Chef John's Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

Name: Chef John's Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Southern Recipes, American, British
Ingredients: 2 cups All-Purpose Flour; 2 tsp Baking Powder; 0.25 tsp Baking Soda; 0.75 cup Buttermilk; 1 tsp Salt; 7 tbsp Unsalted Butter

Breakfast 🍳Side Dish 🥗Snack 🍿 Southern Recipes 🇺🇸American British Low-Carb Low-Sodium Sugar-Free Vegetarian 🥦Halal 🕌Kosher ✡️Comfort-Food Pescatarian 🐟

Chef John's Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits bake up with crisp, golden tops and tender, layered centers that pull apart in feathery sheets. The cool butter and gentle folds create airy lift and rich buttery flavor, making them perfect for weekend breakfasts, holiday brunches, or alongside hearty dinners.

Prep20 mins
Cook15 mins
Serves12
DifficultyEasy

1

Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
2

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the cold butter slices and cut them into the flour with a pastry blender until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
3

Make a well in the center of the mixture. Pour the cold buttermilk into the well and stir gently just until combined. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and pat it together into a rectangle.
4

Fold the rectangle into thirds. Turn the dough a half turn, gather any crumbs, and flatten it back into a rectangle. Repeat twice more, folding and pressing the dough for a total of three times.
5

Roll the dough on a floured surface to about 1/2 inch thick. Use a 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter to cut out biscuits. Reroll any scraps to cut more biscuits; you should have 12 total.
6

Transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet. Press an indent into the top of each biscuit with your thumb. Brush buttermilk over the tops.
7

Bake in the preheated oven until the biscuits are flaky and golden brown, about 15 minutes.