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These tall, flaky, Ridiculously Easy Buttermilk Biscuits take less than 10 minutes to throw together. They're also ridiculously delicious!
"Brilliant, simply brilliant!" That’s what I said, right out loud, when I read the unbelievably easy directions for preparing these buttermilk biscuits.
The technique was created by the super-smart folks over at Cook's Illustrated. When I read their method for making drop biscuits, I figured it was too good to be true. But being a curious cat when it comes to all things culinary, I couldn't resist giving it a try.
You would have probably laughed if you saw me just after I read the article. I ran to the kitchen, turned on the oven and pulled out a bowl, along with measuring tools and the necessary ingredients. All super basic ingredients that I had in my pantry and fridge (you probably do too!). The simple cast of characters includes flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar, buttermilk and butter, that's it!
Classic Technique
Why did this sound too good to be true? Well, buttermilk biscuits can be a bit tricky. The technique usually calls for combining the dry ingredients, then “cutting” in cold butter with a knife, a pastry cutter or between your fingers. The liquid is then added and everything is gently combined.
If done correctly, the tiny pieces of butter, evenly distributed throughout the flour mixture, are what give classic buttermilk biscuits their lightness, flakiness and layers of peelable, buttery deliciousness. It’s not a difficult technique, just a bit time-consuming, and the results are not always consistent. The Cook's Illustrated technique is totally different... and ridiculously easy!
Ridiculously Easy Technique
How does it work? Well, I'm glad you asked... start by placing a cup of buttermilk in the freezer for a few minutes while you melt the butter in the microwave. Let the melted butter sit while you prep the other ingredients. Then, it's just a matter of combining all the dry ingredients in a bowl and giving them a good stir. The melted butter is then combined with the super-cold buttermilk. And this, my people, is when the magic begins!
When the warm butter hits the cold liquid, small, buttery globules form as you can see in the picture below.
Do you see where this is going? When this buttermilk mixture is added to the dry flour mixture and it's all stirred together, you'll notice tiny pieces of pale yellow butter dotting the simple dough. Yep, it will look just as if you spent the time to cut them in!
Would this technique work for traditional, rolled biscuits?
The Cook's Illustrated recipe is for simple drop biscuits, meaning you just drop spoonfuls onto a sheet pan, then bake. Would this technique work for a more classic, cut-out style biscuit, I wondered? You never know until you try, so I decided to give it a whirl!
I turned out the dough onto a floured work surface, kneaded it a few times, then patted it into a small, square. Dipping a round biscuit cutter in flour, I cut four circles, then rerolled the scraps and cut two more for a total of six. (Since then, I've also used a smaller cutter, yielding 8 biscuits.)
It was easy enough; actually ridiculously easy! The biscuits rolled out of the oven tall and golden brown with a heavenly aroma. But you're probably wondering how this version tastes and how they stack up to traditional buttermilk biscuits, right?
The results?
When Scott and I took the first bite, we looked at each other incredulously. The biscuits were light, tender, buttery, flaky and crazy-delicious. "Wow, these are amazing!" Scott said. I agreed.
In fact, we ate far too many that day, smothered with melted butter and strawberry jam. You'd probably frown on us if I told you these biscuits also ended up being dinner that night, so I won't share that bit of information. I guess I'll just say, it wouldn't have been a good day for counting calories!
I've had quite a few happy taste-testers since then, and everyone is shocked when they hear how easy these wonderful buttermilk biscuits are to make. In fact check out the video below, to see for yourself!
Try it! You'll be shocked (and delighted) too... you might even have the inclination to exclaim "Brilliant, simply brilliant!"
Bon Appétit!
Café Tips for making Buttermilk Biscuits
- If you don't have buttermilk, make your own. Place 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or vinegar in a measuring cup. Fill to 1 cup level with milk and stir well. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes or until slightly thickened. The mixture may curdle a bit, that's okay! Use in recipes in lieu of buttermilk.
- Don't skip chilling the buttermilk (step 2). It will definitely make a difference. If the buttermilk isn't really cold, the little butter globules won't form.
- I made these biscuits when I was in London visiting my daughter. I learned that all-purpose flour (Plain flour) is a bit different there and it seemed like I needed more, probably closer to 2 ¼ cups.
- These biscuits freeze well, both unbaked and baked. To freeze them unbaked or baked, place biscuits on a sheet pan or a plate spaced at least a half-inch from each other. Freeze till frozen, then transfer biscuits to a ziplock bag or air-tight storage container. If you've frozen them unbaked, bake them as directed in the recipe right from the freezer. Give them a couple extra minutes in the oven to compensate for the fact that they were frozen.
- If you freeze these buttermilk biscuits after baking, allow them to thaw when you're ready to use them and then warm in the oven for 5-8 minutes at 300˚F.
- If I'm feeling a bit pinched for time or just lazy, I'll pat the dough into a 6-inch circle and use a bench scraper to cut the dough into wedges. I either put these wedges on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or in a 9-inch cake pan lined with parchment.
- Another shortcut is to simply scoop up the dough, right from the bowl onto a sheet pan and bake as directed.
- We love to serve these biscuits with our Easy Strawberry Freezer Jam or this Overnight Raspberry Freezer Jam.
Love these biscuits? Then you'll also go crazy over these Ridiculously Easy Cheddar Chive Biscuits, made with the same easy technique!
Thought for the day:
Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
Psalm 25:4&5
What we're listening to for inspiration:
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 9 tablespoons butter divided
- 2 cups all purpose flour more for counter
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
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Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or spray a sheet pan with cooking spray.
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Measure 1 cup of buttermilk and place in the freezer for 10 minutes while prepping other ingredients.
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Place butter in a microwave-safe bowl, cover and heat on high for 30 seconds. If not completely melted, return to microwave for 10-second intervals till melted. Set aside while prepping other ingredients.
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Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar,and salt in large bowl.
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After buttermilk has been chilled in the freezer for 10 minutes, combine it with 8 tablespoons of the melted butter. (Reserve the last tablespoon for brushing on the baked biscuits.) Stir with a fork until butter forms small clumps or globules. (See picture in the post.)
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Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula just until all flour is incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of the bowl. The dough should be stiff and not super wet. If the dough is wet, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring to combine, until fairly stiff.
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Generously flour a work surface. Dump biscuit dough from bowl onto prepared work surface and turn to coat all surfaces with flour. Knead on counter 5-6 times (about 30 seconds). Flip over on the work surface to coat with flour then pat into a 6-inch square. It should be a 1½-2-inches in height.
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Cut four biscuits with a 2 ½-inch biscuit cutter. Place biscuits on the prepared sheet pan. Knead scraps a few times till they hold together, then pat into a small rectangle and cut two more biscuits. Transfer last two biscuits to the sheet pan, spacing about 1 ½ inches apart. (See Café Tips in the post for an even easier cutting technique).
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Place in oven and bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, 8 to 18 minutes. (start checking them after 8 minutes as ovens vary. You want them to be a nice golden brown, but not too brown - check the pictures above for correct color.)
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Re-melt remaining tablespoon of butter in the microwave, if necessary and brush tops of hot biscuits with melted butter. Serve and enjoy!
Christine says
I love this recipe! It is my go to biscuit recipe because they are delicious, and I love the milk and butter trick! I have a question about freezing the biscuits. Do you think I could freeze the dough after I've cut it into biscuits so that I can bake them fresh. I saw where I could freeze after I've cooked the, but I'm wondering if freezing raw and baking at a later time would work. Any suggestions?
Chris Scheuer says
I haven't tried that yet but I think you could.
randell nance says
I have frozen the dough , for later . it works great . Straight from freezer to oven .
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Randell!
Lori says
These are amazing !! So tender and butter. I'll keep this recipe forever !!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Lori!
Ann says
These biscuits are genius!!!! I have tried making biscuits twice in the past (using other recipes) and they have not risen at all...more like hockey pucks than biscuits and I followed the recipes exactly.
However, when I tried your recipe today, the biscuits turned out fantastic! Your instructions regarding the dough not being too wet really helped me gauge what the texture of the dough should be. I have two questions I am hoping you can answer:
Question: Do you measure flour by spooning the flour into the measuring cup, or do you mix up the flour in the bag (to 'loosen' it) and then use the measuring cup to scoop out the flour?
Question: I would like to put these biscuits in my child's schoolbag for an afternoon snack - therefore, I'd like them to have some nutritional value. I was thinking of making them with some grated cheddar cheese inside and/or using whole wheat flour - any advice on how to do this without ruining the height and flakiness of the biscuits?
Thanks!
Ann
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Ann, so happy you had such great success with these biscuits. We love them too! I think cheese would work well and I'm actually planning to do a recipe with cheddar cheese and scallions coming up. Not sure about the whole wheat flour as I haven't tried that. I'd start out with maybe 1/4 ww flour and see how it goes and then try to increase if the results are good.
Ann says
Thanks Chris. Looking forward to the cheese biscuits recipe. Any advice on the best method for measuring flour?
Ann
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Ann, I just "loosen" my flour by stirring it with a whisk or even a fork, then I scoop it up and level. I find this to be the easiest yet most accurate way to measure flour.
Bella says
I have replaced all purpose completely with whole wheat pastry flour and the results have been amazing! I look forward to trying out this recipe and I'm sure they will turn out well. WHole wheat pastry flour is amazing!
Chris Scheuer says
That's awesome, Bella! Let us know how they come out!
Linda Jean says
In my family, I am the biscuit baker. Everyone asks me to bring biscuits to family events. I tried your recipe yesterday for Thanksgiving - oh, my! I have a new recipe. You are the Queen! What a hit!
Chris Scheuer says
Haha! Thanks so much Linda Jean, I love it!
Kathy says
Been looking for an easy and great biscuit recipe for Thanksgiving and you popped up on my email! I'll be making them Thursday - thanks. I'll give it 5 stars without trying them!
Dwight says
I have made these a few times and I am amazed at how much easier the buttermilk and butter method is compared to cutting in butter which I never really liked doing. Definitely the easiest recipe for biscuits I ever used, excellent!!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Dwight for taking the time to leave a review!
Kathy says
I’m new to biscuit making so could you explain the freezing part. Do you freeze them after they’ve baked or when raw?
They’re baking this minute, I can’t wait to taste them 😋
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Kathy,
Sorry that wasn't clear. If you can keep yourself from eating them all, once they are cool, you can freeze them. I usually just put them in a pan or on a plate, uncovered for about an hour, till they are pretty frozen. Then you can throw them in a zip lock bag and they won't get squished in the freezer. Enjoy!!
Susan Slear says
I made these tonight and they were absolutely the best biscuits I've ever tasted. That is really saying something considering I'm someone who likes biscuits but has never made them before. I was really surprised that they almost doubled in size when baking. I used the convection setting on my oven and baked until golden brown. WOW!!!!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Susan, it's not even 6 in the morning here but you've made me want to run to the kitchen, crank up the oven and make biscuits! 🙂
Susan Slear says
Do you think this same technique would work for pie crust?
Chris Scheuer says
I don't think this would work for a pie crust because there's not enough liquid in a pie crust to combine with the melted butter. I think a food processor is probably the quickest and easiest way to make pie crust.
Jenn says
Made these this morning, and man oh man! Delicious! Very easy and hassle free. It took me about 10 minutes from start to oven. Thanks for a new staple!
Chris Scheuer says
I'm wishing I had enjoyed breakfast at your house this morning, Jenn! Yes, and I'm with you - I love how quickly they come together. Thanks for letting us know!:)
Willie says
I made these biscuits and they were so good. I had to stop my self from eating all of them.my family will love these biscuits
Chris Scheuer says
Haha Willie! I totally get it! Been there, done that 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Sarah says
I made the6buttermilk biscuits and let me tell you they were the best i ever made I have tried so many recipes and this one was a hit thank you so much.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for letting us know Sarah, so happy you finally conquered your quest! 🙂 I was the same way!
Leslie says
These are by far my favorite biscuits I've ever made. This thing you've done with the butter should be front page news. It works perfectly! Do you think the same method would work when making pie dough?
Chris Scheuer says
Haha, I love it! Thanks so much although I can't take the credit, the Cook's Illustrated people are the smart ones 🙂 I don't think this would work with pie crust because the amount of liquid (usually ice water) is so small and the amount of butter so large.
Agatha says
I can't wait to make these. They sound so awesome! I plan on making them ahead of time and then baking them for Thanksgiving. (I'm from Ontario, Canada). My question is: Could you thaw them before baking?
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, although I wouldn't let them get too warm.
Tammy says
Made them tonight. So good! I will definitely make them again.
Chris Scheuer says
Yay!Thanks for letting us know 🙂
Betsy says
Chris, thank you for all your good recipes. These biscuits are delicious! Mine came out more browned on the bottom than I would like, though the tops were nice and golden. Any suggestions? Also, my biscuits were more dome shaped than cylindrical. What might have caused this shape?
Blessings to you and yours!
Betsy
Chris Scheuer says
So happy you enjoyed them Betsy! Regarding the browning on the bottom, did you bake them on the middle rack? That's what I would suggest as the lower rack will make the bottom more brown. If you did use the middle rack, perhaps your lower oven is a little too hot. Try using another sheet pan underneath the one you're baking the biscuits on. This will create a layer of insulation which will prevent them from getting too brown. If you don't have a second sheet pan, just line the pan on the underside with a double layer of heavy duty foil. That should do the same thing.
Regarding the dome shape, these biscuits aren't perfectly shaped but if you're careful not to twist the cutter too much when your cutting the dough it will help them to be more cylindrical.
Hope that helps!
Kailey says
These were fantastic! I made them with a "breakfast for dinner" meal and loved the taste! I followed the recipe pretty exactly, except that I didn't roll out the dough; I just made drop biscuits. I kneaded the dough until combined well, and then broke off round pieces and dropped onto my parchment paper. They turned out incredibly well! I will definitely make these again. Thank you for the recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much Kailey and thanks for sharing your drop biscuit results too!
Sandra L Garth says
I made this today and they are awesome!
Chris Scheuer says
That's awesome Sandra!
e says
Sorry for being a pest!!! I looked at this recipe http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/strawberry-shortcake-recipe, and the only thing extra they have in them is an egg, what is your thoughts on adding a egg?
Edee
Chris Scheuer says
I don't think you need the egg. These would be wonderful without an egg 🙂
e says
I keep thinking about this recipe if you wanted to convert it to shortcake biscuits what would you change? Increase just the sugar?
Thanks
Edee
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Edee, this would make wonderful shortcakes. I would probably increase the sugar to 3 tablespoons.
Edee says
Why wouldn't this work with cream instead of buttermilk?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Edee, you could use cream but there's something quite magical about buttermilk in baking. The lactic acid helps to make a light and tender texture. It also gives a slightly tangy flavor which is wonderful.
Sarah D Cox says
I feel so lucky to have found this astounding recipe! I'm from the south US so I know all about biscuits...alas living in NYC means restaurants rarely have them on the menu. But making them was so fussy, I got butter everywhere and they didn't turn out.
I've made these 4 times so far and they are always wonderful! A little less sugar a touch more salt and they're perfect.
FYI a half recipe makes 4 perfect biscuits, which is ideal for a couple of people.
Thanks again, and love the blog!
Sarah D Cox says
Just to note, this recipe is so easy. Other biscuit recipes are the ones that were fussy and hard to make. These are magically easy!
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! Bring the south to NYC, the easy (ridiculously easy) way!
Elizabeth Prest says
I was having a small tea party today and I decided to make the buttermilk biscuits. I made them exactly as written and then I cut them into a scone shape. They were delicious served with clotted cream and red currant jelly. I will definitely be making them again and the bonus s they are simple to make. Thanks.
Chris Scheuer says
That's so funny Elizabeth. I made them today too, but for a dinner party. I added sharp cheddar and jalapeño and cut them into little triangles, like scones. They were so good!
So happy you enjoyed them, I love the idea of serving them with clotted cream and jam,YUM!!
Nadia says
Just made these and I will say that they are the easiest, best tasting biscuits I've ever made. I think they're better than the restaurant biscuits I've tasted too. This will be my go to biscuit recipe from now on. Thank you for yet another amazing recipe!
Rachel Lacow says
Same Here!
I have tried MANY different biscuit recipes, and this I think is my favorite! BOTH for taste and ease of making (SO EASY I almost feel guilty!)
The only thing I did differently was make square biscuits (pat into a square and made 4 sandwich-style biscuits) .... Yum! I might have to make more right now! LOL
Chris Scheuer says
Now you've got me wanting to make them Rachel!
Claire says
Just tried these buttermilk biscuits and they were easy to make and delicious. Next on my list to try is the artisan bread and microwave caramel
Chris Scheuer says
So happy you enjoyed them Claire!
Colleen says
Hi Chris! I made these yesterday and they were so tasty! I was quite intrigued when I mixed the buttermilk with that melted butter and all those little butter globs formed. Biscuits were yummy and sure didn't require any extra butter. I may cut back the next time in the amount of butter I put in. They seemed heavily, laden with it (good tho!) just seemed like almost too
much butter to me. I will for sure make them again. Everyone loved them. Oh yes..I also grated some Gouda cheese and sprinkled it on top when I took them out of the oven and then put them back for a minute , just to allow it to melt. Mmm..😋