Southern-Style Buttermilk Biscuits
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Bring a touch of Southern warmth to your table with a basket of rich and flaky buttermilk biscuits—these feature a secret ingredient that makes them next-level tender.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
Southern buttermilk biscuit recipes typically call for White Lily flour, a low-protein brand primarily available in the southern states that makes for ultra-tender, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits. I can’t find White Lily flour easily where I live, so I use a blend of all-purpose flour and cornstarch to get a similar effect. These buttermilk biscuits are rich, buttery, and flaky with a toasty golden crust. Plus, they’re easy to make. You can throw the dough together in 15 minutes and end enjoy the biscuits with your dinner less than fifteen minutes later.
These are traditional roll and cut biscuits. However, instead of using a biscuit cutter, I cut my biscuits into squares—it’s easier as you don’t have to deal with any scraps, plus, who says biscuits have to be round?! For an even simpler drop-and-bake method, see my recipe for drop biscuits.
Table of Contents
“These are amazing. Came together quickly for breakfast. My husband took a bite and gave me a high five. They’ll be a staple around here.”
What You’ll Need To Make Buttermilk Biscuits
- All-purpose flour: Provides the structure for the biscuits by forming gluten when mixed with liquid. Use the spoon-and-level method to measure to ensure accuracy.
- Cornstarch: Softens the dough’s proteins to produce a more tender biscuit.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Leavening agents that work together to create rise and fluffiness in the biscuits. Baking soda also reacts with the acid in buttermilk, aiding in leavening and improving color.
- Sugar: Adds a slight sweetness to balance the flavors and aids in browning.
- Cold butter: Provides fat which, when cut into the dry ingredients, creates flaky layers as it melts during baking. The cold temperature is crucial for achieving the desired flakiness.
- Buttermilk: Adds acidity that reacts with the baking soda for leavening, contributes to the biscuits’ tender crumb, and imparts a slight tanginess. If you don’t want to buy a whole carton, see my instructions for how to make buttermilk using milk and lemon juice or vinegar.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a food processor.
Pulse briefly to combine.
Add the cold chunks of butter.
Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand with a few pea-size clumps of butter intact.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
Add the buttermilk.
Stir until the mixture comes together into a shaggy mass.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and bring together into a loose ball.
Gently pat the dough into a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick.
Cut the dough in thirds.
Stack the pieces on top of one another.
Pat out into a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick again. You can see in the photo below how this process creates layers in the dough, which makes for deliciously flaky biscuits.
Cut the dough into thirds again.
Stack the pieces up again.
Finally, pat the dough into a rectangle with a final thickness of about 3/4 inch.
Cut the dough into 12 small squares (these biscuits are on the smaller side).
Transfer the squares to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until golden. The biscuits are best served warm out of the oven (though a few minutes in the oven will revive slightly stale biscuits).
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, before baking, the biscuits can be frozen for up to three months. Place the unbaked biscuits on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. When ready to bake, there’s no need to thaw but they may require a few extra minutes in the oven.
To freeze leftover biscuits, first let them cool completely at room temperature. Then, wrap each biscuit tightly in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe bag or container, removing as much air as possible before sealing. The biscuits can be stored in the freezer for up to three months. When ready to eat, reheat the biscuits directly from frozen in a preheated oven at 350°F until heated through.
Buttermilk is necessary for its acidity, which reacts with the baking soda to create a light and fluffy texture. However, if you don’t have buttermilk or don’t want to purchase a whole carton, you can make a substitute by adding 2 teaspoons of lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup and then adding regular milk to the 3/4-cup line. Let the mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes and it will be ready to use.
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Southern-Style Buttermilk Biscuits
Bring a touch of Southern warmth to your table with a basket of rich and flaky buttermilk biscuits—these feature a secret ingredient that makes them next-level tender.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch chunks
- ¾ cup buttermilk, plus a bit more if necessary (see note)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a 13x18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. Pulse a few times to mix. (Alternatively, combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl.)
- Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand with a few pea-sized clumps of butter intact. (If making by hand, "cut" the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter, two knifes, or your fingertips.) Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl.
- Add the buttermilk and stir with a spoon or rubber spatula until the dough comes together into a shaggy mass. If the dough seems too dry, add a few more tablespoons of buttermilk. Do not over-mix.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough with a bit more flour and bring together gently into a loose ball. Pat the dough into a rectangle about ¾ inch thick.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into thirds. Stack the pieces on top of one another and pat out into a rectangle about ¾ in thick again, flouring the surface lightly as needed to prevent the dough from sticking.
- Cut the dough into thirds again. Stack the pieces on top of one another and pat into a rectangle with a final thickness of about ¾ inch.
- Dust the blade of a sharp knife with flour and cut the dough into twelve even squares (they will seem small). Transfer the squares to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until the biscuits are lightly golden on top and a rich, golden brown on the bottom. The biscuits are best served warm out of the oven (though a few minutes in the oven will revive slightly older biscuits).
- Note: If you’d like to make your own buttermilk, see my instructions for how to make buttermilk.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: Before baking, the biscuits can be frozen for up to three months. Place the unbaked biscuits on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. When ready to bake, there's no need to thaw but they may require a few extra minutes in the oven.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 biscuit
- Calories: 179
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated fat: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Sugar: 2g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Sodium: 148mg
- Cholesterol: 26mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made as you said in the recipe, delicious. But, next time I will just use 1tsp of salt and not 1-1/4.
My kids just told me, yummy with some meat this will be perfect….kkkkk
Thank you for sharing 🙂
PS.: I use regular flour and was good.
These were delicious.
Mine ended up being drop biscuits, as the dough was pretty wet so I couldn’t form the rectangle. I gave up, added a bit more flour and dropped them on the pan. Still, the family raved; I told them that’s what you get when you bake with love(for the family)…and a little anger and hate (for the wet dough)!
Hi Mo, Glad your family enjoyed! It takes a little practice working with the wet dough. The trick is to flour the dough, the countertop and your hands and handle it very lightly so your hands don’t get sticky. Next time, start with 1/2 cup buttermilk and add the additional 1/4 cup as necessary. But drop biscuits work too 🙂
Thanks for the tip, Jenn!
Can you make ahead of time and freeze?
Hi Amy, Yes you can make them ahead of time but do not bake them. Place the raw biscuits in the freezer and put them directly in the oven…they may take a few extra minutes. Hope you enjoy!
This looks yummy and easy to do. But I don’t have a food processor. How would I overcome that? Sorry if this question seems ignorant to you. I never do baking at all, have no common sense either.
Hi Yan, Not a silly question at all! If you don’t have a food processor, you can either make the biscuits by hand (using a pastry cutter to “cut” the butter and cream cheese into the dry ingredients, or your fingertips to “rub” them in) or in a mixer with a paddle attachment. Just be sure the butter is very cold.
Thank you so much! WIll definately try it. I bet my kids will love it!
I love these biscuits – they’re the only ones I’ve made that are easy and come out light and fluffy every time.
We were on vacation and the rental property didn’t have a food processor or pastry cutter so I ended up grating the butter and it worked out perfect!
Hi Jenn, I want to thank you for your recipe for these buttermilk biscuits! I made them to have with my dinner tonight and they are by far the best biscuits I have made. You are the first to suggest a way around unavailable White Lily flour. I only made 1 substitution; I used yogurt thinned with a little milk in place of the buttermilk. The technique of cutting and stacking worked like a charm. I don’t have a food processor so I did them by hand, but no problem. Excellent! These will be my go to recipe and I won’t be disappointed again! Thank you.
I have always had trouble getting my biscuits to rise high enough to suit some. This recipe makes sense, I cant wait to try it. Any you are right, who says biscuits have to be round. Thanks for sharing!
So if I DO have White Lily Flour, how, if at all, would the recipe be altered? (I’m fortunate enough to have a boyfriend who brings me back 20 lbs of White Lily every time he goes down south, so my baking has improved accordingly!)
Hi Sheryl, Lucky you! Be sure it is regular White Lily Flour (not self rising) and just omit the corn starch and use 2-1/4 cups.
I don’t know why I never thought about cutting and stacking instead of folding. That’s genius.
One question: can the unbaked biscuits be frozen and baked from the freezer, or have you tried that with this recipe?
Hi Christi, I think that should work just fine to freeze and bake later…they may need a few extra minutes in the oven.
Great recipe! These were great with beef stew and with any breakfast.
I had just returned from my home state of SC with a bag or two of white lily flour, when I went to Wegman’s in Binghamton NY and found to my surprise…white lily flour. Who knew? Check it out if you have a Wegman’s near you. Thanks for the recipe, a little different from how I make biscuits, but always ready to try something new.
When I commented before, I had not made these yet. I did have the white lily flour, but made it according to your directions. They were easy, and good and loved that I didn’t have to use a cutter, although I have a square cutter. I typically don’t add cream cheese to my biscuits. They were a hit, and I served them with your fried chicken recipe. Both are a winner!