flaky buttermilk biscuits

These buttermilk biscuits are as fluffy, tender, and buttery as they come! We keep the process simple and focus on good technique to make flaky biscuits that are deliciously pillowy on the insides and framed by crunchy, buttery bottoms.

The recipe is simple-- throw them together on a lazy weekend morning or freeze the dough and bake to order!

Why I love it:

Growing up, I remember my mom going on a serious hunt for the perfect biscuit recipe. Tender, fluffy McDonald’s biscuits were the gold standard and we could not find a recipe that would hold a candle to those buttery little morsels. I think she finally gave up-- but I haven’t forgotten the intensity of her search. 

A tender, melt-in-your-mouth biscuit is more rare than you’d think.

But a lot of the trick, it turns out, is the technique.

Leave visible chunks of butter in the flour mixture. Keep the butter super cold, and chill it often. Avoid the temptation to keep mixing: stop when it’s craggily and not perfectly uniform. That’s how you get gorgeous flakes and a tender crumb (not developing the chewy gluten). 

I’ll dig into these techniques further in the post.

Just know that perfectly flaky, tender biscuits are possible. Don’t give up. Keep practicing your technique and eating lots of biscuits along the way!

Buttermilk biscuit ingredients:

How to make buttermilk biscuits

1. Whisk together the dry ingredients.
2. Cut in cold butter until it’s pea-sized or smaller.
3. Chill!
4. Stir in buttermilk, mix until it just comes together.
5. Pat into a thick rectangle and cut into 12 biscuits.
6. Chill!
7. Brush with egg wash and bake 22 minutes, until tall and golden brown.

Techniques for the best buttermilk biscuits

• Cold butter: Keep the butter as cold as possible. Don't be afraid to put everything in the freezer for 10 minutes and come back when it's super cold.
  • Cut butter small ½-inch cubes, then chill while you mix the dry ingredients. Cut it into the flour mix and chill in the freezer, as needed, to keep everything cold. 
  • Science tip: Small bits of solid butter in the dough will melt and create pockets of steam in the oven. This steam separates the layers of dough and creates gorgeous flakes.
• Don’t overmix it: Too much kneading develops the gluten and gives chewy, tough biscuits. We want tenderness!
  • Mix the dough until it just comes together and then STOP.
  • Pat it gently (don’t compress) for a light, airy texture. 
• Cutting: Squares are great for biscuits-- they don’t require any re-rolling of scraps, which always give a lesser biscuit.
  • Trim ¼-inch off each edge of the rectangular slab to help every biscuit rise high.
  • If using a cookie cutter, cut straight down and don’t twist, which can seal the edges and prevent a high rise.
• Egg wash: I prefer a full egg, beaten with a splash of water, for brushing the tops of biscuits. It gives a glossy golden crust that is beautiful and delightfully crunchy.
  • You could try cream, milk, or even melted butter, but the color won’t be as rich.
• Hot oven: The high blast of heat (425°F) helps the biscuits rise high and develop a gorgeous golden brown top.
• Every day ingredients: No special flours are needed to make this recipe!
  • You can always go down the rabbit hole of high protein flour for extra flakiness, low protein flour for extra tenderness, self-rising flour for “simplicity”. But I want to keep this recipe cookable!
  • Focus on the technique, and you'll have a great biscuit.

More baked good recipes to try:

cheddar chive biscuits

chai spiced cruffins

lemon sweet buns

soft german lye pretzels

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