Last updated on November 10th, 2021 at 11:41 am
Get ready to butter some biscuits. Some delicious, layered, flaky, homemade buttermilk biscuits.
They are much simpler to make from scratch than you probably think, and taste so much better than pre-made ones from the store. Plus, it is always fun to use cookie cutters to punch out the perfectly round biscuits from the rolled dough.
And you will feel very accomplished having made them yourself. You may even mention the fact that you made biscuits yourself for two days straight to anyone you see (luckily, I mostly am at home so no strangers were scared in the making of these biscuits).
I’ll admit that my usual method when I needed biscuits before learning this recipe was to use a tube of refrigerated dough. It was fast and convenient. And it worked in a pinch. But, in my experience, they don’t cook well and don’t have much flavor. I feel like pre-made ones always end up kind of dry.
Maybe I’m not cooking them right.
Either way, it led me to make my own version of homemade buttermilk biscuits.
Making and Laminating Dough
Similar to my perfect pie crust recipe, one of the main goals of biscuit making is to trap butter within the layers of dough. This should result in flaky goodness as it bakes in the oven. To do this, we use a simplified lamination technique.
And if you don’t know what that means, have no fear. It is simple and I will show you how.
First, make the dough by mixing all dry ingredients in a large bowl (Photo 1). Next add in the cold, cubed butter (Photo 2). Then, using a pastry cutter or knife, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until all pieces of butter are pea-sized or smaller (Photo 3).
Pour the buttermilk into the center of your flour and butter mixture (Photo 4). Then stir it with a wooden or rubber spatula until all of the buttermilk is incorporated and it has formed a kind of shaggy dough (Photo 5).
Once the dough has been brought together, dump it out onto a lightly floured surface. Then dust your hands with some flour and knead the dough for a minute or two until it fully comes together in a ball. Roll the ball flat to about 3/4″ thick with a rolling pin (Photo 1).
Begin the lamination process by folding the sides into the center of the dough (Photo 2) and then rolling it back down to 3/4″ thick. Turn the dough 90 degrees, fold the sides into the center (Photo 3), and then roll it out to 3/4″ thick again. Repeat the process again by turning, folding, and rolling to 3/4″ thick.
This process builds layers into the dough before you bake it.
Now use a round cookie cutter that is 2.5″ to 3″ in diameter to cut the biscuits from the dough (Photo 4). Make sure not to twist the cookie cutter.
You can brush the tops of the biscuits with some buttermilk before baking. Brushing them makes them brown even more on top. In the photo above you can see the difference between brushing or not brushing. It also makes the top a bit crunchier.
So, follow your own preferences. It won’t make a whole lot of difference in the final taste.
Storing Buttermilk Biscuits
The dough for these biscuits can be made ahead and stored for later. The best method that I have found involves freezing the dough.
After rolling the dough out and cutting the biscuits, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Then place that pan in the freezer. This will quickly freeze the individual biscuits.
Once they are frozen, remove the pan from the freezer. Gather all the little biscuit pucks and put them in an airtight freezer bag or container. Keep them airtight in the freezer for up to 6 months.
When you are ready to make the biscuits, take them out of the freezer and lay them on a greased baking sheet to defrost. After they have thawed, bake them as normal for 10 to 15 minutes.
How to Use Your Biscuits
If you don’t already have a plan in mind for your homemade buttermilk biscuits, then look no further. There are a lot of options, including eating them straight out of the oven (after cooling of course).
Here are a few other great ways to enjoy the biscuits:
- A Hot Honey Biscuit Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
- Smothered in sausage gravy
- Covered with melted butter
- Slathered liberally with any flavor of jam
- As the bread for breakfast sandwiches (i.e. sausage egg biscuit)
Basically, take anything breakfast-related and add this biscuit. Or just eat a plain biscuit by peeling off layer by layer and eating it straight.
Your choice.
Flaky Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
Course: Breakfast, SidesDifficulty: Intermediate10
servings30
minutes15
minutes45
minutesHomemade buttermilk biscuits from scratch with the perfect flakiest layered golden-brown biscuits you’ve ever eaten
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
1 and 1/2 cups cold buttermilk
(optional) 2 tablespoons buttermilk for brushing
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C)
- Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar together in a large bowl
- Cube the cold butter, add it to the bowl with the flour mixture, and cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or knife until the butter is pea-sized or smaller
- Pour 1 and 1/2 cups cold buttermilk to the bowl and mix it together with a with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until all of the buttermilk is incorporated and it has formed a shaggy dough
- Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, dust your hands with flour, and knead the dough for a minute or two until it fully comes together in a ball
- Use a rolling pin to roll the ball into a flat rectangle about 3/4″ thick
- Begin the lamination process by folding the sides into the center of the dough and then rolling it back down to 3/4″ thick
- Turn the dough 90 degrees, fold the sides into the center, and then roll it out to 3/4″ thick again
- Repeat the process again by turning, folding, and rolling to 3/4″ thick
- Cut the dough into 2.5 or 3-inch circles by pushing a round cookie cutter down into the dough – note: don’t twist the cookie cutter when pressing the dough, doing so makes it harder for layers to rise
- Gather the dough scraps, re-roll, and cut until all the dough is used – you should have about 10 to 12 biscuits
- Arrange the biscuits on a greased baking sheet with at least half an inch between each biscuit
- If you would like more browned and crunchier tops, brush the top of the biscuits with remaining 2 tablespoons buttermilk
- Bake the biscuits for 10 to 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown
Notes
- Don’t twist the cookie cutter when pressing the dough, doing so makes it harder for layers to rise
- Smaller-cut biscuits will take shorter time to cook, while larger ones may take longer than 15 minutes
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