Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits

Let me show you how to make biscuits that bake up high, light and fluffy! I'll tell you the common mistake people make that ruins those flakey layers that you crave! With 7 simple ingredients like buttermilk, shortening, flour, etc…you can devour these warm topped with butter and honey in as little at 30 minutes!

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Recipe!
• Ingredient Notes
• Step by Step Recipe Instructions
• Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
• Related Recipes
• Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

Why You'll Love This Recipe!

• This is such an easy recipe! Perfect for beginners!
• Ready in less than 30 minutes!
• Pro-tips included in step by step instructions!
• You could use this recipe for shortcakes, but I highly recommend this shortcake recipe instead that uses a sweet biscuit or scone instead.

Ingredient Notes

• Buttermilk - you may substitute unsweetened plain Greek yogurt if you would prefer. You may need a bit more than the amount of buttermilk called for because it's thicker though.
• Shortening - NO, you can't substitute butter in this one. I do highly recommend using butter flavored shortening if you have it.
• Cream of Tartar - What does it do and why do you need it? Cream of tartar acts as a leavening agent and a stabilizer in yeast free baked goods. In this case it reacts with the buttermilk to give the dough the lift and muscle it needs before the baking powder kicks in, in the oven.

Step by Step Recipe Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar and salt.
• Add the shortening.
  • Pro-Tip - Shortening is necessary for biscuits because of the higher melting point and the fact that isn't doesn't release steam during the cooking process. It also doesn't mix into the dough will ease like butter does. These reasons result in the flakiness and texture traditional biscuits should have.

• Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles course crumbs.
• Pour in the buttermilk and mix just until most of the flour is incorporated. Dump out onto a lightly floured surface and pat the dough out to about ¾ inch thick.
  • Pro -Tip - Resist the urge to knead or work the dough into a ball. The shortening chunks are what give biscuits their flakiness. If you work the shortening in you will get heavy non-flaky biscuits.

• Using a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter that is 2 ½ inches in diameter, cut out biscuits and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
  • Pro Tip - DO NOT twist the cutter.  Twisting the cutter seals the edges together and the biscuits will not rise.  People ask why their biscuits turn out flat or why they didn't rise when baking all the time.  This is one of the main reasons why.
• Bake the biscuits at 425degrees for about 12-15 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned.
• Serve hot with butter, honey, jam or whatever else you can think of!

Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips

Related Recipes

• Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls - Light, fluffy and easy too!
• No Knead Parkerhouse Rolls - These will not disappoint!
• Homemade French Bread Bowls -Customize to the size of bread bowl you need!
• Homemade White Bread - Just like your Grandma used to make!

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 Any nutritional analysis on this Site is based on an estimate, calculated by Nurtifox plugin (or other third-party source) from the individual ingredients in each recipe. Variations may occur for various reasons, including product availability and food preparation. We make no representation or warranty of the accuracy of this information.