Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits

These easy buttermilk biscuits are exactly what your weekend called for. A perfect batch of flaky tender old fashioned 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 and fried eggs that are dripping in cheese.

So when I went to Nashville recently brunch was obviously on the to do list. And Nashville knows their 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 what’s best right? 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. But it wouldn’t be until a second trip to Nashville (because once is never enough!) that I took a local biscuit making class and learned all the tips and tricks on what makes those Southern buttermilk biscuits the best. So it’s probably not surprise that an old fashioned buttermilk biscuit recipe would need to make its way on to the blog after those two trips.

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.

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Are buttermilk biscuits the same as scones? 

Simple answer. No they aren’t. Scones, like my blueberry scones, have eggs. Biscuits do not have eggs. Also scones are generally made with sugar and on the sweeter side whereas buttermilk biscuits do not usually have sugar in them. The only exception is if I’m making a shortcake biscuit for strawberry shortcake.

What does buttermilk do for biscuits?

Buttermilk does such wonderful things for our biscuits! Buttermilk gives our biscuits a slight tangy flavor, and will react with the baking soda in our recipe to help create tall, fluffy biscuits.

Of course the buttermilk also provides liquid and is low in fat. As a liquid, it is going to form our biscuit dough and bring together all of our ingredients. And since it’s low in fat, it works well with biscuit dough, which contains a high level of fat, either in the form of butter (or sometimes cream or shortening).

Ingredients Needed

• 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 old fashioned buttermilk biscuits. Just be sure to measure your flour correctly so you do not end up with a tough biscuit in the end. 
• Baking powder and baking soda – 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 love using sea salt in my baking for the best salt taste that will easily mix into our dough. But table or kosher salt will also work.
• 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. If you only have salted butter on hand, then simply reduce the salt called for in the recipe. 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 old fashioned 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 old fashioned buttermilk biscuits, there is nothing like whipping up a homemade bread recipe.

Step 1: 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 whisk in a bit of baking powder, baking soda, and a little bit of salt.

Step 2: 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.

Step 3: Add the buttermilk.

Then stir in your cold buttermilk. If you’re out of buttermilk, you make your own buttermilk at home easily with just a couple ingredients. However, I will say homemade buttermilk will not produce the same kind of results as using store-bought but can be substitute in a pinch and results will come close.

Step 4: Pat out 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.

I do not use a rolling pin for this step. I simply bring my dough together with my hands, and then I press the dough together and flatten. I fold the dough in half and repeat this patting down of the dough and folding a few more times to create a smooth, cohesive dough.

Step 4: Cut out the biscuits.

After you have kneaded the dough together a few times then pat the dough into a 1/2-inch thick circle. 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 can also simply use a sharp knife and the dough into square biscuits.

You want to dip the cutter into flour, and then press down but don’t twist the cutter.

Step 5: Bake the biscuits.

I placed these biscuits on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. I got about 8-10 biscuits every time I made these. I like mine a bit thicker so I tended to get about 8. And brushed these with a bit of buttermilk on top. As an extra added step I recommend – I like to pop my biscuits in the freezer for about 10 minutes (or you can place then in your fridge for 15-20 minutes) to help firm up the butter before baking them.

These bake in a 450^oF for 13-15 minutes until golden brown on top.

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