One of my favorite quick breads to make are biscuits. Light, flaky, and individually sized–they’re perfect for biscuits-and-sausage gravy at breakfast or Thanksgiving dinner. They taste good even the next day if they’re reheated and spread with butter and jam. They can be changed up with flavorful add-ins like grated sharp cheddar and chopped chives. Now that’s tasty!
The key to getting a flaky biscuit is using lard in addition to butter, which creates more flakiness. Also, roll out the dough to a rectangle, fold it in half, and repeat four times to layer the dough. This will help make an even more delectable result.
If you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, don’t be deterred! To substitute, put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar into a measuring cup. Pour in milk until you have 1 cup of liquid. Stir to combine, and let it stand for 10 minutes before using. That will give you time to start your biscuits or wash the dishes! 😉
Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits
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Prep Time: 15 minutes -
Cook Time: 20 minutes
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Total Time: 35 minutes
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Yield: 11 biscuits
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
These light and fluffy buttermilk biscuits are easy and super quick to make.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 2 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 4 Tbsp. cold lard
- 1 cup buttermilk, chilled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 F.
- Get out a baking stone or parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- Stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl.
- Dump in the chilled butter and lard and rub them into the flour by pinching the chunks of fat with the flour. Stop when the mixture has a breadcrumb-like texture.
- Add about half of the buttermilk and stir with your hand to start bringing the dough together. Pour in the rest of the buttermilk in one or two more additions, gently working the dough until all the flour and buttermilk are incorporated and a soft, sticky dough has formed.
- Turn out the dough onto a floured surface, scraping out the bowl to get all the dough.
- Sprinkle the top of the dough liberally with flour and roll out to about an 8×17″ rectangle. Fold the dough in half from top to bottom, then turn it so the folded edge is on your left.
- Repeat the rolling and folding process about 4 more times, adding more flour as needed. On the last roll and fold, make sure the dough is about an inch thick.
- Using a 2 1/2″ round biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut out as many biscuits as you can from the first roll. Don’t twist the cutter, as doing so will seal the sides of the biscuits together, inhibiting their rise.
- Stack and re-roll the scraps, being careful not to overwork the dough.
- Place the biscuits with their sides touching on the baking stone or cookie sheet.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes at 450 F. They should be well risen and golden brown.
Notes
Rolling and folding the dough will create layers within it, making the biscuits more flaky.
Stacking the scraps of dough when you re-roll them helps keep the layers you created during the rolling and folding process.
Placing the biscuits with their sides touching will help them rise higher and have soft sides.