Today is National Buttermilk Biscuit Day! All that know me well, know I love to make and teach others how to make biscuits. I help with a mentoring-in-the-kitchen ministry at my church called “Tasting Grace.” Our purpose is to teach the joy of biblical hospitality, serving others in the love of Christ.
So today I am going to share my tried and true recipe here, with pictures. It’s an easy recipe with only three simple ingredients. The more you make them, your confidence will grow. That’s what my Granny always told me, and she taught me how many years ago.
Three Simple Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of White Lily self-rising flour
1 cup of Whole Buttermilk
1 stick of Frozen Butter (I use salted)
Makes between 8-12 biscuits depending on the size of your biscuit cutter!
NOTE: You will need a little extra flour to keep your hands “dusted” during the folding process; and some extra butter to melt for the finished biscuits. About a half-stick will do!
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and lightly grease (I use Crisco) a cast iron skillet. I love the Lodge 10.5″ griddle pictured here. I’ve seen them at Walmart and hardware stores too.
Measure the self-rising flour into a large bowl. I love to use clear glass bowls for all my baking prep.
Using the larger holes of a box grater, grate the stick of frozen butter and then pour into the bowl of flour. Work quickly now to mix the flour and butter together. I call it “pinching in” the butter for even distribution. You don’t want to handle it too much or cause the butter to melt.
Pour in the 1 cup of buttermilk and mix well. I use my hand, but you may use a spatula if you prefer.
Mix just until everything starts to “come together.” DO NOT OVERWORK THIS BEAUTIFUL DOUGH!
Now dust your hands with some of the extra flour and turn the sticky dough out onto a piece of parchment paper (or your counter if you don’t mind the mess)!
Pat the dough into a nice rectangle about the size of a piece of notebook paper, about 1/2″ thick. (Not shown in picture.)
Pay close attention to the next two steps – this is the FOLDING technique and creates the wonderful layers in your biscuits. First, fold the dough in thirds. See the picture? Fold the right side in and then the left. (Not shown in the picture – just fold the left side in! You’ve got this!)
Now take your folded dough rectangle and fold it again, this time in half!
After you’ve folded into thirds and then halves, smooth your dough into a beautiful nice rectangle about 1″ thick and the size of a piece of notebook paper.
But once again, don’t “handle” the dough too much!
Now take your biscuit cutter or a smooth glass, and dip it in some extra flour. Go STRAIGHT DOWN and UP. No twisting or turning. Just up and out.
Place the biscuits close together on your greased skillet.
Take your extra dough and shape it back into a rectangle again so you can cut out the rest of the biscuits.
Remember, don’t work the dough too much. You may have to just roll the last one out with your hands!
Put your skillet into the pre-heated hot oven and bake the biscuits 15-18 minutes, until lightly browned. Mine are perfect at about 17 minutes in my oven.
Remove the skillet from the oven and brush the tops with melted butter.
This recipe doubles easily, but I don’t do that unless I’m feeding a crowd! I hope you enjoy trying my recipe and will let me know if you make them.
Blessings on your beautiful buttermilk biscuit making.
Gran Jan
Currently on my 2nd batch of these biscuits. I have ALWAYS struggled making buttermilk biscuits until now! They are so good. I don’t roll and cut mine. I go lazy and just hand ball and flatten in the skillet before I put in the oven.
Good for you Laura! I love to hand roll them too, or “pinch and pat” as my Granny used to say. Thank you for posting! Made me so happy!
Hey Jan, If I only have White Lily all-purpose flour, will that work as well?
Crista – Great question! You must use self-rising flour for biscuits. However, if all you have is all-purpose flour, you need to add 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt PER cup! So for my recipe of 2 1/2 cups of self-rising flour – you would add 3 3/4 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 plus one 1/8 teaspoon of salt.
I’m glad you are making homemade biscuits!
Jan
Hi! These biscuits are SO delicious and this is my second time making them! My family loves them! Thank you so much for the recipe!!
Romans 15:13
Ashley – I am so happy to hear that your family loved the biscuits! It is my joy to share my recipes. I hope you keep making them!!!
Jan
Is the salt used in biscuit dough salted or unsalted?
I use salted butter for everything 🙂 Good question!
Jan,
These biscuits are amazing!! Joe approved too! Thank you for sharing your timeless treasures and wisdom!!
Kim
Kim! Thank you. So glad you commented here and that Joe liked the biscuits too. They are good but you know what? Cornbread is my favorite.
Thanks Gran Jan! I just discovered you (from Beth Moore) and am excited to try these recipes! I made the biscuits today but we’ll see how my first attempt was. They are in the oven now. Either way, I’ll keep trying. ☺️ I have wanted to learn how to make biscuits so thank you for sharing your beautiful recipe.
You are so welcome Karla! I hope they turned out well and wish you many buttermilk biscuit blessings.
Can I freeze the biscuits prior to baking for further use?
Karla: Yes you can! After you cut them out, “flash freeze” the biscuits by placing them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. After a couple of hours and they are frozen, you can store them in the freezer in gallon-sized freezer bags or an airtight container. I would date the bag/container and use them within 3 months. ☺️
So excited to try this recipe!!! THANK YOU and thank you Beth Moore for the arrow pointing me to Jan!!!
It’s a family favorite for sure. My oldest son ate 4 last weekend when he was here. Made me so happy.
Hi Jan, I want to make these wonderful looking biscuits but have not been able to find this brand of flour where I lived. What brand can I use instead?
White Lily is mostly found in the Southeastern USA but I know you can order it from WalMart and Kroger. I’ve heard of others using Gold Medal flour and King Arthur, or Bob’s Red Mill. I’m a fourth-generation White Lily flour user, so I can’t speak to any other brand. I’m sure you will do fine with any good quality self-rising flour. Thank you for checking in!
You can also order the flour off Amazon! ☺️
Good to know! Thank you!
Do you sift the flour?
Sara – Great question! I do not sift the flour. White Lily is so fine, it isn’t necessary. The important thing is to be consistent with how you measure your flour. I do not “dip” my measuring cup into the bag. I have a container for my flour that I use. “Spoon and level” is the way I do it. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then level it off with a knife. That way my biscuits are consistently good 🙂 because I use the same amount each time. It really matters! So however you do it – and if they turn out great, do it the same way the next time and the next.
I can only find 2% low-fat buttermilk where I live. Should I use more butter if that’s all I have or keep the recipe as is with the replacement? Thanks!
Lisa: Great question! Keep the recipe as is – the liquid should be just the 1 cup of buttermilk! That 2% will be okay! So glad you are going to make these biscuits. I made a batch this past weekend and my oldest son was visiting. He ate FOUR! 🙂 Made me so happy.
Thank you! I can’t wait to make these Saturday!
I hope they turned out well for you! They are sure a blessing to make 🙂