These buttermilk biscuits are just what you need to take brunch to the next level. Flaky, soft, and full of layers, these buttermilk biscuits are the best kind of carby deliciousness!
A good buttermilk biscuit is one of my very favorite breakfast items. Any restaurant we head to for breakfast or brunch, you better believe I’m getting that biscuit instead of toast! There’s just something about layers of salty, buttery biscuit that is so satisfying.
The only biscuits I’ve ever been able to succeed with at home have been drop biscuits, where I don’t have to shape the dough or worry about overmixing. I finally, finally found a method that works for tall biscuits full of loads of layers!
Folding the dough several times like you would with a letter to put it into an envelope, just like you would for a croissant, yields perfect buttery layers. The colder your butter, the better, so it releases some good steam as it melts in the oven to rise perfectly! You just have to be careful not to overwork your dough, as it can get tough and chewy pretty quickly.
Because with biscuits, there are so few components and you can taste basically every single one, you need to start with high quality ingredients. For me, that means grass fed butter (Kerrygold is my favorite — trust me, you’ll never go back to regular butter after you try it), organic flour, and whole fat buttermilk.
In a pinch, you can make your own “buttermilk” by stirring 1-2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt into milk. It creates the same tangy flavor that will react with the baking powder just right to make your nicely risen, flaky biscuits!
Who else loves biscuits as much as I do?! Let’s get baking ’em!
- 2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour (you can also do half whole wheat flour)
- 2 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp unrefined cane sugar
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, COLD, cut into tablespoons
- 1 cup buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 425ºF, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease a cast iron skillet.
In a large bowl (or the bowl of a food processor), stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
If using a food processor, add the butter pieces and pulse until coarse crumbs form -- it'll look almost sandy in texture. If you do NOT have a food processor, cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender or fork until it reaches the same consistency.
Remove the mixture into a large bowl, and create a well in the center of the mixture. Pour the buttermilk into the well, and then stir the mixture until JUST combined. It should be very crumbly at this point -- you do not want to overwork the dough!
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and pat it into a rectangular shape (it will be pretty rough looking -- this is correct!).
Fold the rectangle into thirds like you would with a letter, folding one side to the center, and then the other side over top so they overlap.
Turn the dough so it is wider horizontally, gently pat it down, and then repeat the folding. Turn the dough again, pat it, and fold it one more time.
Roll the dough out to about 1/2 inch thick, and cut into 3-inch circles. Re-roll any scraps until you have used all the dough. To ensure the biscuits rise properly, DO NOT twist the biscuit cutter when you are cutting the dough. You don't want to seal the edges!
Place on the baking sheet or cast iron skillet, placing them pretty close together, so they're almost touching.
Bake at 425ºF for 15-18 minutes, until biscuits are lightly golden on top.
Enjoy the biscuits warm with butter and honey, if desired. Store any leftovers tightly covered for 3-5 days. They're best on the first day!
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