Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits With Honey Butter
By Beth Kaminski ·
These buttermilk biscuits bake up tall and golden, with soft centers and layers that pull apart. Cold butter and a few quick folds do most of the work. Spread them with honey butter while they’re still warm.
Small Details That Make Taller Biscuits
Cold butter is the key to distinct layers. Small pieces stay scattered through the dough, then release steam in the oven. Start with butter straight from the refrigerator, and avoid rubbing it into the flour until it disappears. You should still see flattened pieces about the size of peas.
Buttermilk provides moisture and acidity, which works with the baking soda to help the biscuits rise. Baking powder adds additional lift. The dough should feel soft and slightly tacky, not dry or stiff. Measure flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling the top rather than scooping directly from the bag.
Helpful Substitutions
- No buttermilk: Put 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar in a liquid measuring cup, then add whole milk to the 1-cup line. Let stand for 5 minutes. This mixture is thinner than cultured buttermilk, so add it gradually and stop if the dough becomes wet.
- Salted butter: Reduce the salt in the biscuit dough to 1/2 teaspoon and omit the pinch in the honey butter.
- A different spread: Replace the honey with maple syrup in the butter, or serve the biscuits with jam and plain butter.
Make Ahead and Storage
For a head start, cut the biscuits and freeze them on a parchment-lined tray until firm. Transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen at the same temperature, allowing about 4–6 additional minutes and checking that the centers are fully set.
Keep cooled biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat thawed biscuits loosely wrapped in foil at 350°F for 8–10 minutes. Refrigerate the honey butter separately for up to 1 week, then let it soften before spreading.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why didn’t my biscuits rise very much?
Old baking powder, warm butter, or rolling the dough too thin can limit their height. Keep the dough about 1 inch thick, and press the cutter straight down without twisting, which can seal the edges.
What if the dough is crumbly?
A few loose crumbs are normal before folding. If the mixture will not hold together when gently squeezed, drizzle in additional cold buttermilk, 1 teaspoon at a time.
Can I make these without a biscuit cutter?
Yes. Pat the dough into a roughly 8-by-5-inch rectangle and use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut 8 squares. Square biscuits also avoid scraps that need to be gathered again.
Should the biscuits touch in the pan?
Leave about 1/4 inch between them. They will expand toward one another, helping keep their sides soft while the tops brown.
Recipe
Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits With Honey Butter
By Beth Kaminski · American
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 18 min
- Total
- 38 min
- Serves
- 8
- Level
- Easy
Ingredients
- 2½ cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for the work surface
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp fine salt, for the biscuits
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 8 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 cup cold buttermilk, plus a little more only if the dough is dry
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened, for the honey butter
- 2 tbsp honey
- ⅛ tsp fine salt, for the honey butter
Method
- 1
Heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the middle, and line a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper.
- 2
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and sugar together in a large bowl.
- 3
Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two forks until it resembles coarse crumbs with pea-size, flattened pieces of butter still visible.
- 4
Stir in the cold buttermilk with a fork just until a shaggy dough forms and most of the flour is moistened; if it will not hold together when squeezed, add more buttermilk 1 teaspoon at a time.
- 5
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently press it together into a rough 8-by-6-inch rectangle.
- 6
Fold the rectangle into thirds like a letter, then gently pat it back into an 8-by-6-inch rectangle; repeat this folding and patting sequence twice more, using only enough flour to prevent sticking.
- 7
Pat the folded dough to an even 1-inch thickness, keeping the edges as square as practical.
- 8
Cut biscuits with a floured 2 1/2-inch round cutter, pressing straight down without twisting; gently gather and pat the scraps once to cut a total of about 8 biscuits.
- 9
Arrange the biscuits in the prepared pan with about 1/4 inch between them; if the dough feels warm or the butter looks shiny, refrigerate the pan for 10 minutes before baking.
- 10
Bake for 16–20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown, the sides look set rather than doughy, and the center of a middle biscuit registers 200–205°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- 11
Beat the softened butter, honey, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt in a small bowl with a handheld mixer on medium speed for 1–2 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
- 12
Let the biscuits rest in the pan for 5 minutes before serving warm with the honey butter.
Serve the biscuits warm with honey butter tucked between the layers. They’re just as welcome alongside scrambled eggs as they are in a basket at the dinner table.
