The Hungry MouseHow to Make Buttermilk Biscuits
These are super easy to make.
If you have a food processor or mixer, you can throw them together in less than 10 minutes. If you don’t, it will take just a wee bit longer to cut the butter and flour together with a pastry cutter
I made these this morning while The Angry Chef was out in the snow, shoveling out the car. (Ah, street parking in the city…)
I stuck a pan of bacon in the oven at the same time as the biscuits, and made him a few bacon and cheese sandwiches when he came in.
These biscuits are tangy, light, and fluffy. And they make the house smell great as they bake.
The trick to getting them to poof up is to not overwork the dough. Once you’ve cut the butter into the flour, drizzle in the buttermilk until the dough just comes together—then stop.
Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
4 Tbls. butter (that’s a half a stick)
3/4 cup buttermilk
Makes 6 biscuits, about 3-inches in diameter (or more if you use a smaller biscuit cutter
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits: Make the dough
In the bowl of your food processor, put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Pulse the ingredients a few times to combine them.
Grab your butter out of the fridge (you want it to be cold).
Cut it into a few pieces. Toss them into the dry ingredients in your food processor.
Pulse the flour and butter together a few times until the butter *just* breaks down into pieces.
(There are a few things that make these biscuits poof up in the oven. The moisture from these tiny pieces of butter is one of them. It turns into steam and helps leaven the dough.)
You want the mixture to look like coarse meal, like this:
Drizzle the buttermilk in slowly, pulsing the dough as you go.
If you’re using a food processor, keep the top on and pour it through the feeder tube. If you’re using a stand mixer, keep the mixer on low and drizzle it in. If you’re doing it by hand, just pour it in a little at a time, mixing as you go.
The goal is to mix the dough as little as possible. You just want it to come together and be raggy looking. That’s what helps create all those fabulous layers in your finished biscuit.
Your dough should look about like this:
How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits: Cut the biscuits
Toss a little flour on a large cutting board or your counter, like this:
Gather up your dough and press it into a rough ball. Put the dough on your board.
With your hands, smoosh the dough down until it’s flat.
You want it to be about a half-an-inch thick.
Cut your biscuits starting at the edge of the dough. I used a big cutter, so the biscuits would be a good size for sandwiches.
Pick the cutter up, dough and all. Pop the cut biscuit out gently.
Set the biscuit on your prepared sheet pan.
Repeat with the rest of the dough.
When you can’t get any more biscuits out of this pass of the dough, round up the scraps.
Press them together into a ball, and smoosh the dough flat again.
Keep doing this until you’ve used up almost all your dough.
When you get to the last blob of dough, smoosh it just flat enough so you can trim the edges off with the cutter.
How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits: Bake the biscuits
Pop the the pan into your preheated 450 degree oven. Bake the biscuits for 10-12 minutes, until they’re poofy and golden brown on top.
After about 6 minutes, they should be puffing up nicely (but still look raw on the edges):
They’re done when they’re golden brown on top.
Wait, wait! What about that bacon and cheese thing at the top?
Sure thing.
How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits: Bacon in the oven
I’ve talked to more than a few folks who are surprised that I make bacon in the oven. It’s really easy, the bacon stays flat, and it keeps your stove top from getting splattered with grease.
I learned this working at a restaurant, and have never fried bacon on the stove since.
Line a sheet pan twice with foil. Lay the bacon out flat and evenly.
Use as many slices of bacon as you like. A few rashers will cook just as well as a whole pound.
Pop the pan in your 450 degree oven with your biscuits.
The bacon will take maybe 13-18 minutes to cook, depending on how crispy you like it. Just keep a good eye on it as it bakes.
I yanked mine out after maybe 15 minutes, when it was nice and crisp�but not completely crunchy.
When it comes out of the oven, it’ll be swimming in fat.
Nestle the bacon in between layers of paper towels on a plate. This will help blot off the excess grease.
How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits: Make a bacon & cheese biscuit sandwich
Slice a hot biscuit in half. Break up two slices of bacon and put them on your biscuit. If you like, you could fry an egg quickly and add it in.
Break up a slice of cheese on top of the bacon.
Top with the other half of the biscuit.
The heat from the hot bacon and biscuit should be enough to melt the cheese. If it’s not, pop it in the microwave, toaster oven, or regular oven ’til it’s done to your liking.
Enjoy!
***
Copyright 2008-2009 The Hungry Mouse�/Jessica B. Konopa. All rights reserved.
23 Comments on “How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits”
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yummmmmmmy! Bet that warmed the Angry Chef right up!
Hehe, thanks…it totally did!
We got more than a foot of snow here, which adds up quickly once the plows start pushing it around…
+Jessie
These sound fabulous—and I haven’t even been shoveling snow! You’re exactly right about the tang the buttermilk brings to the party. We love to use buttermilk in mashed potatoes for the same reason.
A FOOT!? wow… all we got from that storm was rain… and more rain… and some more rain! Want to send some of that down to PA? At least you’ll have a white Christmas!
These biscuits look delicious!
Biscuits is one of my favorite things to eat, especially with gravy, country fried steaks and eggs. It’s my 1200kcal breakfast that I do every once in a while. And you are right, being how easy it is to make, it’s hard to believe people buy the instant stuff….
I too cook my bacon in the oven but with a rack and a parchment paper under the rack atop the sheet pan. Scrubbing the rack is kind of annoying but the bacon comes out perfect every time with no hassle of turning.
I need to get me a biscuit cutter, I can sure use a variety of size in my kitchen
I have never been able to accomplish a “high” biscuit”. My mom makes these all the time and I guess its about time I get trying these again following your instructions! I love the bacon and cheese thing. Yumm.
BTW, we got more than a foot of snow too and they are calling for MORE! BUT then the forecast for Christmas eve is RAIN? Man. I wish it would decide what to do here!
Hi Jessie! This is the same recipe I use for biscuts, and it’s never failed me once. I also put bacon in the oven instead of frying on the stovetop. So much easier! Instead of draining the grease though, I put it in a container in my fridge, that way I can use that in place of oil in some recipes (so much better). Yum!
amazing photos! I have tried making biscuits once and they didn’t come out as good. I must try your method!
Gosh, they look every bit as good as they sound. Spectacular and perfect for a snowy day. Love this post!
These look like some incredible biscuits, I must say.
Thanks, all!
Terry–Buttermilk in mashed potatoes! You’re a genius!
Zena–Oh, I should have mentioned that about the bacon fat! I totally keep mine in a jar in the fridge, too. Bacon fat makes the best fried potatoes…
+Jessie
wow….those biscuits look heavenly. I wish I could make them….but hubby and I are on a much needed diet…sigh….hafta keep my salivating mouth at bay for now…ciao.
Hi,
I am from Singapore. I would like to find out whether this biscuit can be used for ” Monkey Bread”? Thank you.
My goodness, that looks amazing. You do know yours is the best cooking blog in the blogosphere, right?
Thank you, I always wanted to know how to make buttermilk biscuits!
Awww, shucks, honey. So very nice of you to say. I’m honored.
Also, you should totally give these biscuits a whirl. They’re so good!
+Jessie
I knew I should have eaten breakfast before logging on this morning…I’m now drooling and my stomach is growling. yum yum!!
Hi
Thanks for the recipe, we loved these biscuits when we visited USA last week
on holiday and are looking forward to using your recipe to make them in the UK!!
Thanks again
Jane
Hey,
Does this recipe work with whole wheat flour? Do the biscuits fluff up as well?
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I just came across this. I made them this morning for my husband. He started looking for the can these came out of because of how well they looked and tasted. I will def. be using this recipe again!! Thanks!!!
I’ve tried making biscuits before, but they usually end up being hard like “sea biscuits” instead of nice and fluffy. I’ll try this recipe out soon. Your recipes are usually geared for a small crowd and I have 12 living in my house right now so I will have to double or triple the recipe. Have you ever had a problem with doing that? Does the recipe come out the same?
You can definitely double or triple it, just be sure not to knead the dough too much. Let me know how it goes!
Jessie