Buttermilk Biscuits
Tender, flaky homemade buttermilk biscuits with golden tops, plus simple options for adjusting the flour and reducing saturated fat.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 3/4 cup cold buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk, for brushing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the cold butter and cut it into the flour with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
- Pour in 3/4 cup buttermilk and gently stir just until a shaggy dough forms.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat it into a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick.
- Fold the dough in thirds, then gently flatten it again. Repeat the fold once more to help create flaky layers.
- Pat the dough to about 1 inch thick and cut into 8 biscuits using a biscuit cutter. Press straight down rather than twisting the cutter.
- Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet and lightly brush the tops with the remaining buttermilk.
- Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the biscuits have risen and the tops are golden brown.
- Serve warm or transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Smart Substitutions
Add more fiber: Replace up to half of the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat flour. The biscuits will be slightly denser but provide more fiber.
Try a lower-carb flour: Almond flour and coconut flour cannot replace all-purpose flour 1:1 in traditional biscuits. For a substantially lower-carb biscuit, use a recipe specifically formulated around one of these alternative flours.
Reduce the saturated fat: Replace part of the butter with plain Greek yogurt. The biscuits won’t be quite as flaky, but they’ll remain tender while reducing some of the butter.
No buttermilk: Combine 3/4 cup milk with about 2 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar and let it stand for 5–10 minutes before using.
Storage & Reheating
Room Temperature: Store cooled biscuits in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Refrigerator: Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Freeze baked biscuits for up to 3 months.
Reheating: Warm biscuits in a 325°F oven for about 5–8 minutes. An individual biscuit can also be microwaved for about 10–15 seconds.
Estimated Nutrition Per Serving
Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary based on brands, portion sizes, and substitutions used.