuit

Storage and reheating

Storage

Keep covered at room temperature up to 2 days. Freeze baked biscuits up to 2 months.

Reheating

Warm in a 350°F oven for 6 to 8 minutes. A microwave softens the layers, so use only 10 seconds if you are in a hurry.

Nutrition

Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.

Calories
231
Protein
5 g
Carbs
28 g
Fat
11 g
Fiber
1 g

Budget friendly · Oven

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From the kitchen

Kitchen tools we love

Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.

  • A heavy 12-inch skillet

    Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.

  • An air fryer with a real basket

    The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.

  • A half-sheet pan

    Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.

  • A sharp chef’s knife

    These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.

  • A large cutting board

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  • Dry cups and a liquid cup

    Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.

  • An instant-read thermometer

    Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.

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Ingredients