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Aunt Bee's 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits

Name: Aunt Bee's 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 34 min
Ingredients: 2 cups self-rising flour; ¼ cup very cold butter, cut into pats, plus additional for brushing; ⅔ - ¾ cup buttermilk

Lasted edited November 26, 2020. Originally published November 26, 2020 by Blair

Aunt Bee’s easy 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits are flaky, buttery and ready for the oven in 10 minutes!

Total Time: 34 minutes

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You won't believe how flaky, buttery, and easy Aunt Bee's 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits are! The freezer-friendly treats come together in about 10 minutes, and offer a perfect solution for your next weekend brunch, for a side with that warm bowl of soup, or in a bread basket with a tender roasted chicken. This versatile recipe is one that you'll turn to time and time again!

Easy Biscuit Recipe

My great Aunt Bee never steers me wrong -- especially in the kitchen -- and these easy homemade biscuits are no exception! Aunt Bee has hosted many Southern ladies for lunches and brunches over the years, so when she says that a biscuit recipe is easy and delicious, I don't question it.

These particular buttermilk biscuits are especially quick and easy, thanks to 3 simple ingredients: self-rising flour, buttermilk and butter. With a few simple tricks, you'll achieve the perfect biscuit combination: crispy and golden brown on the outside, but tender and light on the inside. Aunt Bee's biscuits are puffy and tall, not dense or flat, and exhibit that hard-to-achieve cross between a tender crumb and flaky layers.

How to Make Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits with Self-Rising Flour

I love classic Southern Buttermilk Biscuits, but when I want a beautiful, thick, fluffy, and easy biscuit ready to serve in about 30 minutes, this is the recipe that I turn to! If you don't have self-rising flour on hand, or if you don't have buttermilk on hand, don't worry -- you can still make these biscuits. I'll share some simple substitutes below, so don't miss those tips!

Ingredients

Self-rising flour: a common pantry staple in most Southern households, self-rising flour is simply flour with the baking powder and a bit of salt already added. It's traditionally made from a softer, lower protein version of all-purpose flour, which yields tender, flaky biscuits.
Butter: I prefer salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter if you have it on hand. You can also substitute with shortening or lard for half of the butter.
Buttermilk: for its acidity, as well as its fat and liquid content. In conjunction with the leavening agents, the acidity helps the biscuits rise. The buttermilk also gives the biscuits a nice, subtle tanginess and a tender crumb. Keep the buttermilk nice and cold before adding it to the dough!

First, cut the very cold butter into the flour using a pastry cutter or forks.

You want the little pieces of butter to look like large peas -- that's when you know it's ready.

Then stir in your very cold buttermilk, adding small amounts at a time, until a soft dough forms.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead the dough for 1 minute (folding it over on itself). This process will help add those flaky layers to the biscuits. Feel free to flour your hands and the countertop, as necessary, to prevent the dough from sticking.

Then pat the dough to ¾-inch thickness and use a biscuit cutter to cut out rounds. Here I used a 1-½-inch round biscuit cutter to yield small biscuits; however, you can use a 2-inch or 2 ½-inch cutter for larger biscuits. Whatever you prefer!

Place the biscuits in a round baking pan that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure that the biscuits are touching in the pan (this helps them rise nice and tall, with soft sides and crispy tops)!

Chill the biscuits in the refrigerator or freezer for about 5-10 minutes before baking (but not longer than that). Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter, and then place the cold biscuits in a 425 degree F oven. Bake for about 14-15 minutes, or until the biscuits are cooked through and golden brown. Brush with melted butter again and serve!

What to Serve with Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

Biscuits are a staple in many homes because they're so versatile! Serve them on their own for breakfast with butter and honey, honey butter, jam, or apple butter. Add eggs on the side, use them to make an egg sandwich with sausage, bacon or cheese, or stir up a skillet of sausage gravy. In Virginia, country ham biscuits are a classic snack or meal at any time of day!

On the dinner table, here are a few entrées that go well with buttermilk biscuits:

As I mentioned above, it's okay if you don't have buttermilk or self-rising flour on hand. Here are a few solutions when you need your biscuit-fix fast...

How to Make Buttermilk at Home

You can make 1 cup of homemade buttermilk by using regular milk + either lemon juice or white vinegar. To do so, pour 1 cup of regular milk into a small bowl. Add either 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice or 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Give it a stir, let it sit for about 5 minutes, and then use it in the recipe as directed!

How to Make Self-Rising Flour

If you don't have a bag of self-rising flour in your pantry, that's no problem. You can make 1 cup of self-rising flour by placing 1 cup of all-purpose flour in a bowl. Whisk in 1 teaspoon of baking powder and ¼ teaspoon of salt.

This recipe calls for 2 cups of self-rising flour, so you would need to combine 2 cups of all-purpose flour with 2 teaspoons of baking powder and ½ teaspoon of salt.

Make Ahead

While they're best served warm, straight-from-the-oven, you can bake the biscuits up to 3 days in advance and store in an airtight container at room temperature. Reheat day-old biscuits by placing them on a baking sheet in a 300 degree F oven for about 10 minutes.

How to Freeze Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

Allow the biscuits to cool to room temperature, then wrap tightly in an airtight container or Ziploc freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter overnight or in the microwave for a few seconds. Reheat in the oven as instructed above.

Recipe Variations

Lard or Shortening. You can replace 2 tablespoons of the butter with 2 tablespoons of either shortening or lard. While butter has more flavor, the shortening or lard will give the biscuits and even lighter, puffier texture.
Add Cheese. Grated cheddar cheese is a delicious addition to the biscuit dough.
Herbs. Mix in chopped fresh parsley, basil, or chives for a bright, savory addition.
Brush with garlic butter.

Tips for the Best Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe

Keep the ingredients COLD. It's really important for the butter and buttermilk to stay as cold as possible. You want those little pieces of butter to melt in the oven, releasing steam and reacting with the leavening to form bubbles of carbon dioxide, which help the biscuits rise a mile high!
Grate Frozen Butter. My dad always freezes his butter and grates it into the dry ingredients, rather than cutting it in with a pastry cutter or forks. Feel free to use that trick to keep your butter really cold, too!
Knead the Dough. By folding the dough over itself (or "laminating") for about a minute, you'll add those nice flaky layers to the biscuits. No need for any fancy process or technique -- just push out, fold back over on itself, and repeat. Don't do this for too long, though, or you'll get the dough too warm.
Don't Twist the Biscuit Cutter. Firmly press the cutter down into the dough, but don't actually twist. Twisting the biscuit cutter seals off the edges of the biscuits and they therefore will not rise as high.
Arrange the Biscuits with Sides Touching. Place the biscuits in the round pan so that they're all touching their neighbors. This will help them "climb" in the oven so that you get that great, tall lift!
Keep the Dough Cold. I'll say it again -- the key to tall, fluffy and puffy biscuits is cold ingredients. That's why I like to place the cut biscuit dough back in the refrigerator or freezer for about 5-10 minutes just before baking.

More Biscuit Recipes You'll Love

Grandma's Sweet Potato Biscuits: an old-fashioned treat that's perfect on a holiday table!
Drop Biscuits: no cutting or rolling necessary!
Classic Southern Buttermilk Biscuits: these mile-high biscuits are made with butter and shortening.
Cheddar Bay Biscuits: these buttermilk drop biscuits are just like Red Lobster's. Perfect with a seafood supper or a bowl of soup!

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