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My biscuit recipe is much the same. As a transplant to the South, and married into a Southern family, I felt a steep sense of duty in making the perfect Southern biscuit. Truth be told, I don't think I'll ever truly master it, but 10 years after taking biscuits to task, I've landed on a reliable recipe that I can replicate here in the South or anywhere else in the country with ease. My biggest piece of advice: Don't take biscuit-making too seriously, but try to make them regularly. The ingredients are relatively inexpensive and the results are always edible, despite any mishandling.
Why you'll love these biscuits
- They're tender and flaky. These Southern-style biscuits walk the line of being both tender AND flaky.
- They're light, yet sturdy. The biscuits are also sturdy enough for breakfast sandwiches or for dunking into soup.
What are Southern-style biscuits?
The terms "tender" and "flaky" are often used together to describe baked goods like pie dough and biscuits (although very few biscuits are both). Here are the key differences.
- Tender biscuits: Tender describes a small tight crumb, similar to a muffin. A tender biscuit requires a relatively wet dough that can be hard to knead, so much so that tender biscuits are almost exclusively drop biscuits.
- Flaky biscuits: Flaky biscuits, on the other hand, bring to mind the biscuits from a can that can be peeled apart into distinct layers. Homemade flaky biscuits are folded onto themselves repeatedly until the layers are developed, making them decidedly tougher than tender biscuits.
- The best Southern-style biscuits are both tender AND flaky, using a combination of techniques and ingredients like buttermilk. Buttermilk is commonly used in Southern-style biscuits for its tangy flavor, plus buttermilk helps biscuits rise when paired with baking soda.
What type of flour should I use for Southern-style biscuits?
In the past, I relied on the recipe on the back of the bag of White Lily self-rising flour. It felt like a cheat at first, but I started to learn that biscuit-making was much less a recipe than a technique, and a practice in balancing being both gentle with the dough, yet working it enough to get a high rise and a few flaky layers.
Now that I've got the technique down, I've moved away from using White Lily self-rising flour and mostly keep King Arthur all-purpose flour on hand for baking. I think my biscuits are better with an everyday all-purpose flour plus leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda.
Key ingredients in Southern-style buttermilk biscuits
- All-purpose flour: Use the all-purpose flour you have on hand.
- Baking powder and baking soda: These are the leavening agents that make the biscuits light.
- Unsalted butter: Freeze the butter beforehand so that you can grate it easily.
- Buttermilk: The baking soda reacts with the acid in buttermilk to help the biscuits rise.
Tips for making Southern-style buttermilk biscuits
When the dough is folded onto itself into a smooth dough, this is where the magic happens. By striking a balance between folding and patting the dough, you can turn a tender dough into a flaky biscuit. Here are some tips for making the best Southern-style buttermilk biscuits.
- Keep the butter as cold as possible. This is why I call for frozen butter to be grated on a box grater. Room temperature varies widely in the South, but I can count on frozen butter to be cold and stay cold while I make the biscuits.
- Use whatever flour you have on hand. I've moved away from using White Lily and mostly keep King Arthur on hand for baking. I think my biscuits are better with an everyday all-purpose flour than any special flours.
- Work quickly. Biscuits are a quick everyday bread. If it takes you longer than 20 minutes to get your biscuits in the oven, you're probably doing something extra that you don't have to do.
Southern-Style Buttermilk Biscuits
Servings: Makes 6 large biscuits
• 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus 1/4 cup more for dusting
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, frozen
• 1 cup buttermilk
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1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 450 F.
2. Whisk 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Place a box grater over a small piece of parchment paper. Grate one stick (4 ounces) frozen unsalted butter on the large holes of a box grater. When you get down to a small nub of butter, chop that nub into five to six small pieces.
4. Use the piece of parchment paper to transfer the butter to the dry ingredients. Use your fingers to sift the butter into the flour and break up any clumps of grated butter.
5. Pour in 1 cup buttermilk and beat it in with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
6. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured cutting board. Pat the dough into a 1-inch-thick rough rectangle. Sprinkle the dough with a little more flour, if needed.
7. Fold the dough in half from top to bottom, then pat it back down into its original shape.
8. Repeat with the folding and patting, alternating folding from each side, the bottom, and the top until you have completed a total of eight folds. At the end, the dough should be a little springy to the touch.
9. Pat the dough into a 1-inch thickness. Use a 3-inch round cutter to cut the dough into six biscuits. If you don't get 6 the first time around, refold and pat down the excess dough and cut more as needed. Discard the scraps of leftover dough.
10. Arrange the biscuits in a 10-inch cast iron skillet so that the biscuits touch each other, but not the sides of the pan. Put the skillet in the oven and increase the oven temperature to 500 F. Bake until the biscuits are golden-brown, 15 to 18 minutes.
11. Remove the skillet from the oven and immediately remove the biscuits from the pan to a clean tea towel.
Recipe notes: Leftover biscuits can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. Warm in a low oven or toast in a toaster oven.
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