Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe (Flaky and Tender)
Old fashioned buttermilk biscuits are one of those from-scratch recipes every home cook should know how to make. With their golden tops, tender centers, and rich buttery flavor, these homemade biscuits have been a staple on family tables for generations.
Buttermilk makes the best biscuits
I learned to love biscuits for breakfast while living in the Pacific Northwest. I worked in a small restaurant where we kept sausage gravy hot in a soup crock throughout the morning rush. Most customers ordered biscuits and gravy with breakfast, and it was one of the quickest meals for the servers to plate. It was a busy place, and most mornings that was my breakfast too. The kitchen was usually too busy to cook for the staff, so it was biscuits and gravy or nothing.
One of the things I love most about this recipe is that the unbaked biscuits freeze beautifully. Make a batch ahead of time, freeze the cut biscuits, and bake only what you need. You’ll have fresh-baked buttermilk biscuits ready for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a last-minute addition to the table whenever the craving strikes.
Whether you serve them with butter and jam, smother them in sausage gravy, or pair them with soups and stews, these old fashioned buttermilk biscuits bring the comfort of homemade baking to any meal. If you enjoy baking bread from scratch, be sure to try my easy buttermilk yeast rolls, lightly crusted slider buns from scratch, and rustic Dutch oven rye bread as well.
Recipe ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: Unbleached all-purpose flour is my preference for this recipe, and organic flour is a great choice if you keep it on hand. Regular all-purpose flour gives these biscuits the classic texture most people expect from an old fashioned buttermilk biscuit.
- Baking Powder: Make sure your baking powder is fresh. It provides the lift that helps create tall, well-risen biscuits.
- Butter: Cold butter is essential for creating the flaky layers biscuits are known for. If you enjoy making ingredients from scratch, try using homemade butter made from fresh cream for exceptional flavor.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk gives these biscuits their traditional flavor and tender texture. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, heavy cream works well as a substitute and still produces excellent biscuits.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make old fashioned buttermilk biscuits
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
Step 2: Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix briefly to evenly distribute the ingredients.
Step 3: Add the butter and mix just until the butter is broken down into pea-sized pieces. Small pieces of cold butter throughout the dough help create a tender, flaky biscuit.
Step 4: Pour in the buttermilk and mix only until a soft, sticky dough forms. Do not continue mixing after the dough comes together.
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Step 5: Turn the dough out onto a generously floured work surface. Keep the surface, your hands, and the top of the dough lightly floured as needed. Gently shape the dough into an 8 x 10-inch rectangle.
Step 6: Fold one side of the rectangle toward the center, then fold the opposite side over it, creating three layers. Gently roll the dough until it is about 1½ inches thick.
Step 7: Cut the dough into 3-inch rounds using a biscuit cutter or the rim of a drinking glass. Gather the scraps, gently reshape the dough, and continue cutting until all of the dough has been used.
Step 8: Arrange the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between each one. Brush the tops lightly with buttermilk.
Step 9: Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the biscuits are cooked through.
Step 10: Remove the biscuits from the baking sheet and transfer them to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.
Step 11: To freeze for later, place the baking sheet of unbaked biscuits in the freezer for about 3 hours, or until the biscuits are completely firm. Transfer the frozen biscuits to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen at 375°F for 28 to 30 minutes.
Top tips
- Keep the Butter Cold: Warm butter blends into the dough, while cold butter remains in small pieces. Those pieces create steam as the biscuits bake, helping them rise higher and develop flaky layers.
- Use a Biscuit Cutter: A biscuit cutter’s sharp edge cuts cleanly through the dough without sealing the sides. This helps the layered biscuits rise more evenly in the oven. Press straight down and avoid twisting the cutter when cutting the biscuits.
- Save the Last Bit of Dough: After cutting the first round of biscuits, gently bring the scraps together and cut additional biscuits. Handle the dough as little as possible to preserve the layers.
- Rotate the Baking Sheet: If your oven has hot spots, rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking to encourage even browning.
- Serve Them Warm: These biscuits are excellent served warm from the oven with butter, jam, honey, sausage gravy, soups, or stews.
- Freeze Biscuits for Later: Keeping unbaked biscuits in the freezer makes it easy to bake fresh biscuits whenever you need them. Frozen biscuits bake up tall and flaky straight from the freezer.
Other recipes you’ll love
If you loved this biscuit recipe, give these other bread and cracker recipes a try too!
Rustic Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
No-Knead Rosemary Parmesan Bread
Quick Tortilla Recipe
New York Style Bagels || Easy At Home Recipe
No-Knead Shaggy Dough Bread
Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
- 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup butter cold and cut in small chunks
- 2 1/4 cups buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
- Add the cold butter and mix until broken into pea-sized pieces.
- Add the buttermilk and mix just until a soft dough forms.
- Turn the dough onto a generously floured surface and shape it into an 8 x 10-inch rectangle.
- Fold the dough into thirds like a letter. Roll the dough to a thickness of about 1½ inches.
- Cut the dough into 3-inch rounds using a biscuit cutter. Gather and reshape the scraps as needed to cut additional biscuits.
- Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between them. Brush the tops with buttermilk.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
- Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack and cool slightly before serving.
- To freeze, place the unbaked biscuits on the baking sheet and freeze for 3 hours. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 375°F for 28 to 30 minutes.
Notes
- Cold butter is important for creating flaky layers. Keep the butter refrigerated until you are ready to add it to the dough.
- A biscuit cutter produces the best results because it cuts cleanly through the dough. If using a drinking glass, avoid twisting it while cutting.
- Unbaked biscuits can be frozen for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen as directed; thawing is not necessary.
- Heavy cream can be substituted for the buttermilk if needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
