Mossy Life

Buttermilk Biscuits

Flaky, buttery biscuits. This recipe is significantly better if you use homemade cultured butter and real cultured buttermilk from butter-making. The tangy complexity makes a massive difference.

Ingredients

Makes 8-10 biscuits:

• 2½ cups (315g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (113g) cold butter, cubed - use homemade cultured butter
• 1 cup (240ml) cold buttermilk - ideally real cultured buttermilk from making butter

Equipment

• Large bowl
• Pastry cutter or your hands
• Baking sheet
• 2.5-3 inch biscuit cutter (or drinking glass)

The Process

Step 1: Mix Dry Ingredients

1. Preheat oven to 425°F
2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl

Step 2: Cut in Butter

1. Add cold butter cubes to the flour
2. Use a pastry cutter or your hands to work the butter into the flour
3. Stop when the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-sized butter pieces
4. Work quickly so the butter stays cold

Step 3: Add Buttermilk

1. Pour in the cold buttermilk
2. Stir gently with a fork until just combined
3. The dough should be shaggy and slightly sticky - don't overmix

Step 4: Shape and Cut

1. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface
2. Gently pat into a rectangle about 1 inch thick
3. Fold the dough in half, then pat out to 1 inch thick again
4. Repeat this folding 2-3 more times (creates layers)
5. Pat out to final thickness of about ¾ inch
6. Cut straight down with a biscuit cutter - don't twist (twisting seals the edges)

Step 5: Bake

1. Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet, touching each other (helps them rise taller)
2. Bake at 425°F for 12-15 minutes until golden brown on top
3. Brush with melted butter immediately after removing from oven (optional but recommended)

Why Homemade Buttermilk and Butter Matter

Store-bought buttermilk is cultured skim milk. Real cultured buttermilk (the liquid left from making cultured butter) has more fat, more complex flavor, and a different tanginess. Combined with actual cultured butter, these biscuits have a depth of flavor you can't get from store ingredients.

That said, the recipe works fine with store-bought ingredients - they just won't be quite as good.

Storage

• Room temperature: 1-2 days in an airtight container
• Refrigerator: Up to 1 week (reheat before serving)
• Freezer: Up to 3 months (baked or unbaked)

Freezing tip: You can freeze unbaked biscuits on a baking sheet, then transfer to a bag once frozen. Bake directly from frozen, adding 2-3 minutes to the baking time.

Recipe Credit

Adapted from The Cozy Cook's Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe.