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There’s nothing quite like the aroma of freshly baked buttermilk biscuits wafting through the kitchen. These golden, flaky delights have earned their place as a beloved Southern classic, perfect for breakfast, brunch, or alongside a comforting meal. In this article, we’ll guide you through the art of making homemade buttermilk biscuits that are tender, buttery, and utterly delicious. So, preheat your oven, grab your apron, and let’s make some biscuits. Serve these warm biscuits with your favorite jams, jellies, honey, or as a side to complement hearty dishes like fried chicken, sausage gravy, or a classic Southern breakfast.

Recipe: Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

Tips for Southern Buttermilk Biscuits:

Avoid using your hands to mix flour into the cold butter. Work quickly when kneading. You want the dough to stay as cold as possible for good results.
As a nifty alternative to using butter knives to cut the cold butter into flour, I use a dough blender to mix the cold butter and the flour, which saves so much time and effort. Specifically, I use this food processor with the dough blade and the results are always perfect. Buy yours here: Ninja BL770 Mega Kitchen System (Paid Link)

Ingredients:

2 ¼ cups self-rising flour (find a recipe for making self-rising flour here) plus about 1 to 1 ½ cups more for the dough and the work surface
1 stick (4 oz) cold unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons (1 oz) melted unsalted butter (optional but recommended)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Either grease a baking sheet with vegetable shortening or butter or line it with parchment paper.
Cut 1 stick or 4 oz of cold butter into approximately ¼-inch-thick cubes.
Combine 2 ¼ cups of self-rising flour with the butter in a bowl. Using two butter knives cut the butter into the flour until the mixture is crumbly and butter pieces are smaller than coffee beans. Alternatively, use a dough blender as mentioned in the tips above.
If the butter has warmed, chill the covered mixture in the refrigerator for 5 minutes.
Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture, gently stirring with a fork just until the flour is moistened.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead it 3 or 4 times, gradually adding 1 to 1 ½ cups of additional flour as needed. Fold the dough multiple times while kneading.
Using floured hands, press or pat the dough until it is approximately ½-inch thick.
Cut the dough into approximately 2-inch squares with a butter knife, or if circular biscuits are desired, cut dough with a metal round biscuit cutter.
Place the biscuits side by side on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space.
With remaining dough, press scraps together until another ½-inch thick rectangle and cut more biscuits. Repeat until no scraps remain.
Bake the biscuits for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned.
Optional, but recommended: Brush the tops with the melted butter while they cool. Serve warm.