Homemade Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
There’s nothing better than a batch of these homemade Southern buttermilk biscuits! Perfect for any biscuit lover, they are soft, and super fluffy, with tender and flaky layers. Served with chicken sausage gravy, scrambled eggs, or crispy bacon you’re in for a southern-style breakfast of champions!
Seriously is there anything better than flaky buttery biscuits right out of the oven with a drizzle of honey? I think not! The best part of any slow weekend breakfast or brunch is the smell of crispy bacon cooking and homemade buttermilk biscuits in the oven!
Buttermilk is a widely used ingredient in southern cuisine and for good reason because it’s the secret to creating the perfect biscuits. It tenderizes the biscuit dough and when combined with baking soda creates a nice lift that not only looks amazing but tastes great too!
These southern-style buttermilk biscuits are warm and flaky and perfect served with strawberry jam, fried chicken, or used to make breakfast sandwiches!
My family loves these biscuits there are rarely any leftovers! I hope you enjoy them just as much as we do!
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Southern style buttermilk biscuits Ingredients
All you need are 7 simple ingredients and these homemade biscuits take almost no time to put together!
Flour – Regular all purpose flour is used to get the perfect texture.
Butter – I used unsalted butter. Make sure it’s very cold so your biscuits turn out light and flaky.
Baking powder and baking soda – this combination of leaveners create fluffy and tender biscuits every time.
Salt – for seasoning and balance out the flavors. If using salted butter, omit/ reduce the salt in this recipe.
Cane sugar – is used to add a tiny hint of sweetness.
Cold buttermilk – interacts with the leavening agents to create fluffy and flaky biscuits.
How To Make These Southern Buttermilk Biscuits:
All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step one. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, and set aside. In a large bowl add all the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and cane sugar. Mix to combine.
Step two. Add the cubed butter to the flour mixture. Work the butter into the flour with your hands or with a pastry cutter until you have coarse chunks of butter.
Step three. Next, add the buttermilk. Using a fork to mix until combined. You should have a damp dough that holds it together but it shouldn’t be sticky at all.
Step four. Turn the biscuit dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently fold the dough a couple of times to create flaky layers. Then using a rolling pin roll out the dough into a thick rectangle about ½ inch thick.
Step five. Use a round biscuit cutter or a wide-mouth mason jar to create the biscuits. Press down but don’t twist the cutter otherwise, it could seal the edges and the biscuits might not rise as well.
Step six. Place biscuits on the prepared baking sheet leaving 1 – 2 inches of space in between. Reform scrap dough into a ball then press down gently to form the rest of the biscuits, dusting your work surface with a little extra flour as needed so they don’t stick.
Step seven. Brush the tops of the biscuits with a little bit of buttermilk using a pastry brush. Then, place the biscuits into a preheated oven to bake for 15-20 minutes or until the tops are lightly golden brown. Once they come out brush them with melted butter and then serve with more butter, jam, or with a drizzle of honey. Enjoy!
Variations
- If you want a taller biscuit, roll the dough out to 1 inch instead of ½ inch in size. Cook for a couple of extra minutes if needed.
- Add seasonings to the dough if you like! Garlic powder, onion powder, shredded cheese, crispy bacon bits, or chopped green onions or chives to give different flavors.
- Brush the tops of the biscuits with heavy cream, melted butter, or an egg wash to create a nice golden color on top!
- If you don’t have buttermilk you can simply use whole milk and lemon juice/ white vinegar instead! Simply add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a measuring cup with enough milk to reach the 1 1/4 cup line. Mix until combined, then allow the mixture to sit for 5 – 7 minutes or until the milk starts to curdle slightly. Then use it in the recipe like normal!
Recommended Tools
Round 3.5-inch biscuit cutter, wide-mouth mason jar, or a sharp knife
Pastry brush, to brush the tops of the biscuits with buttermilk
Pastry cutter, optional to cut the butter into the flour mixture.
Baking sheet, a metal sheet pan will cook the biscuits a bit faster and more evenly than glass.
Rolling pin, similar
Pro Tips
- For the best results don’t overwork the biscuit dough. Be as gentle as possible so you don’t even up with tough or flat biscuits.
- When using a biscuit cutter or mason jar dust the dough flour lightly with flour so the cutter doesn’t stick the biscuit dough. Press down firmly but don’t twist the dough to ensure that you’ll have nice and fluffy and flaky layers.
- Make sure the butter is cold butter starting. As you work with the biscuit dough it will naturally start to melt, but if it’s too warm, to begin with, you won’t have flaky soft layers in your biscuits.
How To Store/ Reheat
Store leftover biscuits in the fridge in a plastic bag or airtight container for 3 – 4 days.
To store in the freezer, wrap biscuits tightly in plastic wrap and then place them in a freezer bag to store for several weeks.
Reheat biscuits wrapped in parchment paper at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 – 15 minutes or until warm and heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions —
Using buttermilk and not overworking the dough!
Southern biscuits are more buttery and softer than regular biscuits because the biscuit dough contains more fat and buttermilk.
The natural acid in the buttermilk tenderizes the biscuit dough making it softer and more tender. It also gives the biscuits a slightly tangy flavor.
They are very similar except that regular biscuits don’t contain any buttermilk, instead it uses water or milk.
Looking For More Breakfast Recipes?
Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 - 2 teaspoon cane sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter 1 1/2 sticks, cubed and cold
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk* plus more for brushing on the biscuits
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, then line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cane sugar. Stir to combine then add the cubed butter. Work the butter into the flour with your hands or by using a pastry blender, until you have coarse crumbles.
- Mix in the buttermilk with a fork, a little at a time, until the dough comes together. It should be damp not sticky or crumbly.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface then fold the dough over itself a couple of times to create flaky layers. Next, use a rolling pin to roll out the biscuit dough into a rectangle 1/2 inch thick.
- Cut the biscuits using a knife, a 3-inch biscuit cutter, or a wide-mouth mason jar. Don't twist the cutter because it can seal the edges and the biscuits may not rise as well.
- Place biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, leaving 1 - 2 inches of space for them to rise. Press the remaining biscuit dough into a ball then roll it out to cut out the rest of the biscuits.
- Brush the tops of the biscuits with buttermilk then bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until they are lightly golden brown.
- Brush with melted butter then serve with a drizzle of honey. Enjoy!
Notes
All nutrition information is automatically generated and should be only used as a rough estimate. This recipe card may contain affiliate links.
