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Breakfast & Brunch | January 11, 2017

Best Butter Biscuits

Biscuits are among the most simple and delicious baked goods you can make at home. Start to finish in less than 30 minutes.  Give ABK’s Best Butter Biscuits a try today.  You’ll never want to eat a store bought biscuit again!

Best Butter Biscuits

What makes a great biscuit? Best Butter Biscuits start with a few simple ingredients. Biscuits, like pie crust are best when keep simple. No fancy equipment is needed when making biscuits, although I do like to use biscuit cutters.  Flour, baking powder and salt are always a must. Then it’s time to choose a fat. I have experimented with several types of biscuits over the years. Sour cream, cream, shortening, coconut oil, you name it, I’ve tried it.  My favorite, up to a couple of months back, was a biscuit made with buttermilk and shortening. The shortening I use is butter flavored, so it gives the biscuit a nice golden color and the flake factor on the dough is amazing. In the past few years, I’ve grown a little tired of my old go-to recipe and decided experimenting with butter would be a great alternative!

Best Butter Biscuits
Best Butter Biscuits
Best Butter Biscuits

Many people will tell you the secret to a great biscuit is shortening, or butter, or cream. I’m here to tell you all of those ingredients turn out excellent biscuits. The secret is not over handling the dough. Do not stir the dough or gluten will form and your biscuits will be tough instead of tender. Remember, fold is the motion you need to have in your bowl while making the dough. The less you handle the dough, the better. I handle Best Butter Biscuits  like you would a baby, gently and with care.

Best Butter Biscuits
Best Butter Biscuits

After experimenting for a few months, and eating way way way too many biscuits, I am happy to say I’ve come up with a recipe for Best Butter Biscuits that’s a keeper. I’m not sure where this recipe originated. It was in a file I’ve had for some time, and no name or reference on the recipe.  It’s very close to a Cook’s Illustrated recipe I tried a few times…I tweaked my old printed recipe a bit, and know you’re going to love it. ABK’s Best Butter Biscuits are a beginner recipe that is sure to become a favorite in your family!

Best Butter Biscuits
4.91 from 20 votes
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Best Butter Biscuits

Author Si Foster, A Bountiful Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour plus a little more for shaping
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 cup cold butter cut into tablespoons
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk cold, shaken

Instructions

  1. Place rack in center of oven and turn heat to 450 degrees.
  2. Lightly grease a 9×13 or other baking pan or cookie sheet.
  3. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium size bowl.
  4. Place the slices of butter into the bowl.
  5. Using clean hands, or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry mixture until the pieces of butter are small and about the size of peas or similar to grated cheese pieces.
  6. Add 3/4 cup cold buttermilk to the mixture.
  7. Fold the buttermilk and flour-butter mixture together. Do not stir, just fold until the flour is absorbed.
  8. If the mixture is too dry, add a couple tablespoons of additional buttermilk.
  9. Dump the mixture out onto a clean, floured surface.
  10. The mixture will probably still be a bit dry and crumbly. Take the dough and pat as best as you can into a small square or circle, about 1 inch thick.
  11. Fold the mixture over onto itself once.
  12. Repeat and fold together again. Each time you fold the dough onto itself, it will start to come together and become less crumbly.
  13. Fold mixture again, for a total of three times folding together.
  14. Pat gently into a circle or rectangle about 6 inches wide. Use a 2-3 inch biscuit cutter and cut into circular or square shapes. You should be able to cut about 9-10 biscuits from one recipe.
  15. Place biscuits onto baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

Recipe Notes

-If you would like to help prevent biscuits from falling over and losing shape, refrigerate for about 30 minutes before baking. If you are like me, and don’t care, bake immediately for about 15 minutes or until golden on top.-To reheat the biscuits, Slice in half and butter lightly. Place in oven and broil just until biscuits are lightly golden inside. Serve immediately.

38 thoughts on “Best Butter Biscuits

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Recipe Rating




  1. 4 stars
    How yummy your butter biscuits are, but the way to make them seems so long. Can you give some illustration videos to help everyone easy to follow your instructions?

  2. Hi!!! I love EVERYTHING you do!!!
    If you refrigerate these biscuits before baking do you just put them in fridge on their baking sheet and then put them in the oven on that cold baking sheet. If so do you adjust the temperature or baking time?
    Thanks!!!

    1. Hi Pat,
      I don’t ever refrigerate these biscuits, because I’m always in a hurry.
      If you do refrigerate them, you can pull them out of the fridge and put them directly in the oven.
      Enjoy!
      xo
      Si

  3. 5 stars
    Just made these for breakfast and they were PHENOMENAL!! And surprisingly easier than I was expecting. Everything I make on your site is so tasty, I trust all your suggestions 150%. Thanks for sharing!!

  4. They were beautiful…until they burned. 😩 I should have check them around 12 minutes, I think, because at 15 the bottoms were black and they were VERY crispy. We live in Utah, too, so I doubt it was an elevation thing. But I’ll make them again because the insides were delish!

    1. Brianna,
      Perhaps your oven cooks a little on the hot side. I’m glad they tasted great and good for you for giving them another try! This recipe is worth a second bake.
      Thanks for reading ABK!
      xo,
      Si

  5. 5 stars
    This might be a weird question .. made these last night and they were delicious!! I know you said the key is to not over work the dough.. so do you reform the scraps after cutting the biscuits to cut more? Or does it not really work too well? I didn’t get many biscuits and felt like I was overworking the dough.

    1. Jessica, Not a weird question at all! I usually take the scraps and carefully pat them together and cut a couple more biscuits. Then I cook all the remaining scraps and eat them myself! I love these biscuits.
      Thanks for reading ABK
      xo,
      Si

  6. 5 stars
    Best ever!!! And I love when I need a yummy “roll” and don’t have a lot of to make some.

    1. I love how easy it is to make this recipe too, Brittanie, and that the ingredients are pantry friendly. Thanks for sharing and for reading ABK!
      xo
      Si

  7. 5 stars
    Best biscuit recipe I have tried! Perfect instructions. So yummy and buttery! My whole family loves these! My new go to recipe for biscuits!

  8. 5 stars
    Your biscuits are so good. I found if I make them touch each other while baking they don’t get as crispy on every side and the are better. Thanks for the recipe!!

  9. Can this recipe be doubled or tripled? I need a lot of biscuits for an event and need to cook more than 9/10 at a time.

    1. Yes, Lyndsey, I’ve doubled this recipe before and it has turned out great! Thanks for asking and for reading ABK,
      xo
      Si

  10. 5 stars
    I have made a few different biscuit recipes & this is by far the best! They are delicious! My family loved them so much last night…I made a second batch today!

    1. I’m so glad to hear that Tiffany! We love these biscuits too. Thanks for sharing and for reading ABK,
      xo
      Si

  11. 5 stars
    These biscuits are fabulous! I love how fast they come together and how i always have these ingredients on hand to make them.

    1. I agree, Emilie, I love how this recipe is so easy and you usually have all of the ingredients! Thank you for sharing,
      xo
      Si

  12. 5 stars
    Whenever I’m making something for the first time I know to use a recipe from a bountiful kitchen. These biscuits turned out perfectly. I paired them with the sausage gravy recipe. Let’s just say, everyone was happy!

    1. Thanks Nicole for your kind feedback! Biscuits and Gravy- the ultimate comfort food. So glad your family liked!
      xo,
      Si

  13. 5 stars
    I have spent years trying recipes that claim to best biscuits out there and found it this morning! My boys and husband were knuckle bumping bc they know how much joy successful baking brings me:). They were super quick and easy too. I also didn’t have buttermilk on hand so used what I had (3/4 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup 2% and 1 teaspoon vinegar. Thank you!!

    1. Hi Michelle!
      I’m so glad you loved this recipe, it’s one of my favorites! You did just the right thing with the cream, milk, vinegar combo. Thank you for your positive comments and thank you for reading ABK. Im excited that your baking experience was such a success. Knuckle bumps to all of you!
      xo,
      Si

  14. 5 stars
    So delicious and easy to make! Loved the clear, simple instructions! I did not have a pastry cutter but a fork and hands worked great. Will definitely be making these again!

    1. Taneal, glad this recipe turned out well for you even without the pastry cutter! Thanks for your kind review.
      Happy baking!
      Si

  15. 5 stars
    These were the BEST biscuits! My husband also commented that they were really good, and he’s not a biscuit fan. Your recipe is definitely a keeper.

    I had a quart of buttermilk that I bought just for some recipes to try and needed to use some of it up. I’ll now have to keep some on hand for when i’m craving some comfort food yumminess.

    Have you ever tried to freeze the dough once they are cut in circles so that they can just be pulled straight from the freezer to the oven?

    1. Cheryl, I am glad that you and your husband both loved these biscuits! I have not experimented with freezing these- Let me know how it goes for you!
      XO,
      Si

  16. 5 stars
    Best. Biscuits. Ever. 30 minutes start to finish and are perfect and delicious everytime! A staple at our house.

  17. 5 stars
    I first tried best butter biscuits for a brunch for my children and grandchildren— 35 people. The biscuits were easy to make. I did them a little ahead and refrigerated until I was ready to bake them and that worked great. They turned out high and fluffy. There was a choice of sausage gravy or butter and jam and many had both and everyone commented on how good they were. These do not have the baking powder flavor that other recipes I have tried have. This is now my go to recipe for biscuits. Thank you!

  18. 5 stars
    These biscuits are so fast to make and SO delicious!! Is we did find that using just a knife to cut the biscuits made them flat and cook (read slightly burn haha) faster but once we remembered we had a biscuit cutter we were golden and so were our biscuits!! It makes such a difference in height and fluffiness to have the right tool!

  19. 5 stars
    I will never buy store bought biscuits again! Thank you for explaining how to make these so clearly. I can whip up a batch in no time to add to our dinner.

  20. 5 stars
    Biscuits have always been my nemesis. I could never achieve those flaky layers and good rise. Enter the best butter biscuit recipe. They are gorgeous and absolutely addictive. Thank you for your detailed instructions!

  21. These are definitely the best biscuits I’ve tried. They’re so easy and turn out delicious every time I make them. They’re perfect for anything from biscuits and gravy to a vehicle for homemade jam. They’ve certainly earned the label “best.”

  22. 5 stars
    These are so big and so delicious! We made breakfast sandwiches with them with eggs and ham. So good! We also made them one night with soup and they were perfect! So easy and so good!