Name: Easy Buttermilk Biscuits
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 10 biscuits
Ingredients: 3 cups (360 g) all purpose flour; 4 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 8 Tablespoons (120 grams) unsalted butter (cold, cut into tablespoons); 1 cup (240 grams) Tablespoons buttermilk

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These easy buttermilk biscuits are exactly what your weekend called for. A perfect dozen of flaky tender biscuits made with butter and rich buttermilk. And takes only 20 minutes or less of time to throw together. Slather some butter or jam on them for the perfect Sunday brunch breakfast treat.

Believe it or not, when it comes to breakfast even though I have a sweet tooth the size of Mount Everest, I want savory foods. Like breakfast sandwiches with bacon, eggs and dripping in cheese.

So when I went to Nashville recently, brunch was obviously on the to do list. And Nashville knows brunch. My friend and I went to this happening little restaurant not too far from our hotel. And when we asked the waitress what to order. She said, biscuits and gravy. I mean, she knows right what’s best? Who am I to argue. So biscuits and gravy it was. To be honest, I’ve never been a fan of biscuits and gravy. It’s the sausage part that I usually don’t dig. I’m a bacon girl. But hey I’m into trying new things.

And let me tell you what. Those biscuits and gravy made me a convert. So it’s probably not surprise that a biscuit recipe would need to make its way on to the blog after that trip.

Making biscuits really comes to knowing a few baking tips and a little simple baking science for them to come out flaky and tender and slap some butter on them eat them now amazing.

Are buttermilk biscuits the same as scones?

Simple answer. No they aren’t. Now here’s the longer answer…

Scones, like my blueberry scones, have eggs. Biscuits do not have eggs.

Ingredients to make these buttermilk biscuits

All purpose flour – No fancy flour needed here. All purpose flour has a mid range protein content so it gives the perfect soft texture to these biscuits. Just be sure to measure your flour correctly so you do not end up with a tough biscuit in the end.
Leavening agents – These biscuits use both baking powder and baking soda to give these biscuits their rise. You need to make sure they are still active (aka will create bubbles). Test the baking powder with a little hot water to see if it bubbles. Test the baking soda with a little vinegar (or lemon juice) to see if it bubbles. If they don’t, throw them out and buy fresh!
Salt – Of course these biscuits need a little salt so they don’t taste flat. I used table salt in this recipe.
Unsalted butter – I always recommend unsalted when baking. Different brands can use varying amounts of salt in their salted butter so it’s best to use unsalted and control the amount of salt you add. And make sure you use COLD butter, so you get flaky biscuits. If your butter is too warm, it will be absorbed into the flour which will not create those flaky layers you are looking for.
Buttermilk – I love the flavor buttermilk gives to these biscuits. If you don’t have any on hand you can make your own buttermilk.

How to make these easy buttermilk biscuits

First off, biscuits fall into the quick bread category. Think banana bread. But whether it’s made with yeast like a french baguette or baking powder like these biscuits, there is nothing like whipping up a homemade bread recipe.

Combine your dry ingredients. This recipe starts with just good old all purpose flour. If you’re new to baking then be sure to read my two posts on flour- how to measure flour accurately and flour 101: the different kinds of flour. To the flour I add a bit of baking powder, baking soda, and a little bit of salt. I did sift my dry ingredients together to help aerate the dry ingredients which will help in making the biscuits nice and fluffy.
Cut the butter in. Now one of the keys to making amazing biscuits is using COLD butter. It’s kind of similar in making pie crust. By cutting the butter in either with your fingertips or a pastry cutter, you will have small pockets of butter that are coated with flour, that will stay solid in the dough until hit by the heat of the oven. This will then create pockets of steam that will expand in the oven to create nice flaky biscuits. So be sure to use cold butter and cold buttermilk. If you’re out of buttermilk, you make your own buttermilk at home easily with just a couple ingredients.

Knead the dough. The dough will be pretty wet and sticky at this point. Just pour the dough onto a lightly floured surface or one of these pastry mats. And bring the dough together gently. You want to handle the dough as little as possible. Overhandling the dough will develop the gluten in your biscuits, which will in turn make the texture of your biscuits very tough. So handle as little as possible. But you will knead the dough together about 3 times which will help to create the layers.

Cut out the biscuits. After you have kneaded the dough together af ew times then pat the dough into a 1/2-inch thick circle. No need for a rolling pin. You will need some sort of biscuit cutter. But if you’re in a pinch, even the top of a mason jar will work great. You want to dip the cutter into flour, and then press down but don’t twist the cutter. Twisting the cutter will end up in creating lopsided biscuits. Just press straight down and back up.

Bake the biscuits. I placed these biscuits on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. I got about 10-12 biscuits every time I made these. I like mine a bit thicker so I tended to get about 10. And brushed these with a bit of buttermilk on top. These bake up super quick in 15 minutes too. I place mine together so they are touching which helps them rise and result in fluffy edges. If you want crispy edges then be sure to separate them.

Tips On Making This Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe

Measure your flour correctly so as not to overmeasure it. Here is a tutorial on how to measure your flour the right way!
Be sure to use COLD butter and buttermilk to ensure flakiness
Knead the dough a few times for perfectly flaky layers. But be sure to not knead the dough too much. If you keep playing with the dough then it will warm up the butter too much.
When you cut out the biscuits, press straight down and up. Don’t twist the cutters. Otherwise, the biscuits will come out lopsided.

How do you store buttermilk biscuits?

Ok if you have leftovers (you probably won’t!) but if you do here is how to store them.

You can store the biscuits in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Or you can freeze the biscuits in an airtight container for up to 3 months. I love putting them in a sealable plastic bag and squish as much air out as possible. They will thaw pretty quickly at room temperature. I also love warming them up in the microwave for about 15-30 seconds.

So grab a biscuit cutter. The top of a mason jar. Let’s get to making some biscuits. And maybe some bacon. And scrambled eggs. Ok I’m getting carried away. Let’s start with the biscuits.

Tools to make this biscuit recipe:

Mixing bowl
Pastry blender (or you can use your fingertips and work the butter in)
Spatula
Measuring cups and spoons
Pastry mat– You could just dust your countertop, but I love this mat for making biscuits, scones, pie dough, bread. You name it.
Cookie Sheet
Biscuit cutter (again in a pinch you could use the top of a mason jar)

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