The Best Buttermilk Biscuits from Scratch!

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How to make the best buttermilk biscuits from scratch.  These are as easy to make as they are to eat. A family favorite!

I love delicious buttermilk biscuits and they are very easy to make even from scratch.  I cook from scratch and nothing is better than buttermilk biscuits from real ingredients.  No baking mix can even come close in flavor.

Delicious Buttermilk Biscuits from scratch. Nothing fake here, just pure flavor and flaky goodness.

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The most Delicious Buttermilk Biscuits start with the Ingredients

Start with your ingredients. If you are like me you have the basics already in your pantry.  You can also make a version with milk instead of buttermilk and there is a slight adjustment with the baking powder/baking soda, I will create separate post for that at another time.

But I love the flavor of real buttermilk. Don’t be fooled by the fake homemade type using milk and vinegar, that does NOT taste like real buttermilk. 

What that really is called is clabbered milk and it is a food unto itself.  Some swear they get the same flavor using it but that does not prove true to my taste buds.

Be kind to yourself and buy REAL buttermilk!

Delicious Buttermilk Biscuits from scratch. Nothing fake here, just pure flavor and flaky goodness.

You can use real buttermilk for other foods like my Buttermilk Pancakes from Scratch or my Scones recipes.

Biscuits and Scones?

(some claim scones and biscuits are the same.  They are not. Biscuits do not typically contain any sugar or eggs, but Scones do, they are close, very close but not the same animal. True old fashioned biscuits do not have sugar in them)

Biscuits are savory, Scones are slightly sweet.

The full recipe is below but I wanted to add a few helpful tips so read through before you begin.

Tips and Tricks for baking the best Buttermilk Biscuits

The oven needs to be HOT, 450 to 500 degrees.

Make sure your butter is cold.  Cutting it in with a pastry cutter or food processor works best (I use my KitchenAid mixer) This helps to keep the butter from softening to quickly as it would if you used your hands.

One thing I need to stress is do NOT over mix once you add the liquids.

You can see below it is not all into one piece when I poured it out of the mixing bowl.  You will finish it by kneading it about 3 times.  Gently. Overworking the dough is a sure way to get tough biscuits.

Delicious Buttermilk Biscuits from scratch. Nothing fake here, just pure flavor and flaky goodness.

Once you have it combined, flatten it out with your hands with a gentle patting motion.  You can make yours thinner or thicker but I try to get mine about an inch thick.

Fancy Biscuit baking tools

I use my fancy, custom biscuit cutter.  (aka: large soup can, this one came from a can of Campbells Chunky soup)  Cut out the bottom of the can as well as the top to make this biscuit cutter.  This one has been used for 15 years so you can see it lasts

Delicious Buttermilk Biscuits from scratch. Nothing fake here, just pure flavor and flaky goodness.

I have my eye on these real biscuit cutters, I would like to have various sizes.

Make sure to cut as many as you can the first time around by placing the cutter close to the prior cut edge and the sides of the dough.

Delicious Buttermilk Biscuits from scratch. Nothing fake here, just pure flavor and flaky goodness.

Gently pull the leftovers together and pat back out for another round of cutting.  There may be a tiny bit left and I usually make a little funny-shaped biscuit with it.  (you can see it in the center of the baking sheet below)

Line up Biscuits on baking sheet

Place on your baking sheet.  Some like to place them closer together but I like the side to get toasty too so I separate them.  I use parchment paper under the biscuits but that is optional.

These cut to size parchment paper sheets are convenient and you can find them in Wal-Mart or your local grocery store.

If you have trouble with the bottoms getting too brown before the tops look cooked then place a sheet of aluminum foil under your baking sheet.  It works every time.

Delicious Buttermilk Biscuits from scratch. Nothing fake here, just pure flavor and flaky goodness.

Before you know it you have delicious homemade buttermilk biscuits that are tender and flaky.  These probably could’ve stayed in the oven a minute or two more for a bit more browning but they were still wonderful.

Delicious Buttermilk Biscuits from scratch. Nothing fake here, just pure flavor and flaky goodness.

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Biscuit ingredients and fresh baked biscuits with text overlay, Best Buttermilk Biscuits from scratch, Flower Patch Farmhouse

Now for the recipe:

Yield: 8

The Best Buttermilk Biscuits from Scratch!

Delicious Buttermilk Biscuits from scratch. Nothing fake here, just pure flavor and flaky goodness.

Delicious, flaky yet tender Buttermilk Biscuits that are as easy to make and they are tasty.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup cold salted butter
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 450 to 475 degrees
  2. Sift together the dry ingredients
  3. Cut cold butter into flour mixture with pastry cutting, food processor or mixer until it resembles crumbs. (cube butter into smaller sizes first before adding to flour makes it go faster
  4. Add buttermilk and blend lightly until just combined
  5. Turn out onto a floured surface
  6. Knead gently about 3 times
  7. Pat out to 3/4 to 1-inch thickness
  8. Cut out and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
  9. Bake until golden brown, approximately 12 to 15 minutes, depending on the oven.

Notes

I am at a higher altitude and need to adjust for that. Here is the table I use to make such adjustments.

Betty Crocker Baking

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 177Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 398mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 4g

Happy Baking (and eating)!

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6 Comments

  1. a. caxixa says:

    Hi there, yes, I quite agree with your editorial, in my travels i have found many variations of the ‘biscuit’…actually food and ideas reveal what country the individual is from. Since the USA is the melting pot of us Europeans many ideas are to be found, and with that acquired tastes due to the circumstances of the way of life and or the sub standards.

  2. YUMMY !!! Haven’t made biscuits for awhile !!Going to try these! Thanks!

  3. I totally agree it can be regional and can be confusing but I was specifically talking mainly about in the US. Your Mediterranean one sounds delicious. The quote about scones being always sweet came from a very old cook book with a hand written note from a British woman named Iris in the 1930’s and her recipe did include egg in the scone. But then it is even pronounced differently in different areas, Scone like tone, Scone like done, etc. And the current recipes for scones even in Britain are quite different than what they originated from in the 1500’s. So who can say.
    I can’t stand being served biscuits if they are sweetened. According to my Grandmother and books I have read from early American life sugar was a rare and expensive commodity, only to be used for special occasions. Biscuits were a meal time daily staple for the common folks thus sugar would not be in them. But then again they swapped out ingredients for what they has on hand, using different oils to make them, usually lard. (which if you get the real lard it gives the biscuits an unparalleled flavor that is divine)
    I would love to try making some Mediterranean biscuits, I will have to give that a whirl very soon.

  4. Chris Carson says:

    OK I have a question… you say American biscuits are always savoury, but every single recipe for biscuits I’ve seen are very sweet although classed as savoury as are the ones I’ve had in the States. I know that as a Brit we have the same words i.e. biscuits and scones, but seem to have very different ideas about them. Our biscuits are what you call cookies and our scones can be either sweet or savoury and very much resemble your biscuits. in that they are a type of yeast and egg free bread leavened with baking soda. I make a great version with chopped sun-dried tomatoes, black olives, Feta cheese and basil or oregano… being Mediterranean it also uses olive oil instead of butter. I bet your biscuits would be fantastic with a Med twist too… so I’m going to try them very soon. Thank you for sharing this recipe 🙂 x

  5. YUM !!!! Thanks!

  6. Norma Rolader says:

    Yum…my mother loves baking biscuts

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