Southern Comfort · Free recipe
Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
Tall, tender biscuits with countless flaky layers and golden buttery tops. Split them for butter and jam, sandwich them with country ham, or serve alongside any Southern meal.
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 450 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. A hot oven gives biscuits a strong, fast rise.
Step 2
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
Step 3
Add the cold cubed butter. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, cut it into the flour until you have coarse crumbs with pea-size butter pieces remaining. Keep everything cold; those butter bits melt in the oven to create steam and flaky layers.
Step 4
Make a well in the center and pour in the cold buttermilk. Stir with a fork just until a shaggy, moist dough forms. Do not overmix.
Step 5
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat it into a rectangle about 1 inch thick.
Step 6
Fold the dough in thirds like a letter, then pat it out again to 1 inch thick. Repeat this fold-and-pat two more times. Each fold builds the layers that make biscuits flaky.
Step 7
Pat the dough out a final time to about 1 inch thick. Dip a 2.5 inch round cutter in flour and press straight down without twisting, since twisting seals the edges and stops the rise.
Step 8
Gather the scraps gently, pat them together once, and cut the remaining biscuits. Scrap biscuits rise a bit less, so handle them lightly.
Step 9
Place the biscuits on the baking sheet with their sides just touching, which helps them climb upward as they bake.
Step 10
Brush the tops with the melted butter for a golden, glossy finish.
Step 11
Bake for 14 to 16 minutes until the tops are deep golden brown and the biscuits have risen tall.
Step 12
Serve warm. Split them by hand rather than cutting to show off the fluffy layers inside.
Tips from the test kitchen
- The colder the butter and buttermilk, the flakier and taller the biscuits.
- Press the cutter straight down without twisting for the best rise.
