Welcome to my unintentional carb-loaded week of recipes! I accidentally planned all bread-y things for this week’s recipes…sorry, not sorry. I LOVE CARBS. These buttermilk biscuits are the best way to imbibe in said carbs…at least for today. I’m sure I can find a new, equally delicious way to eat them tomorrow.This biscuit recipe comes from Bon Appétit as part of their BA’s Best series, which is a mouth-watering collection of the best versions of classic recipes that everyone needs to know how to make. I will make every last one of these recipes before I die.These are ultra-flaky, sky-high biscuits with layers upon layers of buttery, tender dough. They bake up to crispy, golden-brown salty goodness and a perfect for anything from biscuits and gravy to what-will-probably-be-the-best breakfast sandwich of your life. They’re so flaky that you can literally just pull them apart to open up for buttering or filling with eggs, bacon, sausage or whatever else floats your boat. I love to make these as big, square biscuits because they’re the perfect size to get your fill, and are a great shape for making into breakfast sandwiches. You’ll get six big biscuits if you cut them this way, but you can definitely go the more traditional route and cut them into smaller circles; you’ll probably get 10 to 12 smaller biscuits. These also freeze so well, so you can make a full batch and throw a few in the freezer for whenever the biscuit need strikes you. Bake straight from the freezer (no need to thaw!) but add a few more minutes to the baking time.This dough is unique because it employs a stacking technique to create tons of layers; bakers use a folding technique similar to this to laminate pastry doughs (think puff pastry). You’ll layer several sections of dough on top of each other, press down and pat or roll out to create these flaky layers. I’ve seen more recipes employing either a folding or layering technique as of late, so I think people are finally starting to realize how much better biscuits made this way are versus the old way of yore where dough is made, patted out and cut into biscuits. I prefer my biscuits to just about reach the sky, so I’ll stick with this new and, in my opinion, improved way. These biscuits are just begging you to make them, bake them, fill them, slather them, smother them…but most of all, just eat them!
PrintSky-High Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
- Yield: 6 to 10 biscuits 1x
Description
The best (and only) buttermilk biscuit recipe you’ll ever need! Tons of flaky, buttery layers begging to be pulled part, buttered, slathered, smothered or filled…but most importantly, eaten!
Ingredients
- 2–1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3–1/2 cups (420 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 sticks (1 cup) cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus more melted butter for brushing
- 1 cup cold buttermilk
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
- Coarsely ground fresh pepper, for sprinkling, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the baking powder, salt, baking soda, and 3-1/2 cups flour and pulse to mix. Add the chilled butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal, with pea-sized pieces of butter visible. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and slowly drizzle in the cold buttermilk, tossing with a fork to incorporate. You may have to use your hands a little to combine. Lightly flour a work surface and turn the dough out, dusting the top of the mixture as well. Pat into a 1-inch thick square.
- Cut this square into 4 smaller squares and stack them on top of each other. Press down on this biscuit tower into a 1-inch-thick rectangle and trim around the edges to create a clean border. Cut into 6 large square biscuits or 10 to 12 smaller, round biscuits with a 2-1/2-inch biscuit cutter (or size of your choice! The options are endless.). When cutting the biscuits, make one clean cut straight down; don’t twist the biscuit cutter while cutting or hesitate with the knife. This will ensure the edges of the dough stay open, allowing them to rise and flake when baking. Transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Place the sheet pan in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 400°. Bake until the biscuits are golden brown and crusty, about 20 to 25 minutes. You may need to adjust the baking time if you are baking smaller biscuits.
- You can freeze these biscuits, unbaked, for up to 1 month. Do not thaw before baking, but increase the baking time slightly to accommodate for the frozen biscuits.
Notes
Inspiration: BA’s Best Buttermilk Biscuits on bonappetit.com
- Category: Bread-y Things, Rolls & Biscuits
SmilynStef says
Those look amazing
Amanda says
Thank you! They are so so good!
Rita says
I think in this recipe where it says 1 cup butter (it’s after 2 sticks butter), if should be 1 cup buttermilk. Otherwise, there is no buttermilk in recipe.
Amanda says
Ah yes, you’re right! Thanks for catching my mistake!