Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits ... Just Like Momma Used To Make

I’m a sucker for southern cooking and a homemade biscuit is a perfect pair for some of my favorite recipes. The golden crisp of the tops and the soft, buttery inside are the ultimate comfort food, in my opinion.

The modest biscuit can be dressed up with additional ingredients to step away from the classic. Dare I mention biscuits and gravy – a southern favorite. All you need is to make sausage gravy and turn those biscuits into a straight-on Southern meal. You can also add meat and cheese like crumbled sausage and sharp cheddar cheese to the dough and create a savory meaty baked good or use the dough to make pigs in a blanket. I have even seen where you can cut the dough into small strips and fry it up for a filling snack.

Tips for a Good, Flaky Biscuit

For a good, flaky biscuit, you don’t want to just throw all the ingredients together and expect perfection. Here are some biscuit-making tips we found around the web that you need to know to get those yummy biscuits.

Cold Fat: Cold butter creates a reaction in the biscuit dough that creates those flaky layers and pockets we love in our biscuits. When little pieces of butter melt as the biscuits bake, they release steam and create little pockets of air– this makes the biscuits airy and flaky on the inside while remaining crisp on the outside. I like to grate my butter into the dry ingredients.
Carefully Mix the Dough and Fold It: Overworking and over-handling biscuit dough will result in tough, hard, and flat biscuits. Mix the ingredients together *just* until combined. Biscuit dough is normally crumbly, but once you begin folding the dough it will come together. The most important step of all is folding the dough together. On a work surface, carefully work the dough with your hands and form it into a rectangle. Then turn the rectangle into itself and again. Smoosh the dough down and work it again until you form another rectangle. Repeat this process until the dough molds together.
Don’t Twist the Biscuit Cutter: When cutting the dough with a biscuit cutter, do not twist the cutter. Press the cutter down into the dough firmly. Twisting it will seal off the biscuit edges, preventing the biscuits from rising.
Bake Close Together: Biscuits rise up nice and tall when they are touching and maintain the moisture in the dough.

Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits (Momma’s Recipe)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, grated or cut into small cubes (plus 1 tablespoon melted for brushing tops)
1 cup buttermilk (very cold)
1 tablespoon honey

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Place the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl or in a large food processor. Whisk or pulse until combined. Add the grated or cubed butter and mix until coarse crumbs form.
Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour 1 cup of buttermilk and honey. Stir everything together until just about combined – do not overwork the dough. The dough will look like shreds and be very crumbly.
Sprinkle a working surface lightly with flour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently mold it into a rough-looking rectangle using your hands. Repeat the process 2 or 3 more times until dough comes together.
Form dough until it is 1-inch in thickness. Cut into 3-inch circles. Re-roll any scraps until you have 9-12 biscuits. Arrange in a cast-iron skillet or close together on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Brush the tops with butter and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden on top.

Note: Did you know you make the dough ahead of time and freeze it? I do this for busy school mornings. Prepare the dough through step 4. Wrap up tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and continue with baking.

Enjoy!