Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

Close up front shot of homemade southern biscuits on a baking sheet

5 from 1 vote

These tall and flakey Southern buttermilk biscuits are just like Grandma used to make! Learn how to make these old-fashioned biscuits, plus tons of pro-tips for delicious biscuits every time.

Course Side Dish, Sides

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword buttermilk biscuits, homemade biscuits, southern biscuits

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 12

Chilling Time 10

Total Time 32

Servings biscuits

Calories 241kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (I prefer White Lily brand)
4 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons salted butter, diced into small pieces and chilled, plus about 2 tablespoons of melted butter for brushing tops
2 tablespoons shortening, diced into small pieces and chilled (or sub with lard)
¾ - 1 cup cold buttermilk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Use a pastry cutter or two forks to cut the butter and shortening into the flour mixture until incorporated and the mixture resembles coarse meal. You will still see flakes of butter and shortening throughout, which is good!
Gradually add the buttermilk, stirring with a wooden spoon until a fairly wet, sticky dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 1 minute (folding the dough back over on itself), adding flour to the counter and your hands, as necessary, to prevent sticking. Pat to ¾-inch thickness. Use a biscuit cutter to cut out rounds (I use either a 2 or 2 ½ -inch cutter). Firmly press the cutter down into the dough, but do not twist. Twisting the biscuit cutter seals off the edges of the biscuits and they therefore will not rise as high.
Arrange biscuits (with sides touching) on the parchment-lined baking sheet or in a parchment-lined round cake pan. Place the tray of biscuits in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes (if you have time) to chill before popping them in the oven. Brush the tops of the biscuits with a little bit of the melted butter.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Brush the tops with additional melted butter and serve warm.

Notes

My dad taught me that you can freeze the butter and shortening, and then grate the frozen fat into the dry ingredients using a box grater. This is a nice alternative to a pastry cutter, because it helps the fat stay really cold and it automatically creates the little flakes of fat throughout the dough.

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