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
Scale
- 3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1–1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 20 tablespoons (2–1/2 sticks) butter, two sticks frozen + 4 tablespoons reserved for brushing on biscuits
- 1–1/4 cups cold buttermilk
- Flaky sea salt, for topping
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Coat the two frozen sticks of butter in the flour mixture, then grate both directly into the bowl on the large holes of a box grater. Toss gently with a fork to combine.
- Add the cold buttermilk to the flour mixture and fold together with the fork until just combined. The dough will look very dry; this is correct! Throughout the process, until the last 1-2 turns, the dough will look dry and wrong. Don’t worry!
- Liberally dust the counter with flour; turn the dough out and dust the surface lightly with flour. Press the dough into a 8-inch square.
- Pat or roll the dough into a 12 x 9-inch rectangle with the short side facing you. Starting at the bottom of the dough nearest you, fold it into thirds like a business letter. Use a bench scraper to help you pick up any extra bits of dough on the counter to put them back on the dough mass and to fold and shape.
- Turn the dough 90 degrees, and repeat the process in Step 2 four more times for a total of five folds. After the last set of folds, cut the dough in half across the middle and stack one of the halves on top of the other; this will add even more buttery layers to the biscuits. Pat the dough into an 8-1/2-inch square about 1 inch thick. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator. Chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
- Adjust the oven rack to the upper-middle position, then preheat the oven to 4oo°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and trim off the bare minimum amount of dough around all four sides that exposes the layers with a bench scraper, about 1/4-inch. You can bake these scraps with the biscuits for a little chef’s treat. Cut the dough into 9 equal square biscuits, flouring the bench scraper if needed. The biscuits might look a little small but will expand during baking.
- Melt the reserved butter and brush the tops; you should use about half. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheet pan halfway through the baking time, until the tops are golden brown. Let cool for 10–15 minutes; before serving, brush with any remaining butter.
Notes
Inspiration: Ultimate Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits on americastestkitchen.com (original recipe behind a paywall)
- Category: Bread-y Things, Rolls & Biscuits