There's nothing better than a batch of warm, flaky biscuits fresh from the oven, and these Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits are as good as it gets! These biscuits are ready in only 30 minutes, and they bake up tall, golden, and flaky in a cast iron skillet, perfect for enjoying with a smear of butter and jam.
If you love the joy of baking breads from scratch, you'll love my Homemade Soft Pretzels, Brioche Bread, and Japanese Milk Bread.
I've been making this easy buttermilk biscuit recipe for years, and it's one of my favorites to bake! I love that you can throw together a few simple ingredients from the pantry, and end up with beautiful, golden, flaky biscuits in only 30 minutes. They're seriously so irresistible, especially when you top them with a little bit of butter and jam, honey, or my Slow Cooker Apple Butter. They really are a million times better than the kind you buy in a can!
Serve these biscuits up with my New England Clam Chowder or Zuppa Toscana for a warm and cozy dinner!
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❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Flaky Layers - Let's just admit it, biscuits that have buttery, flaky layers are hard to resist! And these biscuits certainly don't disappoint.
- Simple, Classic Ingredients - No weird or hard to find ingredients here! Just simple ingredients like flour, butter, and buttermilk to achieve that timeless homemade flavor.
- Versatile - Serve them for breakfast, alongside a bowl of soup or stew, or simply slathered with honey or jam. They can be enjoyed all day, any day!
🛒 Ingredients
- Cold butter: The key to those golden, flaky layers. Little pockets of butter melt as the biscuits bake, giving them a rich flavor and texture.
- Buttermilk: Adds a tangy flavor and reacts with the baking soda and baking powder to give the biscuits a lighter, fluffier texture.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🔄 Substitutions & Variations
- Buttermilk: Don't have buttermilk on-hand? It's easy to make your own! Mix 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice with 1 cup of milk and let it sit for 10 minutes. Viola! Homemade buttermilk!
- Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter, as it makes it easier to adjust the salt content. But if you want to use salted butter instead, just decrease the amount of salt added to ½ teaspoon rather than ¾ tsp.
🥣 How to Make Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C). Grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet with butter.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Step 2: Add the cold butter and cut it into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or your fingertips. Mix until pea-sized pieces remain.
Step 3: Pour in the cold buttermilk. Stir gently until just combined. The dough will be shaggy.
Step 4: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Using floured hands, pat it out into a ¾-inch thick rectangle. Fold in half, turn, and repeat 3-4 times.
Pat the dough into a ¾-inch thick circle. Using a 2.5-inch round cookie cutter, cut the dough into 10-12 rounds pressing straight down rather than twisting.
Step 5: Arrange the biscuits into the cast iron skillet so they're barely touching each other (this helps them to rise higher!) Brush the tops with extra buttermilk.
Step 6: Bake the biscuits for 14-17 minutes until they are fluffy and golden brown.
🌟Expert Tips
- Keep the butter cold. Cold butter is what creates those beautiful, flaky layers. Pull it out of the fridge right before you add it to the dry ingredients.
- Don't twist the cutter. When cutting the biscuits, press straight down without twisting. Twisting seals the edges of the biscuits so they won't be able to rise up all nice and tall.
- Brush with buttermilk (or butter!) Brush the biscuits with buttermilk (or butter) right before baking to give them a nice golden color and a bit of extra flavor.
💭 FAQs
There are a couple of simple things that are key to tall, flaky biscuits. Make sure to keep your butter and buttermilk cold, fold the dough a few times, and use a sharp cutter pressed straight down (no twisting!)
You can make a quick substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of milk. Let it sit for 10 minutes before using.
📋 Recipe
Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold
- 1 cups buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C). Grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet with butter.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the cold butter and cut it into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or your fingertips. Mix until pea-sized pieces remain.
- Pour in the cold buttermilk. Stir gently until just combined. The dough will be shaggy.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Using floured hands, pat it out into a ¾-inch thick rectangle. Fold in half, turn, and repeat 3-4 times.
- Pat the dough into a ¾-inch thick circle. Using a 2.5-inch round cookie cutter, cut the dough into 10-12 rounds pressing straight down rather than twisting.
- Arrange the biscuits into the cast iron skillet so they're barely touching each other (this helps them to rise higher!) Brush the tops with extra buttermilk.
- Bake the biscuits for 14-17 minutes until they are fluffy and golden brown.
Notes
- Buttermilk substitute: You can make a quick buttermilk substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of milk. Let it sit for 10 minutes before using.
- Storage: Store baked biscuits at room temperature for 2 days, in the refrigerator for 5 days, or the freezer for 3 months.
Ashley Amundsen says
This is my go-to biscuit recipe! With only six super simple ingredients and 30 minutes, you can have warm, flaky biscuits ready in no time. You'll love how easy this recipe is!