Chef John’s Buttermilk Biscuits

          

This deceptively simple recipe can come out a million different ways with some very minor variations on the ingredients and amounts. This one’s my favorite – flaky, but not dry; chewy, but not tough; crisp in just the right spots.

Original recipe makes 12 biscuits

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled in freezer and cut into thin slices
3/4 cup cold buttermilk
2 tablespoons buttermilk for brushing

  • PREP

    20 mins

  • COOK

    15 mins

  • READY IN

    35 mins

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
  2. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
  3. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl.
  4. Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 5 minutes.
  5. Make a well in the center of butter and flour mixture. Pour in 3/4 cup buttermilk; stir until just combined.
  6. Turn dough onto a floured work surface, pat together into a rectangle.
  7. Fold the rectangle in thirds. Turn dough a half turn, gather any crumbs, and flatten back into a rectangle. Repeat twice more, folding and pressing dough a total of three times.
  8. Roll dough on a floured surface to about 1/2 inch thick.
  9. Cut out 12 biscuits using a 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter.
  10. Transfer biscuits to the prepared baking sheet. Press an indent into the top of each biscuit with your thumb.
  11. Brush the tops of biscuits with 2 tablespoons buttermilk.
  12. Bake in the preheated oven until browned, about 15 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 143 kcal
Carbohydrates: 17 g
Cholesterol: 19 mg
Fat: 7.1 g
Fiber: 0.6 g
Protein: 2.8 g
Sodium: 321 mg