Buttery Buttermilk Biscuits
Buttermilk biscuits - this is an easy never fail recipe that produces tender, fluffy, "melt in your mouth" biscuits. Perfect for a breakfast sandwich or simply served with butter and honey or jam. They're very versatile and can be easily changed to suit your style. I often toss in cheddar cheese, maybe some bacon, or some spices and herbs to serve with dinner. Give them a try, you won't be sorry!
Buttermilk biscuits - this is an easy never fail recipe that produces tender, fluffy, "melt in your mouth" biscuits. Perfect for a breakfast sandwich or simply served with butter and honey or jam. They're very versatile and can be easily changed to suit your style. I often toss in cheddar cheese, maybe some bacon, or some spices and herbs to serve with dinner. Give them a try, you won't be sorry!
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (preferably an aluminum-free brand like rumford)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 4 ounces unsalted butter (1 stick), very cold, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (up to 4 tablespoons), melted (for brushing tops of biscuits)
- 3/4 cup buttermilk cold
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk (additional if needed, up to 3 tablespoons), cold
- Carbohydrate 443.031300047501 g
- Cholesterol 313.440898669891 mg
- Fat 121.222555370059 g
- Fiber 9.02897413378854 g
- Protein 49.8907772671639 g
- Saturated Fat 74.6542045201295 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Dozen (1140g)
- Sodium 45358.9295196195 mg
- Sugar 434.002325913713 g
- Trans Fat 9.56146030620454 g
- Calories 3010 calories
Step-by-step
- Adjust rack to center position and heat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Sift both flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt together into a mixing bowl or workbowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Using your fingertips, pastry blender, or steel blade of food processor, rub, cut, or process butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some slightly larger lumps of butter. (If using your fingers to rub in the butter, don't let your fingertips touch or the friction will melt the butter.) Make a well in the center and pour in 3/4 cup cold buttermilk. Mix with a spatula or fork until mixture forms a soft, slightly sticky ball (adding additional buttermilk as necessary for dough clumps to form ball). Do not overmix. If using a food processor, add buttermilk and pulse process until dough gathers into moist clumps. Remove and form into a ball.
- Divide dough into 12 equal portions. Working quickly with lightly floured hands, gently bat a portion of dough back and forth between hands until a rough ball begins to form. Cup palms and lightly pat dough ball to flatten slightly, and form into a rough round. Repeat with remaining dough and place formed dough rounds about 1-inch apart on an ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Carefully brush dough tops with 2 tablespoons melted butter. (At this point, biscuits can be loosely covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 hours.) Bake on the center rack of a preheated 450 degree F oven until biscuits are light golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. If desired, brush the hot biscuits with additional melted butter. Serve immediately.
Temperature control is the absolute priority when cutting cold butter into flour, requiring either chilled fingertips or a pastry blender to prevent hand warmth from prematurely melting the fat before the pan hits the 450 degree F oven. Maintaining solid pieces of dairy ensures pockets of steam form during baking, yielding flaky layers instead of dense, heavy pucks. Because commercial baking powders vary in chemical strength, choosing an aluminum-free brand prevents any unpleasant metallic aftertaste from ruining the subtle tang of the cultured milk.
Pairing these baked goods requires balancing their rich, buttery crumb with items that can cut through the fat. Savory breakfast proteins like crisp bacon or country sausage provide a salty crunch that contrasts effectively with the soft interior. Alternatively, serving them alongside a steaming bowl of thick vegetable stew or roasted tomato soup allows the porous crumb to absorb flavorful liquids without disintegrating entirely.
Dough failure usually stems from two distinct missteps: overworking the gluten network during mixing and allowing the butter to soften too much prior to baking. Handling the dough with excessive kneading develops toughness, transforming a light, melt-in-your-mouth quick bread into something resembling a hard roll. Keeping all dairy components refrigerator-cold until the exact moment of incorporation eliminates this common structural defect.
Leftover unbaked portions can be safely refrigerated on a parchment-lined baking sheet for up to two hours before going into the heat. If storing baked items for later consumption, reheating them briefly in a hot oven restores the crisp exterior crust without drying out the delicate interior layers.
