Quick and easy Buttermilk Biscuits – The most tender and buttery biscuits full of flakey layers! You’ll just need 1 bowl, 6 ingredients and 30 minutes!
Buttermilk biscuits are one of those recipes that are a staple in my kitchen! They’re great for those quick weekend bakes. And with the busy holidays coming up, they are perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Ingredients for Buttermilk Biscuits
- All-Purpose Flour – I wanted to make these biscuits simple and easy, so we are using all-purpose flour.
- Baking Powder – Make sure to use aluminum-free baking powder. We are using a lot of baking powder as it’s needed to help the biscuits rise and to make them light.
- Sugar – We are using a bit of sugar to help the biscuits brown.
- Salt – Salt flavors the biscuit.
- Unsalted Butter – Butter adds flavor and richness.
- Buttermilk – I used low-fat 2% buttermilk. Buttermilk makes these biscuits light and soft.
Instructions for Buttermilk Biscuits
Step 1 – In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, white sugar and salt.
Step 2 – Add your cold butter. You can either grate your butter (using the largest hole of your grater) OR cut into small cubes and add to your flour mixture.
Step 3 – If you choose to grate the butter, move on to the next step. If you choose to add cubed butter to the flour, you can break the butter into pea size pieces with your hands, a pastry cutter, or a fork. Alternatively, you can use a food processor. Once you finish pulsing the butter into pea sized pieces, transfer to a large bowl and continue with the next step.
Optional Step – After cutting the butter into the flour, you can place the whole bowl into the freezer for 10 minutes for the butter to firm up.
Step 4 – Make a well in the center and pour in your cold buttermilk.
Step 5 – Combine with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a shaggy dough forms and can easily hold together. If it’s still dry, you can add a bit more buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time. Some dry pieces are okay as they will eventually become hydrated in the next step.
Step 6 – Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently bring the dough together and pat the dough into a square.
Step 7 – With a rolling pin, gently roll your dough out. To create those beautiful layers, we’ll need to laminate the dough.
Laminate the dough by folding the dough over in thirds. Using a bench scraper, fold a third of the dough onto itself and then fold the other third of the dough on top. See photos below. Gently roll the dough out to combine and flatten the layers. Repeat an additional 3 more times. The dough will likely become sticky throughout this process, so don’t be afraid to add a bit of flour.
Step 8 – Once you are done laminating the dough, roll the dough out to 1-inch (2.5 cm) thickness. Using a 2.5 inch biscuit cutter, cut the biscuits straight down. Do not twist the cutter. Gather the scapes and cut out more biscuits. Please keep in mind that these will not be as pretty, but they will still taste great!
Step 9 – Transfer the biscuits to a buttered cast iron pan (10 or 12-inch pan) or a lined baking sheet. You can place them fairly close, this will help them bake taller and straighter. Brush the tops with buttermilk or an egg wash and bake at 425ºF (218ºC) for 16 to 20 minutes!
Serve immediately with butter, jam or honey! Enjoy!
Tips for Buttermilk Biscuits
- Do not overwork the dough. Overworking will activate the gluten in the flour and cause the biscuits to be gummy and tough.
- Don’t skip laminating the dough. It’s the key to creating all those layers. Laminating is a baking technique in which you fold dough over and onto itself several times to create layers.
- Optional Step – After cutting the butter into the flour, you can place the whole bowl into the freezer for 10 minutes for the butter to firm up.
- If you are using the technique of grating the butter into your dough, I recommend popping the sticks butter into the freezer for about 5 to 7 minutes minutes to harden. It will make it easier to grate.
- When cutting the biscuits, do not twist the cutter. Just cut straight down. We want these biscuits to be nice and tall.
- I recommend baking them in a cast iron pan. I love the crispy, golden brown crust on the bottom of the biscuit. If you do not have a cast iron pan, no worries, it will taste delicious on a regular baking pan too!
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Recipe
Buttermilk Biscuits
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 9 Biscuits 1x
Description
Quick and easy Buttermilk Biscuits – The most tender and buttery biscuits full of flakey layers! You’ll just need 1 bowl, 6 ingredients and 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 3 Cups (360 g) All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Tbsp Baking Powder
- 1 Tbsp White Sugar
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon Salt
- 10 Tbsp (141 g) Unsalted Butter, cold
- 1 ¼ Cup (283 g) Buttermilk (I used 2%), cold
Instructions
- Adjust a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 425ºF (218ºC).
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, white sugar and salt.
- Add your cold butter. You can either grate your butter (using the largest hole of your grater) OR cut into small cubes and add to your flour mixture. If you choose to grate the butter, move on to the next step. If you choose to add cubed butter to the flour, you can break the butter into pea size pieces with your hands, a pastry cutter, or a fork. Alternatively, you can use a food processor. Once you are done pulsing the butter into the flour, transfer to a large bowl and continue with the next step.
- Make a well in the center and pour in your cold buttermilk. Combine with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a shaggy dough forms and can easily hold together. If it’s still dry, you can add a bit more buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time. Some dry pieces are okay as they will eventually become hydrated in the next step.
- Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently bring the dough together and pat the dough into a square. With a rolling pin, gently roll your dough out. To create those beautiful layers, we’ll need to laminate the dough. Laminate the dough by folding the dough over and onto itself. Using a bench scraper, fold a third of the dough onto itself and then fold the other third of the dough on top. Please reference the photos in the body of the post. Gently roll the dough out to combine and flatten the layers. Repeat an additional 3 more times. The dough will likely become sticky throughout this process, so don’t be afraid to add a bit of flour.
- Once you are done laminating the dough, roll the dough out to 1-inch (2.5 cm) thickness. Using a 2.5 inch biscuit cutter, cut the biscuits straight down. Do not twist the cutter. Gather the scapes and cut out more biscuits. Please keep in mind that these will not be as pretty, but they will still taste great!
- Transfer the biscuits to a buttered cast iron pan (10 or 12-inch pan) or lined a baking sheet. You can place them fairly close, this will help them bake taller and straighter. Brush the tops with buttermilk or an egg wash and bake for 16 to 20 minutes!
Notes
- Biscuits are best eaten right away. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or 4 days in the fridge.
- Reheat biscuits in a toaster oven.
- Depending on the size of your cutter, you can end up with less or more biscuits. You’ll have to adjust the cooking time.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 16 to 20 minutes
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