Tall & Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
Golden, layered biscuits made with cold butter and tangy buttermilk — the kind that pull apart in steamy flakes.
You'll need: Baking sheet or 10-inch cast-iron skillet, 2½-inch cutter
A little history
Buttermilk biscuits became a fixture of Southern tables in the 1800s, once baking soda and later baking powder made quick breads easy to raise without yeast. Older family cards often say little more than "flour, lard, buttermilk, soda — work light." That last instruction is still the most important one.
How we've written it for today
We use butter for flavor, give exact weights alongside cups, and add a simple fold that creates visible layers. A 450°F oven stands in for the "quick oven" of a wood stove.
Directions
- Heat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or lightly butter a cast-iron skillet.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add the cold butter and rub it in with your fingertips (or cut it in with a pastry blender) until the largest pieces are the size of peas.
- Pour in the buttermilk and stir with a fork just until a shaggy dough forms. If dry flour remains at the bottom, add buttermilk a tablespoon at a time.
- Turn the dough onto a floured counter and pat into a rectangle about ¾ inch thick. Fold it in thirds like a letter, pat out again, and repeat the fold twice more.
- Pat to 1 inch thick. Cut straight down with a floured cutter — don't twist — and place the biscuits so they just touch. Gently press scraps together for a final biscuit or two.
- Bake for 12–15 minutes until tall and deep golden. Brush the tops with melted butter and serve warm.
Tips from the recipe card
- Keep everything cold. If the butter softens, chill the bowl for 10 minutes.
- Biscuits that touch rise taller because they support each other.
Serving & keeping
- Split and serve with butter and honey or sorghum.
- Use for breakfast sandwiches or alongside fried chicken and gravy.
Found a recipe like this in an old family notebook? Our guide to reading old recipes can help you make sense of it.
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