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Buttermilk Biscuits

See how to make beautiful, flaky-but-tender buttermilk biscuits. See more

READY IN 35 mins

Chef John's Buttermilk Biscuits

Read Reviews (143)

"This deceptively simple recipe can come out a million different ways with some very minor variations on the ingredients and amounts. This one's my favorite - flaky, but not dry; chewy, but not tough; crisp in just the right spots." — Chef John

Ingredients Edit and Save

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Original recipe makes 12 biscuits Change Servings

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled in freezer and cut into thin slices
3/4 cup cold buttermilk
2 tablespoons buttermilk for brushing

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Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl.
Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 5 minutes.
Make a well in the center of butter and flour mixture. Pour in 3/4 cup buttermilk; stir until just combined.
Turn dough onto a floured work surface, pat together into a rectangle.
Fold the rectangle in thirds. Turn dough a half turn, gather any crumbs, and flatten back into a rectangle. Repeat twice more, folding and pressing dough a total of three times.
Roll dough on a floured surface to about 1/2 inch thick.
Cut out 12 biscuits using a 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter.
Transfer biscuits to the prepared baking sheet. Press an indent into the top of each biscuit with your thumb.
Brush the tops of biscuits with 2 tablespoons buttermilk.
Bake in the preheated oven until browned, about 15 minutes.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 20 mins
COOK 15 mins
READY IN 35 mins

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Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Apr 18, 2012

This is a great recipe! I did not change any of the ingredients, but in the directions I put the flour and ice cold butter into a foodprocessor and blized it together for about 30 seconds- (Much easier than cutting it in) Then I continued as directed. The biscuts still came out light and flaky.

—blueplate

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Most Helpful Critical Review

May 04, 2012

Well, I can see I'm in the minority here, but while the flavor was good, these were dry and hard...Maybe it was something I did. I followed the recipe to a 'T'. I've made other biscuits in this manner w/o problems, so I can't imagine what went wrong. I will give these another try soon, and update. Thanks for sharing. :)

—Christina

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177 Ratings

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Apr 23, 2012

OMG! These biscuits are incredible! They're so "deceptively" easy to make and they come out light, moist, and fluffy. Plus they rise nice and high -what more could you want from a buttermilk biscuit! I baked these on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brushed the tops with melted butter during the last five minutes of baking...WOW what a great biscuit!

—Jillian

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Apr 27, 2012

These biscuits were superb! They rose beautifully, they had a wonderful creamy texture, and they tasted great! Definitely will make these again. Thank you for sharing!

—Janet Shum

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Nov 30, 2012

I use a "vegetable peeler" to grate an entire stick of butter. It works great! So quick and so much easier! Toss those long thin flakes of butter with the dry ingredients to keep them from sticking back together. The best buttermilk biscuits I've made since I began my quest for the perfect biscuit. I love the folding technique that left the biscuits with the perfect consistency not to mention flaky. Delicious!

—Cathy

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Apr 19, 2012

Excellent Biscuits! Have made them a couple of times, once following the recipe to the letter. The 2nd time I made them I was a bit short on butter, so I substituted some sour cream in place of half the butter. They turned out delicious, light and fluffy as well! Can't go wrong with this recipe.

—BBracken

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Jul 24, 2012

Fabulous! Flaky and tender and delicious.

—MKBH

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Apr 17, 2012

so yammy

—iliass

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Nutrition

Calories
143 kcal
7%

Carbohydrates
17 g
5%

Cholesterol
19 mg
6%

Fat
7.1 g
11%

Fiber
0.6 g
2%

Protein
2.8 g
6%

Sodium
321 mg
13%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Chef John's Buttermilk Biscuits

Serving Size: 1/12 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 12
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 143
Calories from Fat: 64

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 7.1g 11 %
Saturated Fat 4.4g 22 %
Cholesterol 19mg 6 %
Sodium 321mg 13 %
Potassium 51mg 1 %
Total Carbohydrates 17g 5 %
Dietary Fiber 0.6g 2 %
Protein 2.8g 6 %
Sugars 0.9g
Vitamin A 4 %
Vitamin C < 1 %
Calcium 9 %
Iron 11 %
Thiamin 17 %
Niacin 14 %
Vitamin B6 < 1 %
Magnesium 2 %
Folate 22 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.