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Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

Homemade from scratch with 4 ingredients. Flaky outside. Tender inside. Recipe has helpful tips. Perfect for beginners. Original recipe by King Arthur Flour. Adjusted recipe and photography by Beverly Davis for CornbreadMillionaire.com.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time14 minutes
Total Time39 minutes
Servings: 10 biscuits

Ingredients

  • no-stick cooking spray to grease baking dish Or use parchment paper.
  • 2 cups self-rising flour, sifted
  • 4 tablespoons shortening, chilled Or use 4 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter, shredded or thinly sliced.
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk, cold Plus about 3 tablespoons. Use to brush tops of biscuits to help them brown.
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted To brush tops of BAKED biscuits before serving.

Instructions

Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

  • Preheat oven o 425 degrees.
  • Spray an 8-inch baking dish or skillet with no-stick cooking spray, OR grease with a teaspoon of shortening OR line with parchment paper.

FOOD PROCESSOR METHOD

  • Pour self-rising flour (sifted) in bowl of a food processor fitted with metal blade. Drop COLD shortening (or cubed COLD butter) over flour mixture. Pulse just until mixture forms pea-sized chunks.
  • Pour buttermilk over the pea-sized chunks. Stir until well-blended and a soft, sticky dough is formed. Avoid over mixing (causes tough biscuits). See recipe notes if using shredded COLD butter.
  • Scoop small rounds of dough. Roll into a ball (size of tennis ball). Flatten into a small circle. Repeat 10 times or until all dough is used.
  • Place biscuits in prepared baking dish, leaving about 1" between them for crisp biscuits. OR, arrange biscuits so they're barely touching for soft-sided biscuits. Brush with melted butter.
  • Bake the biscuits for 10 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven. For dark brown biscuits, brush with buttermilk and place under broiler for 1-2 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent burning.

HAND METHOD

  • Place self-rising flour (sifted) and COLD shortening in a large bowl. Combine with fingers OR cut in shortening with a fork until mixture forms pea-sized chunks.
  • A fork or pastry cutter or more effective when using cubed or shredded COLD butter.
  • Pour buttermilk over the pea-sized chunks. Stir until well-blended and a soft, sticky dough is formed. Avoid over mixing (causes tough biscuits).
  • To form each biscuit, scoop a small round of dough. Roll into a ball (size of tennis ball). Flatten into a small circle. Repeat 10 times or until all dough is used.
  • Place biscuits in prepared baking dish, leaving about 1" between them for crisp biscuits. OR arrange biscuits so they're barely touching for soft-sided biscuits. Brush with melted butter.
  • Bake the biscuits for 10 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven. For dark brown biscuits, brush with buttermilk and place under broiler for 1-2 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent burning.
  • Remove from oven. Let stand 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

Notes

All-Purpose Flour