Description
This soft and fluffy buttermilk biscuits recipe is perfect for lazy day breakfasts either smeared with butter and drizzled with honey or topped with gravy.
Ingredients
340 grams / 3 cups sifted plain flour
14 grams / 1 tablespoon baking powder
2 grams / 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
160 grams / 5.6 ounces butter, chilled and cubed
250 grams / 1 cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 230C/450F and greaseproof a baking tray.
- Place the sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl and stir to combine.
- Add in the cubed butter and begin cutting it into the flour with a pastry blender or knife until the pieces of butter are no larger than a pea and the mixture resembles course breadcrumbs.
- Make a well in the center and add in the buttermilk.
- Stir the buttermilk through the flour mixture until no dry patches remain and the dough looks shaggy.
- Press the shaggy dough into the edges of your bowl to form the dough and upturn onto a work surface.
- Press firmly together and shape into a rough square with your hands.
- Cut the dough in half with a bench scraper and lay one half on top of the other.
- Press down firmly and lightly flour the bench scraper, press the edges of the dough to shape into a square.
- Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll out into a rectangle that is 1 1/2 inches thick.
- Cut into 9 equal squares and place on your baking tray.
- Brush the milk over the top of the biscuits.
- Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until really golden on top and the edges.
- Remove and allow to cool.
- Serve warm, with butter, peach jam or drizzles of honey.
Notes
The great lard/butter debate: Traditional recipes for biscuits call for lard which is not as frequent an ingredient found in homes nowadays. Additionally, some bakers who have made traditional biscuits with either ingredient cannot tell a large difference in the final result which means that if you have lard on hand, simply sub the butter in this recipe in equal measure.
Keep your ingredients chilled: When preparing the butter, it’s best to measure out and cube into equal portions and return to the fridge until required, this helps in the final result of fluffy and layered biscuits.
Serving your buttermilk biscuits with gravy: If you want to make more traditional biscuits and gravy, Sawmill Gravy is a great and traditional place to start as this is often the way they are served in the South and this recipe is a great one to top your biscuits with.
Best served: Biscuits are best served the day they are made, but will keep covered for up to 3 days, however, will be better served toasted at this time.
Adapted from Edna Lewis via New York Times
Nutrition
- Calories: 279 calories per plain biscuit
Keywords: southern recipes, flaky biscuits