Buttermilk Bisuits | Easy One-Bowl Southern Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between a Southern style biscuit and a buttermilk biscuit? ›

There are many theories about why Southern biscuits are different (ahem, better) than other biscuits—richer buttermilk, more butter, better grandmothers—but the real difference is more fundamental. Southern biscuits are different because of the flour most Southerners use. My grandmother swore by White Lily flour.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Using a fork or pastry blender, cut in cold butter until mixture is crumbly and about the size of peas. Gradually add buttermilk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and gently knead 3 to 4 times.

As explained by Reader's Digest, these biscuits are traditionally made with flour ground from soft wheat, a variety of grain that grows readily in the American South due to its warm, humid climates. This type of wheat has about half as much gluten as hard wheat — the type of wheat used in bread flour.

A non-fluffy, flat biscuit can be caused by a few things: too much liquid in the dough (resist the urge to add more buttermilk to make the dough come together and use the heat of your hands and a bit more kneading instead). Over-mixing the dough can cause flat biscuits.

If you start asking around, any Southern chef, Southern Living Test Kitchen pro, or biscuit-making family member will swear by White Lily flour. Generations of bakers have claimed it as the secret to the perfect, flaky biscuit.

Heavy Cream.

The heavy cream adds flavor to the biscuit by adding a little more fat and helps hydrate the dough. The extra fat in the heavy cream is helpful because buttermilk in stores is often “low-fat” buttermilk.

The butter version rises the highest — look at those flaky layers! The shortening biscuit is slightly shorter and a bit drier, too. Butter contains a bit of water, which helps create steam and gives baked goods a boost.

Buttermilk adds a nice tang to the biscuit flavor and helps them rise better.

All-purpose flour is the work horse of the kitchen. With a protein content of between 9% and 12% it's great for cookies, muffins and cinnamon rolls and is what most people use for biscuits. It comes in regular or self-rising, with the self-rising containing baking powder and salt.

Use Cold Butter for Biscuits

When the biscuit bakes, the butter will melt, releasing steam and creating pockets of air. This makes the biscuits airy and flaky on the inside.

Why is White Lily flour so good? ›

Why You'll Love White Lily^® Flour. Simply put, our flour isn't like the others. Milled from 100% soft red winter wheat, White Lily^® Flour is finer in texture with a lower protein content, which makes for fluffier biscuits, the softest cookies, and the most tender cakes.

There are several keys to making fluffy biscuits. For recipes where the fat (butter and shortening work well together) is cut into the flour: Use low protein flour made from soft wheat such as White Lilly or Martha White all purpose flours. Either brand's self-rising flour is excellent too and easier.

Whether you're making round or square biscuits, be sure you're using a knife or biscuit cutter, and that you're not twisting as you cut. It's important to create a clean cut that won't smoosh those outside layers onto one another, as that will bind the layers together and inhibit the puffing that creates height.

Cover the dough loosely with a kitchen towel and allow it to rest for 30 minutes. Gently pat out the dough some more, so that the rectangle is roughly 10 inches by 6 inches. Cut dough into biscuits using a floured biscuit cutter (or even a glass, though its duller edge may result in slightly less tall biscuits).

The obvious difference between the two is that one is made with buttermilk and the other with regular milk. Buttermilk biscuits have a tangy flavor, tender texture, and delicate layers. Regular biscuits have a milder flavor and may not rise as much.

Southern biscuits are made with a soft, fluffy dough that is rolled out and cut into rounds. They are then baked until golden brown and served warm. Biscuits are typically larger and thicker than scones, making them a more substantial food.

The earliest biscuits were a simple combination of flour and water that resulted in little more than baked paste. Soon people learned that adding fat to the recipe made them tasty and flaky. In the Northern states butter is the favored lipid. In the South, lard or shortening is the standard.

Key Ingredients in Southern-Style Buttermilk Biscuits

All-purpose flour: Use the all-purpose flour you have on hand (no need for special brands). Baking powder and baking soda: These are the leavening agents that make the biscuits light. Unsalted butter: Freeze the butter beforehand so that you can grate it easily.