May 20, 2018

Buttermilk Biscuits

These Buttermilk Biscuits are buttery, flaky, and all around delicious. They’re perfect for breakfast sandwiches, as a side for spaghetti, or just an afternoon snack!

Biscuit Philosophy

I grew up in the south, so I take my biscuits seriously. I firmly believe that biscuits should be made with buttermilk, they should be buttery and fluffy, they should never be able to be accused of being bland, and it is appropriate to eat them with any meal.

Family Recipes

My family has a great biscuit recipe that has been passed down several generations, but it uses shortening as opposed to butter. In the shortening versus butter biscuit debate, I lay somewhere in the middle, but err a bit on the side of butter.

For this recipe, I have used my family recipe, but subbed butter for a good amount of the shortening. By using both, you get the the best of both worlds; you get the lovely taste of butter, but still have some crumble from the shortening.

Buttermilk Biscuits

The trick to fabulous buttermilk biscuits is: the less you handle the dough, the better. Seriously, it’s that simple. When I first started making buttermilk biscuits, I liked to use a wooden rolling pin because I thought I looked like I was someone who belonged on a biscuit cooking show and someone who generally owned the kitchen.

Well let me tell you, if you want to own the kitchen with buttermilk biscuits, put that rolling pin away, grab your food processor with the dough attachment, and wear gloves (the gloves help keep the dough from warming in your hands).

And, use White Lily flour. I personally have my mom bring it to me from South Carolina, but you can get it on Amazon or WalMart.com if you can’t find it locally. If those aren’t options for you, King Arthur is a good second. But please, don’t use store brand flour.

Buttermilk Biscuits

These buttermilk biscuits are buttery, flaky, and all around delicious. They’re perfect for breakfast sandwiches, with jam & honey, as a side for spaghetti, or just an afternoon snack.

5 from 2 votes

Course: Side Dish

Servings: biscuits

Calories: 174

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Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour I highly recommend White Lily, or if this isn’t available where you live, King Arthur is a good second
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons shortening
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup buttermilk If you don't have buttermilk you may substitute 1 tbsp of regular milk for 1 tbsp white vinegar, stir well, and let it sit for 5 minutes.
~1 tablespoons melted butter for topping biscuits

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
Using a food processor with dough attachment, or a pastry cutter, cut butter and shortening into flour mixture. If you’re using a food processor, using pulse about 3 times should be enough. If you’re using a pastry cutter, do it just until it starts to look like very coarse crumbs.
Pour buttermilk into flour/butter mixture and mix until just combined. If you’re using a food processor, a few pulses again should be enough.
Pour the mixture out onto a well floured surface.
Gently pat out the dough into a large circle, about 1-2" thick, then fold the dough in half 3-5 times, until it just starts to come together. Gently pat the dough out into another large circle, about 1.5" thick. NOTE: For this step I wear plastic gloves to help prevent the warmth of my hands from melting the butter, and because it's so messy.
Use a biscuit cutter to cut out as many biscuits as possible. Place these on an ungreased baking sheet, with the sides touching each other.
Gently push the remaining dough together to cut out more biscuits. Place these biscuits on the baking sheet, again with sides touching each other. NOTE: These biscuits will not be as fluffy as the first cut biscuits.
Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until tops start to golden. Remove from oven and rub melted butter on tops of biscuits.