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Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
12 mins
Total Time
37 mins
 

My favorite Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe is made with only 6 ingredients. It’s a very classic homemade biscuit recipe with flaky, buttery layers and a melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Course: Bread
Cuisine: American
Keyword: buttermilk biscuits
Servings: 6 biscuits
Author: Michelle
Ingredients
  • 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold & cubed (you can use salted butter and omit the salt in this recipe)
  • 3/4 cup + 1/4 cup buttermilk, divided (you can substitute regular milk or half & half)*
  • 1 Tbsp honey or sugar (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. In a medium-large bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt together.
  3. With a pastry cutter or fork, work the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture is crumbly (and resembles coarse crumbs).
  4. Whisk honey or sugar into the 3/4 cup of buttermilk. Drizzle half of the buttermilk into the flour mixture, and gently mix until the liquid is absorbed. Drizzle the rest of the 3/4 cup buttermilk into the mixture, and mix until combined.
  5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough 3-4 times, or until the dough has just come together. (If the dough is really sticky, add in a little more flour, 1 Tbsp at a time.)
  6. Flatten into a small rectangle, about 1” in thickness.
  7. Fold the left side of the dough over to the center, then fold the right side of the dough on top (see pictures in post for visual detail).
  8. Rotate the dough 90 degrees. Gently flatten the dough into a rectangle and repeat folding. Rotate again, and repeat folding 1 more time (this create the buttery, flaky layers).
  9. Gently flatten dough into a rectangle, about 1” in thickness**.
  10. Using a 2” circular biscuit cutter (or a biscuit cutter similar in size), gently cut out biscuits (you will probably get about 3-4 on the first time).
  11. Gently re-work the dough scraps into a rectangle, and repeat cutting out biscuits until you have used most/all of the dough.
  12. Alternatively, you can use a knife to cut biscuits into equal squares.
  13. You can bake biscuits in a cast iron skillet or on a baking sheet (greased or lined with parchment paper). If baking in a cast iron skillet, the biscuits will bake into each other, like cinnamon rolls. If using a baking sheet, space them evenly apart (because the biscuits are so flaky, the tops of the biscuits might be a bit uneven).
  14. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the 1/4 cup of buttermilk.
  15. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until biscuits have risen and are golden brown on top.
Recipe Notes

*If you want to make homemade buttermilk, mix just about 1 cup regular milk with 1 Tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar. Let stand 10-15 minutes, or until milk has thickened/curdled.
**Dough flattened to 1” thickness will yield about 6-7 tall biscuits. Flatten the dough to 1/2” - 3/4” for 9-10 shorter biscuits (they will still be flaky, just shorter!).

 

Recipe adapted from The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook.