Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

You only need a handful of pantry staple ingredients for the flakiest biscuits.

In the printable recipe below, you can find a complete list of ingredients and measurements.

• Butter: Frozen, shredded butter is key for creating those coveted flaky layers in your biscuits; unsalted butter allows you to control the salt content. You can use salted butter in a pinch, but reduce the added salt.
• All-Purpose Flour: This flour provides structure to the biscuits, offering just the right balance for a tender crumb. You can substitute with pastry flour for even lighter biscuits.
• Leavening Agents (baking powder and baking soda): These work together to give your biscuits their rise and tender crumb.
• Granulated Sugar: A small amount of sugar balances the savory ingredients and adds a touch of sweetness to the biscuits.  It also helps with the browning process as they bake.
• Buttermilk: Cold buttermilk reacts with the baking soda, helping the biscuits rise and adding a tangy flavor. If you don’t have buttermilk, whole milk with a splash of lemon juice can be used as a substitute.

More About the Butter

Splurge for a more expensive butter. For the best results, use a high-fat, low-water-content butter like European unsalted butter. If using salted butter, omit the additional salt from the flour mixture.

Grating the butter. Grating butter creates small, even pieces that distribute more evenly through the dough, resulting in perfectly flaky layers. First, lightly coat the frozen butter in flour before grating to prevent it from sticking. Use the large holes of a box grater or a food processor with a medium shredding disk. Both methods have pros and cons: grating by hand takes longer, but there is less “butter waste” than you would get by using the food processor. If the butter begins to soften, refreeze it briefly before continuing. Keep the grated butter cold until ready to combine with the dry ingredients.

Keep the butter cold. Warm butter will combine with the flour, resulting in a tougher dough without flaky layers. Cold butter creates layers within the flour, so as the biscuits bake, the butter melts, creating steam, resulting in tender, flaky layers. If you notice the dough getting warm and mushy during the folding and rolling, place it in the freezer for 20 minutes.

How to Make Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits

Here are the quick step-by-step instructions with visuals; you can find the full instructions with the exact ingredients in the recipe card below.
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Pro-tip: Grate it straight from the freezer and work quickly. Chilled butter releases steam while baking, creating the airy pockets that give biscuits their signature flaky texture. 

1. Prepare the Butter: Preheat your oven to 400°F and prepare your ingredients. Lightly coat your stick of frozen butter in flour, then use your box grater and work quickly to grate the butter using the large holes. If the butter softens, pop it back in the freezer for a few minutes. You can also shred it in a food processor with a medium shredding disk for an easier option.

2. Combine the Ingredients: Once your butter is grated, return it to the freezer until you’re ready to mix. Combine your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Toss the frozen, grated butter into the flour mixture, ensuring it’s evenly coated. Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk. 

Gently stir with a fork. Your dough will be crumbly and a bit shaggy. Don’t overmix it.

3. Create Layers: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a rough 6 to 7-inch square. Using a rolling pin, roll it out into a rectangle (about 9×12 inches). A bench scraper is really useful for folding and shaping the dough.

With the short side of the dough facing you, fold the bottom third up and the top third down like an envelope. 

Rotate the dough 90 degrees, roll it out again, and repeat the fold. Do this two more times to create those signature flaky layers.

4. Chill the Dough: Shape the folded dough into an 8-9 inch square. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up.

5. Cut the Biscuits: Use a sharp knife to trim the edges of the chilled dough. Cut into 9 square biscuits, careful not to twist or pull the knife.

6. Bake the Biscuits: Arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Brush the tops with melted butter, then bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The biscuits are done when the tops are golden brown. Allow them to rest on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes after removing them from the oven. We baked our biscuits in two batches to allow enough space between them as they baked.

7. Serve: Enjoy these homemade buttermilk biscuits warm, perhaps with black pepper gravy, your favorite jam, or as a delicious bacon and egg biscuit sandwich.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: You can prepare the biscuit dough up to 24 hours in advance. Shape the dough into squares, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. When ready to bake, brush with melted butter and pop them into a preheated oven.

How to Store: Once cooled, store leftover biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, place them in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze them for up to 3 months.

How to Reheat: To reheat, wrap room temperature biscuits in foil and warm in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes. For frozen biscuits, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating, or reheat from frozen in a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes until warm.

Recipe Tips and Notes

• Don’t overwork the dough. Mix the ingredients just until combined to avoid tough biscuits. Overworking the dough can lead to gluten development, resulting in less tender biscuits.
• Cut straight down. Use a sharp biscuit cutter or knife and cut straight down without twisting. This helps ensure proper rising and maintains those flaky layers in your biscuits.
• Keep everything cold. For the flakiest biscuits, use frozen butter and chilled ingredients. Consider chilling your tools and the flour mixture before use to maintain the ideal temperature for creating those coveted buttery layers.
• Chill before baking. Refrigerate your cut biscuits for about 15 minutes before baking. This extra chilling time helps solidify the butter, enhancing those buttery layers and ensuring your biscuits hold their shape while baking.
• Use a bench scraper. A bench scraper helps fold the biscuit dough into thirds and shape it cleanly without sticking to your hands.

Frequently Asked Questions