Buttery Buttermilk Biscuits

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For these exquisitely flaky biscuits, make sure to do two things: Use lots of cold butter and chill the dough before baking it. They emerge from the oven deliciously golden.

Buttery Buttermilk Biscuits
Photo: Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Active Time:
15 mins
Total Time:
40 mins
Yield:
15 biscuits

Flaky, buttery, and infinitely versatile, there are so many reasons to love biscuits, especially if you have a great go-to recipe like this one. These biscuits are made with plenty of butter; tangy buttermilk both flavors and tenderizes the dough. The unbaked rounds are even brushed with a touch of melted butter before they hit the oven to produce beautifully golden tops. After cooling slightly, the biscuits are ready to be slathered with even more butter, drenched in gravy, or made into an irresistible sandwich.

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Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, 10 tablespoons cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled, 2 tablespoons melted

  • 1 cup buttermilk, chilled

  • Flaky salt, such as Maldon, for sprinkling

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and position a rack in the lower third of the oven. In a large shallow bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Add the chilled butter and use a pastry blender or two knives to cut the butter into the flour until it is the size of peas. Stir in the buttermilk just until the dough is moistened. Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Turn the dough out onto the surface and knead 2 or 3 times, just until it comes together. Pat the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick disk.

  2. Using a floured 2 1/4-inch round cookie cutter, stamp out biscuit rounds as closely together as possible. Gather the scraps and knead them together two or three times, then flatten the dough and stamp out more biscuit rounds. Pat the remaining scraps together and gently press them into a biscuit.

  3. Transfer the biscuits to a large baking sheet and brush the tops with the melted butter. Lightly sprinkle the biscuits with a few grains of flaky salt and chill until firm, about 10 minutes.

  4. Bake the biscuits for 20 minutes or until golden. Let the biscuits cool slightly on the baking sheet before serving.

Make ahead

The unbaked biscuits can be frozen: Freeze biscuits in a single layer and transfer to a resealable plastic bag for up to one month. Bake straight from the freezer, adding a few minutes to the cooking time.

Originally appeared: November 2007

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