10 Tips for Perfect Buttermilk Biscuits

Let’s discuss biscuits. No matter whether you make simple drop biscuits, cut-out biscuits or biscuits that highlight a special ingredient such as cornmeal or whole grain flour, some simple principles remain constant.

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by Land O'Lakes Test Kitchen

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10 Tips for Flaky Butter Biscuits

Use Cold Butter for Biscuits

For flaky layers, use cold butter. When you cut in the butter, you have coarse crumbs of butter coated with flour. As the biscuits bake, the butter melts, releasing steam and creating pockets of air. This makes the biscuits airy and flaky on the inside. We default to our Land O Lakes® Salted Butter when baking biscuits.
Measure Ingredients Accurately

Measuring accurately is important. For flour we recommend using a spoon to fluff up the flour within the container. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and a knife to level the flour across the top of the measuring cup.
Use Fresh Baking Powder

Baking powder, the leavening agent in biscuits, is often referred to as “double-acting baking powder.” This means its release action happens when the liquid is mixed in, then again when the biscuits are placed in the oven at a high heat. Three things to remember: preheat the oven, shape the biscuits immediately after preparing dough and always bake biscuits immediately after forming. As baking powder is an ingredient that may sit in our pantry for months, it is important to check the expiration date. You can easily test freshness by mixing a small spoonful of baking powder with 1/4 cup hot water; it should bubble vigorously. If it does not, it's time to replace.
Buttermilk and Biscuits

Buttermilk adds tenderness as well as a tangy flavor. For best results, make sure the buttermilk is cold. If buttermilk is unavailable, you can make your own by combining 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar with enough milk to equal 1 cup. Let stand 5 minutes.
Rolling or Patting Biscuit Dough

The biscuit dough can be rolled with a rolling pin, or you can pat the dough to the size and shape given in the recipe. If the dough is patted into shape, the top of the dough may have an uneven surface. That's just fine—slightly uneven biscuit tops are more interesting!
Do not Overwork Biscuit Dough

Handle the dough as little as possible. Every time you touch, knead and fold, you are developing gluten. The more developed the gluten, the tougher the biscuit. Our recipe asks you to knead the dough 10 times; this will create a cohesive dough with visible pieces of butter and sprinkles of flour. When kneading very lightly, flour your hands or rolling pin and use flour sparingly. A smooth, homogenous dough is not the goal.
Do not Twist the Biscuit Cutter

When cutting out the biscuits, use a strong, sharp metal biscuit cutter to easily cut through the dough. To cut, press straight down. Avoid twisting the cutter, or the biscuits will be sloped and bake unevenly on top. No biscuit cutter? Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut your biscuits into squares.
Best Baking Sheet

Metal baking sheets without sides are best for biscuit baking as pans with sides will bake less evenly. There is no need to grease your baking sheet when baking biscuits.
Consider Placement on Baking Sheet

To brown the biscuits on all sides, place 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Alternately, place them 1/2 inch apart; the sides will not be golden brown, but the biscuits will rise higher as they bake.
Freezing Biscuits

Leftover biscuits (if there is such a thing) can be stored in a resealable plastic bag. When refrigerated they keep about 4 days. Baked biscuits can be frozen without loss of quality for up to a month; after that, they will start drying out. Unbaked cut-out biscuits can be frozen up to 1 month. Freeze biscuits individually on a baking sheet and, when frozen, wrap in aluminum foil and transfer to a resealable freezer bag. When ready to bake, do not thaw; simply double the baking time.

Biscuit Recipes to Try

Biscuits are easy to make at home and result in warm, buttery, flaky deliciousness. We love them at breakfast spread with our Honey Butter Spread and jam, or at served at Sunday (or Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...) supper instead of dinner rolls. Here are some recipes to try: