Easy Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
Easy Southern buttermilk biscuits with flaky layers. Learn how to make fluffy biscuits at home, perfect for breakfast, dinner, or a crowd
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons cold butter, cubed divided
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons cold buttermilk divided
- 1 tablespoon honey divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease a cast iron skillet (ideal for tall, golden biscuits) or use an 8- or 9-inch cake pan.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Cut in butter: Add 1/2 cup cold cubed butter. Use a pastry cutter, mini food processor or two forks to cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized bits. Cold butter is the secret to those flaky layers in buttermilk biscuits.
- Add buttermilk: Pour in 1 cup of the buttermilk, add 2 teaspoons honey and stir just until the dough comes together. Don’t overmix if you want fluffy biscuits.
- Knead & fold: Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat into a rectangle, fold in half, turn, and repeat at least 3–4 times. This creates those signature layers.
- Cut biscuits: Pat dough to about ¾-inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter or round glass to cut out biscuits. Press straight down.. don’t twist.. or you’ll seal the edges and prevent rising. Reform remaining dough scraps and continue to cut additional biscuits.
- Bake: Arrange biscuits close together in your skillet or pan so they bake up tall and soft.
- Brush: Using a pastry brush or even the back of a spoon, brush the tops evenly with 2 tablespoons of buttermilk.
- Bake: Move to preheated oven and bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. 5 minutes before they are done, remove from oven and brush tops with combination of melted 2 tablespoon of butter mixed with 1 teaspoon of honey. Return to oven to finish baking.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
Tips for Perfect Southern Biscuits
- Keep the butter cold – This is key for flaky layers in buttermilk biscuits. If your butter softens too much, your biscuits will be tender but won’t rise as tall. Pro tip: grate frozen butter straight into the flour for super easy mixing.
- Don’t overmix – When combining your homemade biscuits with buttermilk, stir just until the dough comes together. Overworking develops gluten and makes biscuits tough.
- Fold & pat the dough – Gently folding the dough a few times before cutting builds those signature layers without extra effort. That’s how you get fluffy biscuits at home like a Southern grandma would.
- Use a light touch when cutting – Press your cutter straight down without twisting. Twisting seals the edges and prevents rising.
- Skillet vs. pan – A cast iron skillet biscuits bake gets a perfectly golden, crispy edge. No skillet? Grab an 8–9 inch cake pan,, your biscuits will still be tender and delicious.
- Spacing matters – Place biscuits close together for taller biscuits, or farther apart for slightly crispier edges.
- Preheat the oven fully – Hot ovens = better rise. Always let it reach 450°F before baking.
- Storage & freezing – Store cooled biscuits in an airtight container for 2–3 days. Freeze baked or raw biscuits up to 3 months. Reheat at 350°F for a few minutes, and they taste fresh out of the oven.
- Scaling for a crowd – Double or triple the recipe and bake on sheet pans for homemade biscuits for a crowd. Freeze extra dough or baked biscuits for easy entertaining.
- Optional flavor boosts – Add shredded cheese, herbs, or a sprinkle of garlic powder to the dough for variety. Still counts as your best buttermilk biscuits recipe, just personalized.
- Buttermilk substitutes – No store-bought buttermilk? No problem! Make your own to keep your biscuits tender and tangy (how to make biscuits without buttermilk trick).
- Keep your patience handy – Let biscuits cool a few minutes before serving. Pull apart the layers slowly and enjoy.