Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

Homemade Big Fluffy Soft Southern Buttermilk Biscuits are the best homemade biscuits anywhere with a crunchy top and bottom crust should be so easy! Today, I’ll show you how.

Why This Recipe Works…

• Easy to Follow Instructions
• Photos with Step by Step Ease.
• The butter in the pan gives the biscuits the perfect crunch on the bottom
• You can ask questions and I will answer you!

Here’s How It’s Done..

STEP 1. Combine the Dry Ingredients and whisk them together.

STEP 2. Cut the shortening into the flour. 

This is exactly how the flour should look with the shortening cut in. See how it is kind of clumpy? 

STEP 3. Add the buttermilk and mix it up until it looks just like this.

You won’t mix long before it comes together like this. 

STEP 4. Flour your board with enough flour so that the dough won’t stick. 

Don’t over do it. Just enough. Like this..

STEP 5. Knead the dough and then cut your biscuits.  

If you don’t have a biscuit cutter, no worries, grease the lip of a drinking glass and use that as your cutter. 

STEP 6. Pain the tops with evaporated milk before baking this makes for a crunchy perfect top and then brush with butter and sprinkle with a little salt as soon as they come out of the oven.

STEP 7. Serve up a pan of hot biscuits!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

HOW DO YOU MAKE HOMEMADE SOUTHERN BUTTERMILK BISCUITS?

It’s easy once you know how! Mix the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients. Mix until they just come together. Pat out on a floured board, cut the biscuits. Put them in the pan and bake! Simple!

Furthermore, your family and friends will be in AWE of your ability to throw some comfort food on the table fast! Some of my other favorite ways to make biscuits? You can improve your canned biscuits with this simple technique. Ever try sweet potato biscuits? You should!

HOW DO YOU MAKE BISCUITS WITHOUT BAKING SODA?

That’s easy! Use self rising flour. I think White Lily is the best. There’s just something about that soft winter wheat. 

HERE IS THE KIND I USE: (You can click the photo to go to Amazon to compare, I am an Amazon affiliate and this is an affiliate link. Should you purchase this way, I will receive a commission).

HOW DO YOU MAKE FLAKY BISCUITS?

• The secret to a flaky Southern Buttermilk Biscuits is the fat. I know, you didn’t want to hear that, but it is true. It is IMPORTANT that you keep the Crisco® in the fridge until time to use it. Rather than an equal amount of butter use Crisco® because butter is harder to cut in.
• If you are after the easiest path to a fluffy Southern Buttermilk Biscuits with flaky layers and a crunchy top and bottom, then use the Crisco®. Please use Crisco® if you are a beginner. Furthermore, I don’t want you to give up and think this is too hard.

HERE IS THE CRISCO I USE: (you can click the photo to go through to Amazon to compare. I am an amazon affiliate and receive a commision should you purchase this way. It does not affect your purchase price though)

• Finally, one other important point. You will want to cut the Crisco® into your flour with a dough cutter. The less that your hands touch the dough the better.
• The point being that the heat in your hands will melt the crisco slightly and this takes some of the “bang” out of the Crisco® melting in the oven where you want it to melt while the biscuit bakes causing flaky delicious layers in your Southern Buttermilk Biscuits!

HOW DO YOU USE A DOUGH CUTTER?

• Using a dough cutter is simple. Just rock and chop with it until the Crisco® is mixed in well – see the photos below.
• By the way, I recommend Deiss kitchen products where applicable because they are sharp and stay sharp use after use.

HERE IS THE DOUGH CUTTER I USE: (you can click the photo to go through to Amazon to compare. I am an amazon affiliate and receive a commision should you purchase this way. It does not affect your purchase price though)

• How you cut the biscuit is important. Slice straight down into the dough. Do not TWIST the biscuit cutter at all. Make a clean straight motion straight down to the countertop.
• The cutter I use is one from an antique shop and is about 2 ½ or 3 inches across. Mine has a little ridge on the inside and that is why you can see a circle on top of my biscuits.

HOW TO GET A CRUNCHY TOP AND BOTTOM CRUST ON A BISCUIT?

• The secret to the crunchy top crust is to brush with evaporated milk just before baking. When the biscuits are fresh out of the oven, brush them again with melted butter.
• A secret to A crunchy bottom is to allow 4 Tbs (½ stick of butter) to melt in the rimmed baking sheet till very hot, then place the biscuits in the butter and put them back in to bake as quickly as possible. This fries the bottom of the biscuit a little.
• Be careful, the butter can burn quickly – keep a sharp eye on it. When there is a puddle of butter in your pan and the outer edges of the butter are looking brown, this is the time to add the biscuits.

HOW DO YOU MAKE A FLUFFY BISCUIT?

• The biscuit becomes fluffy as the buttermilk in the biscuit starts to steam. Layers are formed as the crisco cooks. This is possible when the dough has been worked properly.
• Only work and knead the dough enough so that the ingredients are incorporated and the dough is smooth. If you work it any more than that, it will cause the biscuit to become tough.

The BIG SECRETS to perfect Southern Buttermilk Biscuits are:

1. Use White Lily Soft Winter Wheat Self Rising flour® ONLY.
2. It’s best to use Crisco® as the fat in your biscuit – it is easier to cut in – especially if you are a beginner. Keep it in the fridge until ready to use.
3. Cut the Crisco® in with a dough cutter so that you don’t melt the fat before it goes in the oven.
4. Use a straight motion to cut the biscuits, cutting straight down towards the countertop. Do not twist the cutter when cutting the biscuits.
5. Allow 4 Tbs butter to melt into the baking dish first (this fries the bottom of the biscuit a little)
6. Bruth the tops of the unbaked biscuits with evaporated milk (makes a crunchy top).
7. Once baked, brush the tops of the baked biscuits with melted butter when fresh out of the oven (makes a buttery crunchy top)

You can find ALL of the Secrets to Perfect Southern Biscuits .

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SOUTHERN BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

• It is important to follow the instructions exactly.
• Only use the White Lily Soft Winter Wheat Flour. I have tried countless other flours and none have yielded the soft fluffy flaky biscuits that come from this recipe. Trust me, it makes a difference. You can find White Lily on Amazon if you can’t find it in your local grocers. They aren’t paying me to say that either – its my best advice.
• Use crisco – the quality is dependable. I know you might want to use real butter or maybe you think margarine is better for you. Whatever. Use Crisco if you want your biscuits to turn out right. They aren’t paying me to say that either. Butter makes a lovely biscuit – if you already know how to make biscuits and you are able to get the butter cut in correctly. However, if you are new to biscuit making, I believe that the Crisco makes a more dependable biscuit every time. I like to use “real” ingredients like butter too – but I want you to have the best biscuit possible – so, try the crisco.

THE DOUGH

• Usually I tell you to use your hands to mix things – not this time. Keep your hands out of there! It is important that those ingredients stay cold and you ONLY use your hands to pat out the dough and the light kneading. Otherwise, the heat from your hands will start to melt the crisco – and then we have problems.
• Light kneading. What is kneading? It is folding the dough over on itself a few times. In this case, about 6-8 times is perfect.The dough will feel silky and smooth as you pat it out for cutting.
• The dough will look really sticky when you turn it out onto the board to knead it – that is OK.

HANDLING THE DOUGH…

• You want to  handle the dough as little as possible so that it stays soft and pliable.
• Cut the biscuits in one single downward motion towards the countertop. Do NOT twist the cutter. When you twist – you pinch the dough and that will make it more difficult for the biscuit to rise. Give that dough every possible chance to rise!
• It seems a shame to waste an entire can of evaporated milk on brushing the tops of these biscuits. So…. save the rest and use it in recipes instead of milk. I used mine in some FAST baked macaroni and cheese that I am going to show you later! 

IF YOU ENJOYED SOUTHERN BUTTERMILK BISCUITS, YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY: 

Old Fashioned Chess Pie

10x Canned Biscuits

Banana Pecan Bread

Easy Kentucky Butter Cake

Creamy Mushrooms

How to Make Grits

Ya’ll Help Me Out, OK? 

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Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

These Southern Buttermilk Biscuits are fluffy and flaky with a crispy upper and lower crust.  The instructions are given for beginners.  You will find that these are similar to a Hardee's or Bojangles biscuit or maybe like your grandma made!

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Side

Cuisine: American

Keyword: southern buttermilk biscuits, homemade biscuits

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes minutes

Total Time: 33 minutes minutes

Servings: 24 biscuits

Calories: 152kcal

Author: Wendi Spraker

Ingredients

• 4 Cups Self Rising Flour White Lily Soft Winter Wheat plus extra for dusting the bread board and for kneading.
• 1 Tbs Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Granulated white sugar
• 1 Tsp Kosher salt divided
• ⅔ Cups Crisco Shortening
• 2 Cups Very Cold Buttermilk
• ⅓ Cup Evaporated Milk
• 2 Tbs unsalted sweet cream butter - melted

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and a ½ tsp salt together with a whisk.
• Drop the Crisco into the flour mixture and use a dough cutter to cut the crisco in. Rock the cutter and make chopping motions until the crisco is in small pieces and the flour has a wet clumpy appearance throughout (see photo). Do NOT use your hands to mix the crisco in.
• Keep the buttermilk in the fridge until ready to use. Add the buttermilk all at once and mix together with a rubber spatula until it just comes together.
• Place ½ a stick of butter (4 Tbs) in a rimmed half sheet pan (jelly roll pan) and allow it to melt in the oven as the oven comes to temp. Do not allow the butter to burn. The butter should be melted and bubbly (but not black) by then end of the next 3 steps.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and sprinkle the surface with a small amount of flour. Knead the dough by folding it over on itself about 6-8 times. The dough should feel soft and smooth.
• Using your hands press the dough down into a flat circle that is 1” thick (no need to use a rolling pin).
• Cut the biscuits using a biscuit cutting and cut in a straight motion down towards the counter. DO NOT twist the cutter. Remove the hot buttered pan from the oven. Sprinkle half of the remaining salt onto the hot buttered pan.
• Gently lay the cut biscuits onto the hot pan into the butter. The biscuits may touch one another. Put the biscuits in the pan quickly so as to return the pan to the oven as quickly as possible. Brush the tops of the biscuits with evaporated milk using a pastry brush. Return the pan to the hot oven. Shut the oven door and DO NOT open it again for at least 10 minutes.
• Bake biscuits for 18-25 minutes. The biscuits are done when they are golden brown and risen.
• On removing the biscuits from the oven, brush with hot melted butter and sprinkle with the remainder of the salt. This recipe will yield 18-24 biscuits.

Notes

• The idea behind the fluffiest biscuits possible is to handle the dough as little as possible.  
• Keep the ingredients cold (especially the shortening) until time to use it.  This allows flaky biscuits to happen! 
• You will need a little extra flour on hand for dusting your board to keep things from sticking. 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

Amount Per Serving

Calories 152 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 3g15%

Cholesterol 6mg2%

Sodium 131mg5%

Potassium 109mg3%

Carbohydrates 17g6%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 71IU1%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 57mg6%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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***This post originally appeared on the pages of Loaves and Dishes on February 2, 2018 and has been updated with video, new information, reformatted page, why this recipe works, faq’s, here’s how its done with step by step photos, nutrition information, equipment information and recipe notes. ***

A VERSE TO SHARE

We all have a beautiful crown that has been bought and paid for. All we have to do is put it on and hold on to it. Which isn’t without consequence, by the way.

So, hold to your crown beloved sibling of mine. Be honest. Proclaim your truth. Be kind as you do. You never know what test someone else is facing today.

Revelations 3:  11-13

Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.  He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.