Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits

Closeup on a skillet of buttery biscuits.

4.80 from 10 votes

Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits

Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits are perfectly flaky on the outside, and soft and fluffy in the inside. These make the BEST snack or side, with a few pats of butter and a drizzle of honey!

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword buttermilk biscuits, old fashioned buttermilk biscuits

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Total Time 33

Servings biscuits

Calories 276kcal

Author Sue Ringsdorf

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (300 grams)
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup COLD unsalted butter (frozen preferred) - shredded
1 cup COLD buttermilk (225 grams)

Instructions

Use a box grater to grate some frozen butter. Keep in your refrigerator until ready to use.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare a skillet with oil.
Using a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Mix well.
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (300 grams), 2 Tablespoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
Add the frozen butter to the dry ingredients and press with your fingers.
1/2 cup COLD unsalted butter (frozen preferred)
Create a well in the middle of the bowl, and add the buttermilk. Stir until the mixture becomes a ball. You will have to eventually use your hands to get the dough to stick together. If it's still not forming a ball, add a little bit more buttermilk.
1 cup COLD buttermilk (225 grams)
On a well-floured surface, place the dough, and flatten into a rectangle with your hands, about 3/4 inch thick. Fold one side in and then the other, like an envelope, and flatten again. Repeat at least one more time. This process ensures a tall, flaky biscuit.
Form a square (or desired shape) that is approximately 3/4 of an inch. Slice into 9 even pieces, and place in skillet. Spray tops with baking spray.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until top becomes slightly golden.
Remove, slather with butter and honey, and EAT!

Notes

Tips for making epic biscuits.

Frozen butter. Make sure you chop up your frozen butter, and return to the freezer. Remove only when you are ready to add it to the flour mixture.
COLD buttermilk. Leave your buttermilk in the refrigerator until you need it.
Just the right amount of liquid. When you add the buttermilk, don't over pour. In fact, add slightly less than the recipe calls for, and add as you need. You will know that you've got enough buttermilk when the dough stays mostly in tact.
Folding the dough. I decided to try folding the dough, and the result was a taller, flakier biscuit. See instructions for more info.
Don't overwork the dough. Handling the dough too much will cause the butter to warm up, and those lovely air pockets won't form inside the biscuit. I use a pastry cutter to work the butter in.
HOT oven. Bake your biscuits at 450 degrees to get them nice and golden on top, while maintaining a soft interior.

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