Easy Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits from Scratch

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These homemade buttermilk biscuits from scratch are made with simple ingredients. This homemade biscuit recipe makes flaky biscuits that are tender and have that rich, buttery flavor. These are a true comfort food classic. Serve these slathered with butter and jam or topped with sausage gravy for a delicious breakfast.

Once you realize how simple biscuits from scratch are, you’ll ditch those grocery store biscuits.

The thing that I love about these buttermilk biscuits is how versatile they are. Enjoy them savory with sausage gravy for a hearty breakfast or lean towards sweet with a hot biscuit topped with jam, jelly, marmalade or a little butter and honey.

The best thing about these biscuits is that because they don’t use yeast for leaven, and come together in minutes, they make for an easy, quick addition to any dinner.

Using basic pantry items along with butter and buttermilk, I always have the ingredients on hand to whip up a quick batch with this simple recipe. Don’t worry if you don’t have buttermilk, I’ll show you an alternative for buttermilk using regular milk.

No matter when you decide to make these, or pair with them, your family is sure to love them.

Ingredients

• All-Purpose Flour, I use organic unbleached flour
• Aluminum-Free Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Sugar
• Cold, Unsalted Butter (cut into cubes)
• Buttermilk, or Soured Milk (soured milk instructions below)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar together in large mixing bowl. Using a pastry cutter, cut in a stick of butter that has been cut into cubes or shredded into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse meal. This is one of those instances where real butter matters, no butter alternatives. If your butter has warmed up, be sure to stick back in the fridge, you want to use cold butter.

Add just enough buttermilk to make the dough come together. The reaction of the acid from the buttermilk with the baking powder and baking soda is what helps to produce a great rise of the biscuits.

Turn out the dough onto lightly floured surface and gently knead the dough 6-8 times, just enough to work everything into a dough that holds together. It’s ok if there are small chunks of butter visible in the dough.

Add more flour to your work surface if needed and pat the dough out until about 1 inch thick. Use a round biscuit cutter, or the top of a glass dipped in flour, to cut out biscuits.

The dough will yield 12-18 biscuits, depending on how thick you roll out the dough.

Gather cut out scraps, roll and cut out additional biscuits.

Place biscuits on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or in a round cast iron skillet. Using a pastry brush or basting brush, brush the tops with milk. Bake 12-15 minutes in hot oven, or until the biscuits have that lovely golden brown top.

Cool on wire rack.

Buttermilk Alternative

If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make soured milk by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar for every 1 cup of milk needed. Its best to use whole milk for the best flavor. Stir to combine and allow to sit for 5 minutes, the result will be a thick milk that has curdled. If you have raw milk that has clabbered, that will work here too. (Raw milk that has soured, or referred to as clabber, is different than pasteurized milk that has gone bad.)

Easy Homemade Biscuits from Scratch Notes

• Don’t overwork the dough. Kneading the dough too much will result in a tougher biscuit.
• When cutting out the biscuits, don’t twist the cutter. Simply press down and straight up. Twisting the cutter will result in a lopsided biscuit and will ‘seal the edges,’ preventing a nice tall rise.
• Check the biscuits at the minimum bake time. Baked goods continue to bake once removed from the oven, so be sure to remove once you see the biscuits just start to turn golden.
• These biscuits are best eaten the day they are made. If you happen to have leftovers, store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. These are usually gone pretty quick around here!
• To freeze biscuits, bake according to directions. Allow to cool completely. Place in freezer bag and remove as much air as possible. Use within 3 months for best flavor.
• Biscuits are best served warm. To reheat, place on baking sheet in oven at 350 for 5-10 minutes, covering with aluminum foil to prevent over browning.

If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it and don’t forget to tag your photos #Lockremhomestead on Instagram!