These biscuits are heaven: buttery and flaky, perfectly sweet and salty, with crisp edges and tender centers. Find two keys to success below as well as video and step-by-step photo guidance.

Just-baked buttermilk biscuits on a cooling rack.

In her book A Good Bake, Melissa Weller describes these buttermilk biscuits as “soft and flaky, rich with butter, and with a lot of layers you can see from the sides.”

This description is spot on. When broken apart from end to end, they open accordion-style, each pleat flaking into the next. The exterior is crisp and caramelized, and the tops are a little sweet thanks to a sprinkling of turbinado sugar. They are truly perfection, heavenly on their own, but even better with a pat more of salted butter. What isn’t?

The key to success here is twofold:

  1. Use cold butter and buttermilk. Making biscuits is not unlike making pie dough. Using cold ingredients, working quickly, and not overworking the dough is important. You can use a pastry cutter to quickly cut the butter into the dry ingredients or you can use the food processor (see recipe box for details).
  2. Roll and fold the dough. After the dough is mixed, you’ll roll it into a rectangle, fold it envelope style, turn it 90 degrees; then repeat this process twice more. This folding and rolling technique creates those desirable visible and flaky layers. Find video guidance above and below.

How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits, Step by Step

Gather your ingredients: only six! Flour, butter, buttermilk, salt, sugar, baking powder.

Ingredients to make buttermilk biscuits on a countertop.

Whisk together the dry ingredients.

A bowl of flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder mixed together.

Add the cold, cubed butter.

A large bowl of dry ingredients plus slices of butter.

Cut the butter in using a pastry cutter or the back of a fork. You also could do this in the food processor.

Butter cut into small pieces into a flour mixture a large bowl.

Add the buttermilk …

Adding buttermilk to a bowl of dry ingredients and butter.

… and stir to combine.

Biscuit dough mixed in a bowl.

You may need to knead the dough briefly with your hands to get it into a cohesive ball.

Mixed biscuit dough in a bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and pat into a square.

A block of biscuit dough on a countertop.

Roll out into a 14-inch long rectangle.

Biscuit dough rolled out to 14 inches long.

Fold the top third down.

Folded biscuit dough on the counter top.

Fold the bottom third up.

Folded biscuit dough on the counter top.

Turn the block 90 degrees.

Folded biscuit dough on the counter top.

You’ll repeat this rolling-and-folding proces twice more.

Folded biscuit dough on the counter top.

After the third set of fold, pat the dough into a square.

A square of biscuit dough.

Cut the square into 9 equal pieces.

A block of biscuit dough cut into 9 squares.

Transfer the squares to a sheet pan and chill for 30 minutes.

Cut biscuits on a sheet pan.

Then brush with a little more buttermilk and sprinkle with turbinado sugar if you wish.

Cut unbaked biscuits on a sheet pan topped with buttermilk and turbinado sugar.

transfer to the oven and bake until golden, 25-30 minutes.

Just-baked biscuits.

Look at those layers…

Just baked buttermilk biscuits on a sheet pan.

… irresistible.

Flaky buttermilk biscuit on a sheet pan.
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Just baked buttermilk biscuits on a sheet pan.

Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

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Description

These biscuits are heaven: buttery and flaky, perfectly sweet and salty, with crisp edges and tender centers. When broken apart from end to end, they open accordion-style, each pleat flaking into the next.

Adapted from Melissa Weller’s A Good Bake

Notes:

As always, for best results, use a scale to measure. 

I have made a few small changes to Melissa’s recipe:

  • I’m using a teensy bit more salt and baking powder.
  • I’m using all-purpose flour exclusively as opposed to a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat pastry flour.
  • I sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar, because I love that salty-sweet dynamic.
  • When I use something like Kate’s buttermilk, which is on the thin side, I use 1 cup of buttermilk. When I use thicker buttermilk (like Argyle Cheese Farmer, if you are local), I use about 1/4 cup (60 grams) more buttermilk. So, depending on the thickness of the buttermilk, you may need more or less. I suggest starting with 1 cup and if when you are incorporating the buttermilk into the butter-flour mixture the mixture feels dry, add more buttermilk by the tablespoon until the dough comes together. 
  • To make homemade buttermilk: Fill a measuring cup with 300 grams (1.25 cups) of milk 2% or whole preferably, add 1.5 tablespoons vinegar or fresh lemon juice. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Give it a stir; then use. 
  • If you find the bottoms of your biscuits are browning too quickly, you can place another sheet pan beneath the one the biscuits are on — this will provide extra insulation and prevent overbrowning. 

Ingredients

For the biscuits:

  • 2.75 cups  (355 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons (9 g) baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons (9 g) sugar
  • 1.5 teaspoons sea salt or 2 teaspoons kosher salt (10 g)
  • 16 tablespoons (226 g) cold cubed butter, salted or unsalted 
  • 1 to 1.25 cups buttermilk (240 to 300 g), see notes above

For finishing:

  • 2 tablespoons (32 g) buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon (16 g) turbinado sugar, optional

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Add the butter and use the back of a fork or a pastry cutter to “cut” the butter into the dry ingredients. The butter should be the size of peas in the end. You can also do this in the food processor: pulse ten times at 1-second intervals.
  2. Add the buttermilk, starting with 1 cup (240 grams) and adding more as necessary, and stir with a spatula to combine. You may need to knead the dough briefly with your hands to help the dough form a cohesive ball, but go light — you do not want to overmix here.
  3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat into a 6-inch square (roughly). Dust a rolling pin with flour, and roll the square into a 14-inch long rectangle. Fold the top third down. Fold the bottom third up. Rotate the dough 90 degrees. Repeat this rolling and folding process twice more. After the final set of folds, pat the dough into a 6-8 inch square. Use a bench scraper or knife to cut the dough into 9 equal portions.
  4.  Place a rack in the upper third of the oven, and heat it to 400ºF. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Transfer the portioned biscuit dough to the sheet pan and transfer it to the fridge for 30 minutes. Brush the tops of the biscuits with buttermilk and, if you wish, sprinkle with turbinado sugar. 
  5. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the biscuits to a cooling rack immediately. 

Notes

3 Ways to Make These Biscuits Ahead of Time (Fridge/Freezer)

  1. You can freeze the baked and completely cooled biscuits in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw them overnight at room temperature. Reheat them at 350ºF for 15 minutes before serving.
  2. You can transfer the unbaked portioned biscuits (or the square of biscuit dough) to the fridge for as long as 2 days.
  3. You can freeze the unbaked portioned biscuits. Freeze the cut biscuits (without the buttermilk wash or sugar topping) on a sheet pan. Once frozen, transfer to an airtight bag or vessel and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake them directly from the freezer — apply the buttermilk wash and sugar to the frozen biscuits — then transfer to the oven. The biscuits will need a few more minutes so rely on visual cues: golden tops and bottoms.
  • Prep Time: 60 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Bread
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American