Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
These buttermilk biscuits are the perfect simple, southern addition to any cozy breakfast and pair perfectly with sausage and gravy! Easy and quick, they will have you feeling like a true southern cook in no time!
Nothing says a cozy Saturday morning than fresh biscuits in the oven. Growing up, they were usually a weekend tradition or paired with a stew on a chilly night. My MawMaw was known in her rural, farm community as the “Biscuit Queen.” I’m not exaggerating when I say she made biscuits *every single day* of her married life. (My Pawpaw wasn’t one for variety.) Biscuits were expected at breakfast, packed in lunches and there was cornbread for dinners. The community hosted a potluck style dinner often where she of course made multiple batches of biscuits.
10 years ago, my Mawmaw came to live with my family as she began to decline in health. Those years we heard lots of sweet stories, and as her dementia increased, we heard a familiar story over and over: making biscuits. A family friend took the time to sit down and do the math of just how many biscuits she likely made over her lifetime. The grand total, according to the hanging plaque in her room today: 12,500. That’s a LOT of biscuits.
I hope I inherited at least 10% of her biscuit skill.
A few Christmases ago, my mom gifted me with one of my favorite gifts of all time: Mawmaw’s biscuit cutter that she had used all those years. It is one of my favorite things in my kitchen and I always think of her when I make them. Mawmaw worked worked tirelessly to serve and feed her family. They farmed for a living and had zero money, but she maintained such a thankful and kind heart that loved God and served her family with joy.
This recipe below is actually a tweaked version of my mom’s biscuit recipe. Equally as good! Mawmaw’s recipe was made with self-rising flour and mom’s was made with regular all-purpose, which I prefer.
Tips for Making Biscuits Soft and Flaky:
I’ve heard some people are intimidated to try biscuits because they can go wrong easily, so I want to assure you that you can make amazing biscuits! These two tips will keep your biscuits big, soft and flaky:
Tip #1: Work with the dough as LITTLE as possible! The dough will seem slightly shaggy and it will be tempting to over work it. But rest assured, it will be okay! The more you work with the dough, the less they will rise.
Tip #2: Use COLD butter and buttermilk. This will keep the butter from softening. The cold butter helps keep the flaky layers intact.
Okay, and a bonus tip…salty biscuits are the best biscuits! Don’t be shy with the salt.
Ingredients for Southern Buttermilk Biscuits:
- All-purpose flour
- Salted butter
- Buttermilk
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Sugar
- …yes, that’s it!
Helpful tools needed for making biscuits:
In order to cut in the butter to the flour mixture, you will want a pastry cutter. This helps cut the cold butter into little pea-size butter cubes, creating those flaky layers. If you don’t own a pastry cutter, you can also use a food processor. If using a food processor, make sure to pulse the dry ingredients with the butter and *stir in* the buttermilk with a spoon or spatula, NOT using the food processor. (It will make it mushy and the biscuits won’t rise.) A pastry cutter is super cheap at most stores, and I definitely recommend grabbing one. 🙂
How to make Southern Buttermilk Biscuits:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar in a medium size bowl. Mix well with a whisk.
3. Take the cold butter out of the fridge and cut into smaller pieces.
4. Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter in to the flour mixture. Quickly push the pastry cutter from the outside of the bowl into the middle and rotate the bowl as you go. The butter should be pea size when you’re finished.
5. Add the buttermilk and mix in until the dough is just combined. Don’t overmix!
6. Turn the dough out onto a floured counter surface. If the dough is super shaggy, add a few tablespoons of buttermilk until it comes together. (Pour it ontop and lightly work it into the dough) Lightly pat the biscuit dough into a disk shape, until it is about an inch thick. If you have a biscuit cutter, use it! If you don’t, use a floured drinking glass rim to cut the biscuits. It should make 7-8 biscuits, depending on how thick you made them.
7. Arrange the biscuits on the prepared pan and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown ontop.
Enjoy warm with butter!
Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar in a medium size bowl. Mix well with a whisk.
- Take the cold butter out of the fridge and cut into smaller pieces.
- Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter in to the flour mixture. Quickly push the pastry cutter from the outside of the bowl into the middle and rotate the bowl as you go. The butter should be pea size when you’re finished.
- Add the buttermilk and mix in until the dough is just combined. Don’t overmix!
- Turn the dough out onto a floured counter surface. If the dough is super shaggy, add a few tablespoons of buttermilk until it comes together. (Pour it ontop and lightly work it into the dough) Lightly pat the biscuit dough into a disk shape, until it is about an inch thick. If you have a biscuit cutter, use it! If you don’t, use a floured drinking glass rim to cut the biscuits. It should make 7-8 biscuits, depending on how thick you made them.
- Arrange the biscuits on the prepared pan and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown ontop.
- Enjoy warm with butter!
Notes
