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As a Southern American baker, I’ve been making buttermilk biscuits since I could measure flour. They key to a fluffy, buttey, buttermilk biscuit is all in the way you mix and layer the dough. Using just 6 ingredients and a little effort, you’ll be able to master southern fluffy buttermilk biscuits in an hour.
Key Ingredients & Test Notes
- All-Purpose Flour: Standard all-purpose flour (around 10–11% protein) creates tender biscuits with enough structure to rise tall without becoming tough. You can also use the Southern White Lily Flour, which creates the best biscuit texture in my personal opinion.
- Test Note: Extra flour is helpful for dusting, but avoid adding too much to the dough itself.
- Baking Powder: A generous amount of baking powder gives these biscuits their signature lift. Make sure it’s fresh as expired baking powder will result in flat, dense biscuits.
- Cold Unsalted Butter: Very cold butter is essential. Small cubes worked into the flour create steam pockets as they bake, producing flaky layers and a light crumb.
- Cold Buttermilk: Buttermilk adds tangy flavor and activates the baking powder while keeping the biscuits moist. Keeping it cold helps prevent the butter from melting too soon.
- Sugar & Salt: Just a touch of sugar balances the tang of the buttermilk without making the biscuits sweet, while fine sea salt enhances flavor throughout the dough.
- Melted Butter (Topping): Brushing melted butter before and after baking adds richness and keeps the biscuit tops soft and glossy.
Helpful Tips
- Cold Ingredients Matter: Biscuits rise best when the butter stays solid until it hits the oven. Chilling the shaped biscuits for 15 minutes before baking noticeably improves height and flakiness.
- Butter Size = Texture Control: Working the butter into pea sized pieces creates flaky layers, while smaller crumbs help tenderize the crumb. A mix of both gives the best texture.
- Don’t Overwork the Dough: Stir just until the dough comes together. Overmixing develops gluten and leads to tough biscuits.
- Laminating for Layers: Folding and stacking the dough twice (the cut-and-stack method) creates distinct layers without the need for rolling or complicated techniques.
- Square vs. Round Biscuits: Cutting square biscuits prevents waste and encourages even rise. If using a round cutter, press straight down, twisting seals the edges and limits rise.
- Bake Hot: A hot oven (425°F/220°C) ensures quick steam formation for maximum lift and golden edges without drying out the centers.
Serving
Growing up in North Carolina, weekend breakfasts always consisted of southern style buttermilk biscuits with a bit of honey. Some of my favorite toppings are fruit jam, molasses with butter, sausage milk gravy, or scrambled eggs and bacon.
Storage & Leftovers
Place biscuits in an air tight container or wrap in aluminum foil to prevent drying out. Store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
FAQs
What can you substitute for buttermilk in biscuits?
If you don’t have buttermilk on hand you can either make a buttermilk substitute or use greek yogurt for a 1:1 swap. Make 1 cup of buttermilk by stirring together 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
Can buttermilk biscuits be frozen?
To freeze baked buttermilk biscuits, wrap them individually in plastic freezer wrap and once again in aluminum foil to prevent drying our. Freeze for up to 3 months.
★★★★★ Please leave a star rating and review below if you make this recipe! THANK YOU!!
Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits
Easy fluffy buttermilk biscuits made with all purpose flour, butter, and buttermilk for delicious southern style biscuits.
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Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 314 grams (2 ½ cups) all purpose flour, 10-11% protein, *more for dusting
- 30 grams (2 tablespoons) baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 113 grams (½ cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 255 grams (1.04 cups) cold buttermilk, (1 cup + 1 tablespoon) *plus more as needed
Topping
- melted butter, *for brushing before and after baking
Instructions
- Line a rim baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.314 grams all purpose flour, 30 grams baking powder, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- Add the butter and work it into the flour using a pastry grinder or with your fingertips. The mixture should begin to thicken as butter is incorporated and look like a thick cornmeal with a few pea sized butter chunks.113 grams cold unsalted butter
- Pour in the buttermilk, stir and press with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to form a shaggy dough. If the dough is too wet, add a little flour and shape into ball with your hands. Or if the dough is not coming together, add 1 teaspoon of buttermilk at at time until you reach desired consistency. The dough should be tacky but neither sticky or dry.255 grams cold buttermilk
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and gently shape into a rectangle that is about 3/4-inch in thickness.
- Cut the dough into thirds. Stack the pieces on top of one another. With your hands or very with gently a rolling pin, flatten the stack out into a rectangle of 3/4-inch thickness.
- Repeat by cutting the dough into thirds again. Stack the pieces on top of one another. With your hands or very with gently a rolling pin, flatten the stack out into a rectangle of 1-inch thickness.
- Cut the rectangle in half lengthwise with a sharp knife, and then cut it into thirds. This should give you six large square biscuits. *Or use a 3-4 inch round shaped biscuit cutter to cut round biscuits.
- Place biscuits on the prepared baking sheet spaced 2 inches apart. Freeze biscuits for 15 minutes while the oven is pre-heating. Cold dough gives a better rise in the oven.
- Preheat oven to 425℉ / 220℃ / 200℃ Fan (convection).
- Bake the biscuits for 15 to 17 minutes, until they are fluffy and golden brown on the edges.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and place it on a wire rack. Brush the top of each biscuit with melted butter and serve warm.melted butter
Notes
Ingredients Used:
Substitutions:
- Flour: Gold Medal All Purpose Flour 10.5-11% protein OR White Lily Flour 9% protein
- Butter: American style unsalted butter 80% butterfat OR European style unsalted butter 82% butterfat
Substitutions:
- Salted Butter: If using salted butter, omit the added salt in the recipe.
- Buttermilk: Use equal parts sour cream or greek yogurt to replace the buttermilk.
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An amazing recipe! Thank you! SO flavorful!
Hi Marianne! Thanks for trying them and leaving feedback! Buttery biscuits are the best 🙂
Looks delicious! Hoping to make these tomorrow. Just to clarify – 113gr butter is 1/2 cup. So which is it? 1 cup or just 1/2 cup of butter?
Thank you! Love your recipes.
Hi! Thank you! Yes, 113 grams is 1/2 cup of butter.
Hi Betty, This recipe uses buttermilk in place of cream, but if you need to make some, simply add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a measuring cup and then fill to 1 cup using milk or cream. These biscuits would be great with gravy!
Hey Jenn, I know you are now in France, and I am also. I am a retired baker and chef. What flour do you use to make biscuits here? My first ones came out heavy and sandy. Do believe it was the flour I used. Not to brag, but I am a master biscuit maker, and this was a first for me! Appreciate your help.
Ciao
Hi Sara, I would recommend using a quality T55 flour like Francine or a local mill. It is a softer wheat flour with about 10.5% protein, similar to Gold Medal Flour or White Lily in the States. I’m not sure about a sandy texture, I’ve made these for years and they’ve always been soft and fluffy. Hope that helps.
Also my baking ingredients gives details on what I use as well.
Can I use self rising flour instead of all-purpose?
just one question, in the measurements using US it’s says for milk to use 1.04 cups ? should I use one cup only?
Hi Ellen, I make most recipes by weighing in grams to be exact. For cup measurements this would be 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon.