Buttermilk Biscuits
The American flaky soft biscuit: short by butter, leavened by baking powder and buttermilk, baked tall and gold. Eaten warm with butter, jam or gravy.
Overview
Cold butter cuts into flour with leavening and salt; remains in pea-sized pieces. Cold buttermilk hydrates to a shaggy dough. The dough turns out, pats flat, folds three times (lamination), pats out again, stamps with a sharp cutter (no twisting). Baked at high heat 12-15 minutes until tall, gold and steam-puffed.
Ingredients
- 400 g plain flour (plus more for dusting)
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar (optional, for slight sweet edge)
- 200 g cold unsalted butter (cubed)
- 300 ml cold buttermilk (more as needed)
- 2 tablespoons melted butter (for brushing)
Method
Stage 1 - Dry mix
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar (if using) in a wide bowl.
Stage 2 - Cut in butter
- Add cold cubed butter.
- Rub with fingertips or pulse with a pastry cutter until the butter is in pea-sized pieces, with some bits left larger. Coarse, not fine.
Stage 3 - Liquid
- Pour in cold buttermilk in a stream while folding with a butter knife.
- Stop as soon as the dough comes together to a shaggy mass - slightly tacky, with visible butter pieces.
Stage 4 - Laminate
- Tip onto a lightly floured surface.
- Pat into a 2 cm thick rectangle.
- Fold in thirds (like a letter). Rotate 90°.
- Pat to 2 cm. Fold in thirds again. Repeat once more - 3 folds total.
Stage 5 - Cut
- Pat to 2 cm thick. Stamp out 6 cm rounds with a sharp cutter pressed straight down. Do not twist.
- Re-roll scraps lightly for the final 2-3.
Stage 6 - Bake
- Heat oven to 220°C (200°C fan).
- Place biscuits on a lined baking tray, sides almost touching (helps them rise tall, not spread).
- Brush tops with melted butter.
- Bake 12-15 minutes until tall, gold and the sides have separated into visible flaky layers.
Stage 7 - Serve
- Brush again with melted butter while hot.
- Eat warm with butter and jam, or sausage gravy, or split into ham biscuits.
Notes
- Cold everything: Cold butter creates the layers; cold buttermilk keeps the gluten dormant. Warm dough gives flat, dense biscuits.
- Don't twist the cutter: Twisting seals the edges and prevents rise. Press straight down.
- 3 folds: This is the lamination. Skipping it gives crumbly biscuits; doing it gives tall flaky ones.
Storage
- Best fresh, eaten warm.
- Keep 24 hours wrapped at room temperature; refresh 4 minutes in a 180°C oven.
- Freeze unbaked stamped biscuits 2 months. Bake from frozen, adding 3 minutes.
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