This Southern-style light and flaky biscuit recipe yields fluffy, buttery treats that rise a mile high, creating layers upon layers of old-fashioned goodness.
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Oh my these are the most fantastic biscuits! I usually fail making biscuits not with this recipe, I followed your directions to the letter & they were perfect. Flaky, tall, tender!
– Annette
How to Make this Flaky Biscuit Recipe | 2-Minute Video
Buttery flaky biscuits made a regular appearance on our weekend breakfast table when I was growing up. Both my mom and my dad perfected their recipe over the years, using a juice glass to pop out the round little gems on a floured countertop before church on Sundays. Today, I serve biscuits to my own family at least once a week — most often in the bread basket at dinner. No matter which entrée I’m offering, I know that the boys won’t go to bed hungry if these flaky biscuits are on the menu!
What to Know Before You Get Started
- I prefer an extra-fine soft winter wheat flour made by White Lily. This low-protein, low-gluten all-purpose flour gives Southern biscuits that perfectly crisp-on-the-outside, light-on-the-inside texture.
- Properly measure the flour. Always spoon and level the flour or weigh it on a kitchen scale — do not scoop it out of the package. Incorrectly measuring the flour packs it too tightly into the measuring cup and results in dense, dry biscuits.
- Very cold ingredients are essential. Biscuits get their light, fluffy texture when cold butter expands in a very hot oven, creating pockets of steam. That’s why this recipe calls for freezing the cut biscuits for about 15 minutes before baking.
- Buttermilk is essential here, since the acid in the buttermilk reacts with the leavening agents to help the biscuits rise. It also tenderizes the dough. I always use whole buttermilk. If you prefer to make your own buttermilk at home, see my notes below.
- Stacking the layers of dough multiple times builds visible layers that are hard to achieve with kneading alone.
- Cutting with a knife or bench scraper avoids the temptation to twist a round biscuit cutter, which is a big “no-no.” Twisting the biscuit cutter seals off the edges of the biscuits and they therefore will not rise as high.
Directions
I’ve included detailed directions for this flaky biscuit recipe in the printable card at the bottom of the post, but here’s the overview:
- Whisk together dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Cut in the cold butter. You can do this with a pastry cutter, with two forks, or with the large holes on a box grater.
- Add buttermilk. The amount of buttermilk that you need will vary, depending on the day. Start with 1 ¼ cups, and then add more if the dough feels too dry and crumbly. If it’s humid or rainy, there’s already moisture in the air and in the flour, so you will likely need less liquid in your dough. On a cold, dry winter day, you may need a bit more buttermilk to bring the dough together.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, and pat into a square.
- Cut the dough into 4 equal squares, stack the squares on top of each other, and repeat the cutting and stacking process a few more times. This process creates those flaky layers that we’re after!
- Cut the dough into 12-16 squares (depending on how large you like them), and arrange the squares on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Freeze the dough for 15 minutes.
- Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter.
- Bake in a 425°F oven for 15-18 minutes.
- Brush the tops of the biscuits with more melted butter, and serve warm.
Serving Suggestions
These buttery flaky biscuits are suitable for just about any meal, at any time of day. Serve them on their own for breakfast with honey butter, blueberry jam, strawberry freezer jam, this blackberry jam recipe, apple butter, or apple butter BBQ sauce. 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. We also love biscuits as a side dish with suppers like this easy red beans and rice recipe, chili, ham and bean soup with canned beans, tuna noodle casserole, chicken corn chowder, chicken pasta casserole, fried chicken, peach chicken, this pork roast recipe, Dutch oven pot roast, Mississippi Pot roast, smoked sausage pasta, crock pot meatballs, slow cooker meatball stroganoff, slow cooker cabbage soup, fried cabbage, sheet pan salmon, oyster stew, Irish stew, crockpot Brunswick stew, beer cheese soup, hamburger potato soup, meatloaf with oatmeal, beef and noodles, and this beef burgundy recipe.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: While they’re best served warm, straight-from-the-oven, you can bake homemade biscuits up to 3 days in advance and store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Reheat day-old biscuits by placing them on a baking sheet in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes.
- How to Freeze: Allow leftovers 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.
- How to Freeze Biscuit Dough: You can freeze the dough before baking the biscuits. After cutting out your biscuits, arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pop the tray in the freezer for an hour or so. Once the biscuits are frozen, transfer them to a gallon-sized freezer bag or airtight container. Store the frozen biscuit dough for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen, adding about 5 extra minutes to the total baking time.
I can make anything, but my biscuits are always just ok. This recipe worked phenomenally and the whole dinner party was raving. Thank you for sharing! I’ll never use a different recipe again.
– Alden
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Flaky Biscuits
Ingredients
- 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour (I prefer White Lily brand)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (2 sticks) very cold salted butter, cubed
- 1 ¼ cups very cold whole buttermilk, plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons melted salted butter, divided
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Add cold butter, toss to coat in the flour. Use a pastry cutter or two forks to cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is the size of peas. Add the buttermilk and stir with a fork just until a shaggy dough comes together. Gradually add a little bit more buttermilk if the dough is too crumbly (it will be fairly dry – not wet and sticky – but it should hold together).
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat into an 8-inch square (about 1-inch thick). Use a bench scraper or large knife to cut the dough into 4 equal squares. Stack the squares on top of each other. Pat or roll into an 8-inch square again. Repeat the procedure two more times, cutting into 4 squares and stacking them on top of each other before rolling into another 8-inch square. Use a large knife or bench scraper coated with flour to cut the dough into 12-16 squares. Arrange about ½-inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Freeze for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Brush the tops of the biscuits with half of the melted butter. Bake until golden brown, about 15-18 minutes. Brush the hot biscuits with the remaining melted butter. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Flaky Biscuit Recipe Variations
- Add cheese. About 1 cup of grated cheddar, Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack would be delicious.
- Stir in diced pimentos and shredded cheese for “pimento cheese” biscuits.
- Add seasonings or herbs. Try a bit of garlic powder, thyme, rosemary, or chives.
- Use a biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter to cut dough into traditional rounds instead of squares.
More Biscuit Recipes to Try
Aunt Bee’s 3-Ingredient Biscuit Recipe
35 minutes mins
Angel Biscuits
2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Sweet Potato Biscuits
33 minutes mins
This recipe was originally published in August, 2021. It was updated in October, 2024.
Halved the recipe (it’s just the two of us!) and discovered I only had heavy cream and powdered buttermilk in the fridge, but I made it work. I really liked the cutting and stacking method!
Thanks, Valerie! I’m glad that you made it work with the ingredients that you had on hand. 🙂
I made these today and they were fantastic. Everyone who had them raved. The only modification I made was with a pinch of msg. Judge if you must. It’s a biscuit game changer.
Thanks, Emily! I hadn’t heard that “secret” ingredient. Good to know! 🙂
We froze the butter sticks then grated the butter on a box grater and mixed with dry ingredients. Followed recipe and ended up with amazing biscuits.
Wonderful! So glad that you enjoyed them, Neil!
Can you freeze the uncooked biscuits the night before and cook the next morning?
Hi, Brad! Yes, that should work well. I wouldn’t thaw them before baking. Just add a couple of extra minutes to the total bake time and bake them directly from frozen. Hope you enjoy!
The biscuits turned out great! Since they were frozen, I had to cover in aluminum foil after about 15 minutes to make sure they were cooked all the way through and not burned on the outside. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad to hear that, Brad! Good thinking to tent them with foil to prevent them from burning. 🙂
I can see which ingredients, but not how much of each ingredient anywhere. Please advise, thank you so much for your help 🙂
Hi, Jill! The ingredient measurements are included in the recipe box at the bottom of the post. I’ve copied and pasted them here, too:
4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour (I prefer White Lily brand)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) very cold salted butter, cubed
1 ¼ cups very cold whole buttermilk, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons melted salted butter, divided
Blair – Your recipe was easy to follow and produced flaky, buttery biscuits! Thank you!!
You’re very welcome, Naomi. We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
How would you suggest to keep the biscuits warm? Wanting to make for Easter brunch- with family arriving at different times, and children running around- I thought perhaps I could make early in the A.M. while everyone is still sleeping…
Hi, Amber! You can definitely bake these in advance and just reheat them when needed. I wouldn’t try to keep them warm for an extended period of time, because they might dry out. You can either serve them at room temp (just keep them in a basket with a towel over them), warm individual biscuits in the microwave for a few seconds when you need them, or reheat a larger batch in the oven at 300 degrees F for about 10 minutes. Have a great Easter!
Oh my these are the most fantastic biscuits!
I usually fail making biscuts not with this recipe, I followed your directions to the letter & they were perfect. Flaky, tall, tender!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I did use another’s suggestion & used my cheese grater & grated my frozen butter & another’s suggestion halved the recipe since it’s only my husband & I.
Thank you, Annette! I’m so happy to hear that!
Thank you for the wonderful recipe for Buttermilk Biscuits. My daughter and her family were coming for their vacation and I make them for supper. I made two batches and my grandson loved them. I think he at them at every meal until they were gone. They were so flaky and moist.
I’m so happy to hear that, Laurel. Thank you for letting me know!
Ive been looking up recipes for flaky biscuits to serve with chicken ala king and your recipe and the pictures look absolutely delicious! I haven’t made them yet but your recipe will be the one I use. Thank you for sharing your recipes. Wishing you a blessed day
Thank you so much, Natalie! Same to you.
I can make anything, but my biscuits are always just ok. This recipe worked phenomenally and the whole dinner party was raving. Thank you for sharing! I’ll never use a different recipe again.
Yay! I’m so glad that they were a success, Alden. Thank you for letting me know!
These are the biscuits I’ve been dreaming of! So delicious and so easy! I made 4 batches in one week because my family is so obsessed with them. Thank you!!
Also I froze a batch, stored in a ziplock freezer bag with parchment to separate. It just added 2-3 minutes to the bake time.
Yay! That makes me so happy to hear, Erin. Thanks for your note!
It’s all in the technique! I loved how your stacking method yielded the flakiest biscuits I’ve ever made. Had to sub all purpose for the white lily and whole milk instead of buttermilk but otherwise kept things the same. Thank you for our new fave biscuit recipe!
Thank you, Lisa! I’m so happy to hear that the biscuits were a success in your kitchen. Thanks for your note!
My absolute favorite biscuit recipe! Light and fluffy. Super flavorful. Delicious every single time.
Yay! That’s so good to hear, Danette! Thank you!
Have you ever made these the night before? Wondering to save some time in the morning if they’d bake the same right out of the freezer or fridge?
We haven’t tested it and can’t guarantee your results. Instead, we recommend baking the biscuits completely and reheating them the next day. They stay fresh for up to 3 days!
These might be the best darn biscuits I’ve ever made and I’ve made a bunch! Really like the cut and stack approach in lieu of the fold over. Layers were almost croissant like and so light and fluffy, they really just melt in your mouth!
Don, you totally made my day! I’m so glad that they were a hit. We love these biscuits, too! 🙂
Fantastic recipe! Best biscuits ever!
Thank you so much!
I haven’t made these yet. I am looking for a biscuit to make a sausage sandwich that I can freeze for my husband to reheat. Have you ever frozen them after baking?
Hi Annette! Yes, this recipe freezes beautifully. Allow leftovers 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.
We hope you enjoy!
My biscuits are coming out hard as ever. What am I doing wrong
The most common reason these come out hard is overworking the dough. Be careful to mix just until combined and shaggy, and keep a close eye on them so as not to overbake. They’ll continue to bake and set slightly as they cool. Hope this helps!
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I’m a late bloomer (66 yrs) cook/baker and like to learn about new recipes. I made these biscuits for my Christmas dinner and they turned out really well. Amazing flavor and flaky as described and buttery. I will make these again!
We’re so glad they turned out well for you, Ruben! Thank you for trying them out and taking the time to leave a review. We hope you had a very merry Christmas!
Very moist. Great with meat, jelly, egg and meat. Held together well.
Thank you! We’re so glad you enjoyed them.