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The Best Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

Yield: 12 biscuits
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 cups (426 g) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 9 tablespoons (128 g) very cold butter cut into pieces
  • 1 ½ cups buttermilk, more or less

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture is like coarse meal and the butter is in small, pellet-sized pieces (slightly smaller than a pea). This will take a few short pulses in the food processor.
  • Pour in the buttermilk and mix/pulse only until just combined. The dough should start to come together but you don't want to overmix the dough. If there are lots of dry patches throughout the dough, add a bit more buttermilk, just a tablespoon or two at a time until the dough comes together.
  • Scrape the dough out of the food processor or bowl onto a lightly floured counter. Gently pat (do not roll with a rolling pin!) the dough to about 1/2-inch thick. Gently fold the dough in half or in thirds, repeating for a total of 4-5 times and pressing it gently to 1-inch thick after the last fold. These folds, combined with the cold butter, are what help to create flaky layers in the biscuits.
  • Use a round biscuit or cookie cutter to cut into circles. Do not turn the cutter while pressing into the dough, just press firmly enough to cut all the way through the dough.
  • Line a large, rimmed cookie sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paper. Place the biscuits on the pan with the sides barely touching each other. This helps the biscuits rise up instead of out. If you like crustier sides to your biscuits, space them further apart. They won't rise as high but they'll have golden edges.
  • Bake for about 10-12 minutes until the biscuits are lightly golden on top and bottom, taking care to not overbake. Serve immediately.

Notes

Buttermilk: here is a guide for making your own buttermilk. 
Food Processor: I struggled making biscuits for years. They were never very tender. Until I got a food processor and I firmly believe that delicious biscuits are more about how you work (the key being not to overwork) the dough rather than the actual ingredients. Using a food processor keeps the butter colder and the dough comes together more quickly.
Pastry Blender: if you don't have a food processor, you can use a pastry blender or two forks or knives to combine ingredients, just take care not to overwork the dough and let the butter get too warm.