These scratch-made Southern Buttermilk Biscuits are rich with butter and layered for flakiness. Soft and fluffy inside with crisp, golden bottoms, they’re perfect with a drizzle of maple syrup, honey, or a smear of jam for an authentic Southern treat.
A homemade biscuit is a Southern staple served with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This recipe has been refined to deliver tender, flaky layers and a buttery flavor that stands out. With a few simple techniques—cold butter, careful mixing, and folding—you’ll get tall, flaky biscuits every time.
Ingredients You Need To Make This Recipe
- All-purpose flour. The best choice for tender, flaky biscuits.
- Baking powder and baking soda. Help the biscuits rise and develop a light texture.
- Salt. Balances and enhances flavor.
- Granulated sugar. Adds a touch of sweetness and helps keep the crumb tender.
- Unsalted butter. Use very cold butter for flakiness and flavor.
- Buttermilk. Adds tenderness and a subtle tang—cold is best.
- Heavy cream or melted butter. For brushing the tops before baking.
How To Make This Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the butter into cubes and chill in the freezer for about 5 minutes so it stays very cold.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the cold butter, toss to coat with flour, and press the butter pieces between your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. A few larger butter pieces are fine; they create flakiness.
- Pour 1 cup cold buttermilk into the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until the flour is moistened. Use your hands to assess the dough. If it’s too dry to hold together, add up to 1/4 cup more buttermilk until the dough is slightly sticky but not wet. A slightly crumbly dough that can be gathered into a ball is ideal.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Fold the top third over, then the bottom third, rotate 90 degrees, pat back to 1 inch, and repeat two more times. These folds build the flaky layers.
- Use a 2 3/4-inch biscuit cutter to cut out 6 biscuits. Gather scraps, reshape, and cut two more biscuits.
- Place the biscuits close together on the prepared sheet. Brush the tops with heavy cream or melted butter. Bake 12–15 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Serve warm.
Variations and Substitutions
- Substitute whole milk or half-and-half if you don’t have buttermilk, though buttermilk yields the best texture and tang.
- Shortening or lard can replace butter for a slightly different texture; butter brings the best flavor.
- Customize the base recipe by adding:
- Grated cheeses (cheddar, parmesan, gouda)
- Fresh or dried herbs (chives, thyme, rosemary)
- Fresh fruit (blueberries, strawberries, diced apples)
- Sun-dried tomatoes, pureed sweet potato, canned pumpkin, or warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg
How To Make the Fluffiest Biscuits
- Measure flour correctly. Weigh it or spoon it into the cup and level off. Too much flour makes dense biscuits.
- Use fresh leavening. Baking powder and soda lose potency over time; fresh agents help keep biscuits light.
- Keep butter very cold. Cold butter creates steam pockets during baking that produce lift and layers.
- Use cold buttermilk. Cold liquids help maintain butter temperature and improve rise.
- Don’t overwork the dough. Mix just until combined to avoid developing gluten and toughening the biscuits.
- Cut straight down, don’t twist the cutter. Twisting can seal the edges and inhibit rise.
What Is the Best Flour For Homemade Biscuits?
All-purpose flour is ideal, with about 10–12% protein—perfect for flaky, tender biscuits. Bread flour has too much protein (13–16%) and produces more gluten, resulting in a chewier texture. Cake flour is lower in protein (7–8%) and makes delicate baked goods; it can be blended with all-purpose flour for extra tenderness, but isn’t recommended on its own.
Do Biscuits Need To Rise Before Baking?
Biscuits are a quick bread and don’t require a rise time. Their texture and lift come from the distribution of fat and the action of the leavening agents during baking.
Make-Ahead and Storing Instructions
You can prepare the dough a day ahead: shape it into a disc, wrap tightly, and refrigerate. Alternatively, cut the biscuits and keep them on the sheet pan, covered, in the fridge until baking. Store leftover biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Recommended Tools For This Recipe
- Mixing bowls
- Biscuit cutter (about 2 3/4 inches)
- Pastry brush
- Sheet pan lined with parchment
What To Serve With Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
Serve warm biscuits alongside breakfast classics or Southern comfort dishes. They pair beautifully with sausage gravy, fried or baked mains, or as a side for shrimp and grits, smothered chicken, or collard greens. A simple pat of butter, honey, or jam also makes them irresistible.
More Southern Recipes You Will Love!
- Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes
- Chocolate Gravy
- New Orleans King Cake
- Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits
- Buttermilk Cornbread Muffins
- Southern Fried Green Tomatoes
- Classic Southern Buttermilk Cornbread
📖 Recipe
Perfect Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
Equipment
- Biscuit cutter
- Baking sheet
- Mixing bowls
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold, cut into cubes
- 1 – 1 1/4 cups cold buttermilk (whole or low-fat)
- Heavy cream or melted butter for brushing tops
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Cut butter into cubes and chill briefly so it stays very cold.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Add cold butter, toss to coat, and press pieces between your fingers until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining.
- Pour 1 cup cold buttermilk into the bowl and stir until the flour is moistened. Use your hands to judge the dough; add up to 1/4 cup more buttermilk if needed so the dough is slightly sticky but not wet.
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a 1-inch rectangle. Fold the top third over, then the bottom third. Rotate 90 degrees, pat to 1 inch, and repeat two more times to create layers.
- Cut six 2 3/4-inch biscuits, gather scraps, and cut two more.
- Place biscuits close together on the sheet, brush tops with heavy cream or melted butter, and bake 12–15 minutes until golden. Serve warm.
Notes
- Measure flour properly—use a scale or spoon and level to avoid dense biscuits.
- Keep butter very cold so it creates steam pockets and a flaky texture.
- Do not overwork the dough; mix just until combined.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature up to two days or in the refrigerator up to a week.