Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
Tall, tender, golden biscuits with buttery layers, made with cold butter and buttermilk and a simple fold-and-cut method. Perfect with jam, honey or a fried egg for breakfast.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 16 min
- Total
- 36 min
- Serves
- 8
Keep everything cold, since pieces of cold butter melt in the oven and create steam that makes the layers rise. Cutting straight down without twisting keeps the edges open so the biscuits rise high. Baking them touching helps them climb. Leftovers keep in an airtight container for 2 days and reheat well in a 350 F oven.
Method
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Heat the oven to 450 F with a rack in the upper third. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar together in a large bowl.
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Add the cold butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the pieces are flat and about the size of peas.
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Pour in the buttermilk and stir with a fork until a shaggy dough forms. Do not overmix.
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Turn the dough onto a floured surface and pat it into a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle. Fold it in thirds like a letter, turn it and pat it out again. Repeat the fold twice more.
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Pat the dough to 1 inch thick. Cut straight down with a floured 2 1/2-inch round cutter without twisting, and place the biscuits touching on the baking sheet.
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Brush the tops with half of the melted butter.
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Bake for , until tall and deep golden. Brush with the remaining melted butter and serve warm.
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