Name: Buttermilk Biscuits
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 2 cups All-purpose flour; 1 ½ tsp Baking powder; ½ tsp Baking soda; ½ tsp Salt; 1 tbsp Sugar; 6 tbsp Butter ((3 oz) unsalted, chilled, cubed); 3/4 cup Buttermilk

Recipe Video Print

These buttermilk biscuits are buttery, flaky, and soft with lots of wonderful layers. Perfect with butter and jam as well as with soups and stews. The recipe is simple and easy with 15 minutes of prep time and 15 minutes of baking time.

Homemade biscuits on a wooden board — Homemade Biscuits made with Buttermilk

Winter is coming, so it time to get those comfort food recipes out. Warm soups, bubbling stews, and slow-cooked meals are huge in our home. You know what goes best with soups, stews, and slow-cooked comfort foods? Biscuits and scones.

About these biscuits

If you've never made biscuits before you will be surprised how simple and easy they are to make. It is my go to recipe when I have no bread at home. And a must when we serve stews or soups in winter.

Chilled butter and a coarse breadcrumb consistency is the secret to making butter flaky biscuits. Also, I always prefer to make small batches like this by hands, using a pastry blender. But, you can also use a food processor. And, if you do use a food processor, make sure to pulse it in short bursts. This will ensure you have coarse breadcrumb consistency of small and large butter pieces, which gives us that buttery flaky biscuit.

However, unlike my classic homemade biscuits, in this one, I did not add any egg. The buttermilk alone adds so much flavor you don't need anything else.

A cut Biscuit with butter on a white plate — Homemade Biscuits made with Buttermilk

Ingredients and substitutes

Flour - Although we add baking powder to the flour, it is better to use all-purpose flour, not self-raising flour.
Baking powder - It is important to use more baking powder and less baking soda. Since too much soda will give a dry aftertaste when eating. You can read more about baking powder vs baking soda.
Butter - I prefer unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt. And, if salted butter is all you have, use it and omit salt in the recipe.
Egg - Biscuits don't usually have eggs. But, I highly recommend an egg in this one. Having said that, you can omit the egg and use a little more milk instead.
Sugar - Adds a mild sweetness to the biscuits. You can omit the sugar, and can also use 1 tbsp honey or agave syrup.

A stack on biscuits on a wooden plate — Homemade Biscuits made with Buttermilk

Step by step instructions

Preheat the oven at 420 F / 220 C.
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
Then, add the chilled, cubed butter.
Tip - It is very important that the butter is chilled thoroughly. If necessary, place the butter in the freeze for 10 minutes.
Using a pastry blender or fork, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse bread crumb consistency.
Tip - You can also grate the butter with a box grater. Alternatively, you can also use a food processor. Use short pulses and don't do too much in the processor. Finish it on the countertop.
Then, add the buttermilk and combine well with a spoon or spatula. The mixture will still appear dry and crumbly and that's ok.

Cut the butter into the flour with pastry blender

Add the buttermilk to the dry ingredients

Bring the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly floured surface.
Using a rolling pin, lightly roll the dough. Fold the dough onto itself bringing the two sides over the center, then the top and bottom sides into the middle as well (see video). Do this once more or twice more to create more folds.
Then, roll the dough again to about a ½ to ¾-inch thickness and using a 3-inch cookie cutter cut about 6 to 8 biscuits.
Place the biscuits on a parchment or silicone-lined baking tray. Brush the tops of each biscuit with milk.

Roll the biscuit dough to about ¼ inch thick

Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes until the top is lightly golden. The thicker ones may take up to 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven, cool on the tray for 5 minutes.
Serve warm, immediately.

Also, these baked biscuits can be frozen for up to 3 months if well wrapped in freeze safe bags. Thaw in the fridge (not counter) for best results.
And, the biscuit dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days.
The dough can also be frozen for up to 3 months as well. Prepare the dough as above. Shape into a disc, then wrap well in plastic wrap.