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    Pink Owl Kitchen » southern recipes » Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

    Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

    Published: Sep 30, 2022 · Modified: Feb 7, 2023 by Ashley Boyd · This post may contain affiliate links

    JUMP TO RECIPE

    These scratch-made Southern Buttermilk Biscuits are extra buttery with lots of flaky layers. These biscuits are super soft and fluffy on the inside with perfect crispy bottoms. Serve these biscuits with a drizzle of maple syrup, honey, or a smear of jam for a true southern treat!

    You can't beat a good homemade biscuit in the South and we serve 'em with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There are plenty of homemade biscuit recipes out there, but these buttery, flaky buttermilk biscuits have been perfected in my kitchen over the years and are a true masterpiece!

    For more classic southern recipes, check out our Soul Food Candied Yams, and Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes next!

    southern buttermilk biscuits stacked on a brown plate.

    Ingredients You Need To Make This Recipe

    • All-purpose flour. Use good-quality all-purpose flour for the best biscuits.
    • Baking powder and baking soda. To make the biscuits rise.
    • Salt. For added flavor.
    • Granulated sugar. To add a hint of sweetness and a more tender texture. Sugar inhibits gluten formation, helping these biscuits turn out extra fluffy and tender.
    • Unsalted butter. To add flakiness and flavor to the biscuits.
    • Buttermilk. For tenderness and subtle tanginess.
    • Heavy cream or melted butter. For brushing the biscuit tops before they go in the oven.
    southern buttermilk biscuits stacked on a tray.

    How To Make This Recipe

    • Preheat your oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. Cut the butter into cubes and place it in the freezer for about 5 minutes.
    • Add the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and baking soda to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the cold butter to the bowl, toss it to coat it in flour, and smush the pieces of butter between your thumb and index fingers using both hands. The butter should resemble coarse crumbs. Some large chunks are perfectly fine!
    • Pour 1 cup of buttermilk into the bowl with the flour and use a wooden spoon to mix the dough until all the flour is moistened. Go in with your hands to get a feel for the moisture level of the dough. If the dough is too dry to hold together, add up to ¼ cup more buttermilk until the dough is slightly sticky but not wet. If the dough is a little crumbly but you can push it around the bowl to gather the rest of the crumbs into a ball, this is perfect!
    • Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Fold the top third of the rectangle over itself then the bottom third. Rotate the dough 90 degrees, pat it back into a 1-inch thick rectangle, and repeat this process two more times. This is how you create flaky layers in your biscuits.
    • Use a 2 ¾-inch biscuit cutter to cut out 6 biscuits. Reshape the scraps and cut out 2 more biscuits.
    • Place the biscuits closely together on the baking sheet and brush the tops with heavy cream or melted butter. Bake the biscuits for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve buttermilk biscuits warm.
    Step by step images for making southern buttermilk biscuits.

    Variations and Substitutions

    • Whole milk or half-and-half can be used in place of buttermilk. However, I highly recommend buttermilk for the most tender biscuits.
    • Many people make biscuits with shortening or lard instead of butter. Both will give you a delicious biscuit and my daddy made both versions regularly growing up. However, I just love the flavor of butter in my biscuits!
    • This biscuit recipe can serve as a base for all kinds of delicious variations. Try adding some of the following fun ingredients to your biscuits:
      • Freshly grated cheese such as cheddar, parmesan, or gouda
      • Fresh or dried herbs
      • Fresh fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, or apples
      • Sun-dried tomatoes
      • Pureed sweet potatoes
      • Canned pumpkin
      • Warm spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves
    Southern buttermilk biscuits in a baking tray.

    How To Make the Fluffiest Biscuits

    • Measure your flour properly! Use a kitchen scale to weigh your flour or fluff the flour in the bag, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level it off with a knife. Too much flour in the dough can result in dense, dry biscuits. This is the kitchen scale I use - it's very inexpensive and I use it ALL the time!
    • Make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh. Leavening agents that are over six months old lose their effectiveness and can cause your biscuits to turn out dense.
    • Use very cold butter! Cold butter releases steam as it melts in the oven, creating air pockets and resulting in extra fluffy biscuits.
    • Use cold buttermilk. Buttermilk helps the biscuits bake up extra tender and fluffy.
    • Do not overwork the dough. Only mix the dough until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing can activate the gluten in the flour and result in tough biscuits.
    • Do not twist the biscuit cutter when cutting out the biscuits. This can seal the edges and prevent the biscuits from rising tall.
    Southern buttermilk biscuits stacked on a brown plate.

    What Is the Best Flour For Homemade Biscuits?

    All-purpose flour works best for biscuits. It typically has 10-12% protein which is perfect for making flaky, fluffy biscuits.

    Bread flour has 13-16% protein which is perfect for developing gluten and creating stretch and structure in doughs that need to rise. This is too much protein for the texture you want in fluffy biscuits.

    Cake flour has the lowest amount of protein at 7-8% and is perfect for delicate cakes with a fine crumb. Cake flour can be combined with all-purpose flour to make tender, fluffy biscuits but I do not recommend using it on its own.

    southern buttermilk biscuits stacked on a brown plate.

    Do Biscuits Need To Rise Before Baking?

    Biscuits are a type of quick bread and do not need any rise time before baking. They get their fluffy texture from how the fat is distributed in the dough.

    Make-Ahead and Storing Instructions

    This biscuit dough can be prepared a day ahead of time, shaped into a disc, wrapped in plastic wrap, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to bake. You can also cut the biscuits out, wrap them in the pan, and store them in the refrigerator until ready to bake.

    Leftover homemade biscuits can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for two days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.

    southern buttermilk biscuits stacked on a tray.

    Recommended Tools For This Recipe

    • Mixing bowls
    • Biscuit cutter
    • Pastry brush
    • Sheet pan
    Southern buttermilk biscuits in a baking tray.

    What To Serve With Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

    Now, this is the fun part! As I mentioned, we eat buttermilk biscuits with breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the South, so serving a warm biscuit with just about anything is perfectly acceptable!

    Try serving buttermilk biscuits with some of these tasty southern recipes:

    • Southern Salmon Croquettes
    • Cajun Shrimp and Grits
    • Cajun Jambalaya Pasta
    • Southern Smothered Chicken
    • Southern Green Beans
    • Southern Collard Greens
    • Sausage Gravy
    • Cajun Crawfish Etouffee
    Southern buttermilk biscuits stacked on a plate with honey dripping over the top.

    More Southern Recipes You Will Love!

    • Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes
    • New Orleans King Cake
    • Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits
    • Buttermilk Cornbread Muffins
    • Southern Fried Green Tomatoes
    • Classic Southern Buttermilk Cornbread

    📖 Recipe

    Southern buttermilk biscuits stacked on a plate with honey dripping over the top.

    Perfect Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

    Ashley
    These scratch-made Southern Buttermilk Biscuits are extra buttery with lots of flaky layers. These biscuits are super soft and fluffy on the inside with perfect crispy bottoms. Serve these biscuits with a drizzle of maple syrup, honey, or a smear of jam for a true southern treat!
    4.42 from 12 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Bread, Breakfast, Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Servings 8 biscuits
    Calories 317 kcal

    Equipment

    • Biscuit cutter
    • Baking sheet
    • Mixing bowls
    • Pastry brush

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
    • 4 teaspoons baking powder
    • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter very cold, cut into cubes
    • 1 - 1 ¼ cups buttermilk make sure the buttermilk is cold, whole or low-fat works
    • Heavy cream or melted butter for brushing the tops

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat your oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. Cut the butter into cubes and place it in the freezer for about 5 minutes.
    • Add the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and baking soda to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the cold butter to the bowl, toss it to coat it in flour, and smush the pieces of butter between your thumb and index fingers using both hands. The butter should resemble coarse crumbs. Some large chunks remaining are perfectly fine!
    • Pour 1 cup of buttermilk into the bowl with the flour and use a wooden spoon to mix the dough until all the flour is moistened. Go in with your hands to get a feel for the moisture level of the dough. If the dough is too dry to hold together, add up to ¼ cup more buttermilk until the dough is slightly sticky but not wet. If the dough is a little crumbly but you can push it around the bowl to gather the rest of the crumbs into a ball, this is perfect!
    • Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Fold the top third of the rectangle over itself then the bottom third. Rotate the dough 90 degrees, pat it back into a 1-inch thick rectangle, and repeat this process two more times. This is how you create flaky layers in your biscuits.
    • Use a 2 ¾-inch biscuit cutter to cut out 6 biscuits. Reshape the scraps and cut out 2 more biscuits.
    • Place the biscuits closely together on the baking sheet and brush the tops with heavy cream or melted butter. Bake the biscuits for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve buttermilk biscuits warm.

    Notes

    • Measure your flour properly! Use a kitchen scale to weigh your flour or fluff the flour in the bag, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level it off with a knife. Too much flour in the dough can result in dense, dry biscuits.
    • Use very cold butter! Cold butter releases steam as it melts in the oven, creating air pockets and resulting in extra fluffy biscuits.
    • Do not overwork the dough. Only mix the dough until all the flour is moistened. Overmixing the dough will result in tough biscuits.
    • Leftover homemade biscuits can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for two days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1biscuitCalories: 317kcalCarbohydrates: 26.8gProtein: 4.4gFat: 14.3gSaturated Fat: 8.6gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 351mgPotassium: 322mgFiber: 0.9gSugar: 3.4gCalcium: 157mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword buttermilk biscuits, homemade biscuits, southern biscuits, southern buttermilk biscuits
    Tried this recipe?Tag @thepinkowlkitchen on Instagram! And don't forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and review!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rebecca F

      October 09, 2022 at 2:34 pm

      5 stars
      The only thing I changed was a oat milk/apple cider vinegar buttermilk because I don’t drink regular milk and I had a great result! I also made mine pumpkin shaped for the fall and I’m very pleased with this super quick and easy recipe.

      Reply
      • Ashley Boyd

        October 10, 2022 at 12:08 pm

        I’d so happy you enjoyed the biscuit recipe Rebecca! I love the idea of making them pumpkin shaped. Thank you for trying the recipe.

        Reply

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    Hi! I'm Ashley.

    I am a new mom, wife, and creator of all you see here at Pink Owl Kitchen. All of our recipes are influenced by my southern upbringing and are made with fresh, seasonal ingredients to encourage families to come together around the dinner table more!

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