Buttermilk Biscuits

These really are the simplest and tastiest buttermilk biscuits! Buttery flaky layers are easy to achieve with this easy and delicious recipe. Buttermilk biscuits can can be enjoyed warm with butter and with jam or drizzles of honey and they are perfect for using to make the most decadent breakfast sandwiches or my personal favourite - making biscuits with sausage gravy. 

Buttermilk Biscuit Ingredients

• All purpose flour - is what I generally use but often switch it out with a good GF 1-1 all purpose flour if I want to make these gluten free
• Aluminum free baking powder – This will help prevent any metallic taste in your sweet biscuit recipe. This doesn’t always happen with regular baking powder but is a possibility so I would recommend an aluminum free one if possible. You will need 2 tbsp
• Baking soda - is a leavening agent that helps give these biscuits a good rise
• Butter - I use unsalted here and I make sure that it’s well chilled. I will either grate it or cube it and then place in the freezer while I gather the rest of my ingredients. The old biscuit-making adage of “Cold Ingredients, Hot Oven” is very true here. You’ll want to start with very cold ingredients and not handle them too much before popping the biscuits into a oven to bake. A vegan butter will work here as well for a plant based version.
• Buttermilk - Buttermilk has some acidity and generally makes dough more tender. They have a better crumb and acid to balance the amount of butter and also add some tanginess. For Homemade buttermilk: for every 1 cup of milk add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar.Allow to sit a few minutes to thicken before using. OR a good substitute is also sour cream diluted with a bit of half and half which makes it sweeter and not so thick. Feel free to substitute with whole milk if needed. Coconut milk or a plant based milk will also work here.
• Sugar - This is by no means a sweet biscuit recipe. Just 2 tsp of sugar flavors the biscuits and balances out the butter and salt. Most importantly, the sugar promotes more tender biscuits by inhibiting gluten formation.
• Salt - Sea salt or regular table salt is all you need to enhance the flavour of these biscuit sand adds structure to them.
  
  

How to Make These Easy Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe:

1. Whisk the dry ingredients together. Use a big mixing bowl because you want lots of room for the mixing process. You can also use a food processor and pulse the dry ingredients together until combined.
2. Cut in the cubed chilled butter. You can use a pastry cutter or 2 forks, or your hands. A food processor works too. To avoid overly dense biscuits, work the dough as little as possible. Messy and crumbly is a good thing! If using food processor empty out the flour mixture into a large bowl
3. Pour in the buttermilk. Mix together gently with a fork, then pour out onto lightly floured work surface.
4. Knead the biscuit dough a few times to help it come together then either use your hands to pat the dough into a rectangle or a lightly floured rolling pin to help with this. Fold over dough few times to help give these biscuits those beautiful flaky layers 
5. Flatten into the final rectangle. Cut into 2.5 or 3-inch circles with a biscuit cutter (Tip: Do not twist the biscuit cutter when pressed into the dough– this seals off the edges of the biscuit which prevents them from fully rising.) Re-roll scraps until all the dough is used.
6. Pace biscuits on prepared baking sheet
7. Brush with heavy cream or buttermilk. For a golden brown, extra crisp and crumbly exterior, brush with liquid before baking. 
8. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Keep scone dough as cold as possible. To avoid over-spreading, I recommend chilling the shaped scones for at least 15 minutes in the refrigerator before baking. In fact, you can even refrigerate overnight for a quick breakfast in the morning! I usually chill them while I’m preheating the oven - it’s optional but I strongly recommend it.
9. Bake until golden brown. Biscuits bake in a relatively hot oven for only 10-12 minutes.
   
   

Tips for Making Awesome Buttermilk Biscuits Every Time

• Heavy Cream or Buttermilk: Avoid thinner milks which yield a flatter, less flavorful biscuits. Canned coconut milk makes a wonderful nondairy option!
• Refrigerate Before Baking: Remember, cold dough is a successful dough. To avoid over-spreading, I recommend chilling the shaped scones for at least 15 minutes in the refrigerator before baking.
• Use COLD butter! If you’re making these in a very warm climate, I suggest popping your butter in the freezer
• Do not overwork the dough - knead it a few times for it t come together but a shaggy messy dough is best for buttery layered flaky scones with a good rise - instead of dense, tough, dry, over worked scones
• Baking Powder: sometimes you get an acidic or chemical aftertaste when using regular baking powder - to avoid this possibility - try and use an aluminum free labeled baking powder.
• If you prefer to freeze and grate your butter on a box grater for an even quicker version feel free to do that save you the step of having to cut the butter in 
• Feel free to bake them on a baking sheet or a large cast iron skillet - they will fit closer to each other in the skillet and will probably bake up connected - which will actually help them rise even more 
• Do not twist the biscuit cutter when pressing down into the dough– this seals off the edges of the biscuit which prevents them from fully rising.
• If you don’t want to use a cookie cutter and want to further simplify the process feel free to simply shape the dough into an even rectangle and cut it into squares and bake them as squares. 
  
  

Make Ahead, Storage and Freezing

• MAKE AHEAD & STORAGE - Biscuits can be baked up to 3 days in advance and stored covered tightly at room temperature in and airtight container. You can also shape this biscuit dough and slice and refrigerate them overnight covered in plastic wrap before baking. Just pop them in a preheated oven with the plastic wrap removed and bake as directed. 
• FREEZING - Biscuits can be frozen for up to 1 month if done correctly and. Here are the two ways I usually freeze them: 

1. If you want to freeze them BEFORE baking, place cut biscuits on a parchment-lined sheet pan then freeze on pan for 1 hour.Once relatively frozen, you can layer them in a freezer-friendly bag or container. Bake from frozen, adding a few minutes to the bake time in the recipe below. Or thaw overnight, then bake as directed. 
2. To freeze them AFTER Baking: Freeze the baked and cooled scones. I usually freeze in a freezer-friendly bag or container. To thaw, leave out on the counter for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Warm in the microwave for 30 seconds or on a baking sheet in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes.
   
   

More Buttery Bakes Goods You Will Love:

• Apple Cheddar Sage Scones
• Bacon and Cheddar Scones With a Maple Butter Glaze
• Berry Oat Scone Loaf
• Drop Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie
• Buttermilk Honey Scones
• Orange Cranberry Scones