Traditional Buttermilk Biscuits
Great biscuits rely on cold fat and minimal handling. By keeping your butter solid until the moment it hits the hot oven, you ensure distinct, flaky layers rather than a dense, cake-like crumb.
Temperature is your primary ingredient.
If the butter melts before the biscuits reach the oven, you lose the lift. Keep your buttermilk and butter in the fridge until the very last second.
- Large mixing bowl
- Box grater
- Pastry cutter or fork
- Heavy-gauge baking sheet
- Biscuit cutter (or sharp-rimmed glass)
What goes in.
- 2 1/2 cupsall-purpose flour
- 1 tbspbaking powder
- 1/2 tspbaking soda
- 1 tspfine sea salt
- 1/2 cupcold unsalted butter, frozen for 15 minutes
- 1 cupfull-fat buttermilk, chilled
Stacking for lift
Instead of kneading the dough like bread, pat it out and fold it over onto itself three times. This creates the internal architecture needed for the biscuits to split open cleanly.
The method.
Whisk dry ingredients
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in your bowl. Whisk thoroughly to distribute the leavening agents evenly.
Incorporate butter
Grate the cold butter into the flour using the large holes of a box grater. Use your fingers to toss the shreds into the flour until coated, ensuring no large clumps remain.
Hydrate the dough
Pour in the buttermilk. Use a wooden spoon to stir just until the mixture looks like a shaggy, wet mess. Do not overwork.
Fold and cut
Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Pat into a rectangle, fold it into thirds like a letter, and repeat twice. Press to 1-inch thickness and cut straight down with the cutter—no twisting.
Bake
Place biscuits on the tray so they are touching slightly. Bake at 425°F until the tops are golden brown and the biscuits have risen tall.
Other turns to take.
Sharp Cheddar and Chive
Fold in 1/2 cup of grated sharp cheddar and 2 tablespoons of minced chives during the final fold.
Black Pepper
Add 1 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper to the flour mixture for a sharper profile.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Freeze your butter for at least 15 minutes before grating to keep the shreds distinct.
When using the cutter, press straight down and pull straight up. Twisting seals the edges and prevents the biscuit from rising high.
Placing the biscuits so their sides touch forces them to climb upward rather than spreading outward.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use regular milk instead of buttermilk?
Buttermilk provides the necessary acidity to react with the baking soda for a proper rise. If you must substitute, add a teaspoon of lemon juice to regular milk and let it sit for ten minutes.
Why are my biscuits tough?
This happens when the dough is handled too much. The goal is to bring the ingredients together, not to develop gluten.
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