Buttermilk Biscuits
Serves 6 Time 40 minutes Difficulty 2/5 Ingredients 7 Steps 20
Buttermilk Biscuits are a variety of biscuits using cultured buttermilk as the primary liquid. Other biscuits use milk, or a combination of milk and cream, or powdered milk and water as the liquid. Since buttermilk is an acidic ingredient, typically an increased amount of baking soda is used, and baking powder is reduced or eliminated. This recipe is for one variety of Southern-style (U.S.) hand-rolled biscuits,…
Ingredients
- If cultured buttermilk is not available, similar results can be obtained by mixing 2 Tbsp lemon juice with enough milk to make 1 cup, and letting it stand 10 minutes.
- Lard or butter may be used instead of shortening.
- If self-rising flour is not available, substitute all-purpose flour and add baking powder and salt. An alternative is to add baking soda and cream of tartar. If desired, use only baking soda as leavening. This is acceptable since the buttermilk is acidic.
- Cream may be substituted for ¼ cup of the buttermilk.
- Use all-purpose flour for rolling to avoid tasting the leavening in self-rising flour.
- The preferred flour is Southern "biscuit" flour, a soft wheat flour with a protein content of 2 g per ¼ cup. Non-Southern flours, at 3 g protein per ¼ cup, are acceptable.
- For a traditional Southern topping, mix equal parts softened butter and molasses.
Steps
- Move oven rack to highest position. Preheat to 450 °F.
- Grease bottom of cookie sheet with shortening or butter.
Dough
- Mix sifted self-rising flour, soda, salt and sugar (if using) in bowl.
- Cut in shortening with pastry blender or fork until no flakes bigger than a green pea remain. Mixture looks like coarse cornmeal.
- Fold in ½ cup buttermilk with large spoon, then another ½ cup, to moisten flour evenly. Stir only until moistened. If dry flour remains after a few stirs, add remaining 2 Tbsp buttermilk.
- Rest and rise 3–5 minutes. Mixture should be quite moist, not pourable. Add more buttermilk if too dry.
Shaping
- Pour ½ cup all-purpose flour onto plate.
- Take about a teaspoon of flour in left hand. Cover inner palm mostly.
- Scoop about 3 Tbsp biscuit mixture into left hand with soup spoon in right hand.
- Over flour plate, sprinkle flour from right hand on top of scoop. Use enough flour that wet mixture does not stick.
- Toss biscuit gently between floured hands until outside is lightly coated. Excess flour falls to plate.
- Shape into smooth ball. Place on greased sheet with sides touching. Press to flatten to about 1 inch high.
- Take more flour. Repeat with next biscuit.
Baking
- Brush biscuits generously with melted butter.
- Bake in preheated oven 12–16 minutes, depending on size, until tops and bottoms are browned.
- Serve immediately with softened butter.
- Alternative: mix dry ingredients in large bowl. Make well in center.
- Put all shortening in center. Add ¾ cup buttermilk. Cream with one hand until mostly smooth.
- Pull in flour from sides gradually until incorporated. Add more buttermilk and flour as needed.
- Shape by hand, or roll out on floured surface and cut with biscuit cutter, dipping cutter in all-purpose flour for each biscuit.
Notes from the original
- If your hands become sticky when rolling biscuits, wash and dry your hands and use more flour.
- Biscuits do not need to be kneaded. In fact, if you knead the biscuits, you will likely incorporate too much flour to get a high, fluffy biscuit.
- If using a convection oven with the fan on, the oven rack may be in the center position.
- Do not skip the resting step, as the flour needs a brief period to accept the moisture.
- The sugar and salt may be dissolved into the buttermilk if desired. The sugar may be omitted altogether.
- If you are unsure if a biscuit is done, use an instant read thermometer and remove when internal temperature reaches 205–210 °F.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Buttermilk Biscuits” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2026-08-14, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.