These Super Flaky Southern Biscuits are sky-high, with lots of flaky layers. Read on for the two secrets to getting extra flaky biscuits!
“Just made these for breakfast this morning. They turned out wonderful. Miles high and light and flaky!” -Angela
Piping hot, buttery, Flaky Biscuits rank up there as one of life’s most delicious pleasures. And this recipe does not disappoint!
The interior of the biscuits is soft and flaky, with lots of buttery layers. The bottom of the biscuit is crisp from the butter meeting the hot baking sheet.
They’re amazing slathered with butter & jam for breakfast, served with soup on a chilly day, or as a side for a hearty entrée like pot roast and gravy.
Now, are you ready for the secret to making lots of flaky layers? There’s two:
- Grating the butter
- Folding the dough
Get ready for some seriously flaky biscuits!
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Kate’s tips for flaky biscuits
- Make sure the butter is COLD. Freeze it for 30 minutes, then grate it on a box grater for best results.
- Don’t over mix the dough. Over mixing will lead to tough biscuits.
- Use a dough folding technique (more on that below) to create the layers.
- Cut the dough with a sharp knife. If you opt to use a biscuit cutter, don’t twist the cutter—just pull straight up!
- Refrigerate the dough before baking for ultra fluffy biscuits.
Ingredients
- Cold unsalted butter will make the flakiest layers in the biscuits (it has to be cold!).
- Any brand of all-purpose flour works great.
- Baking powder will help them rise sky-high.
- Sea salt adds flavor. Cut the salt in half if you use salted butter.
- Buttermilk adds a gentle tang to the biscuits (YUM!). See the Notes section in the recipe card for how to make your own.
How to Make Homemade Flaky Biscuits
- Freeze one stick of butter for 30 minutes. Then, grate it using a box grater or the grater attachment of your food processor. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and add the grated butter.
- Toss the butter in gently, then pour in the buttermilk. Stir gently to form a slightly shaggy dough.
- Flour a work surface. Pat the dough into a rectangle that’s two inches high. Fold the dough in half, then pat or roll it into another rectangle that’s two inches high. Repeat this process once more. Then, pat the dough into a rectangle that is one inch high.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the biscuits into 12 uniform biscuits. Place the biscuits on a sheet pan. I always line the pan with a silicone baking mat so nothing sticks. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then bake for 10–14 minutes at 425°F.
The end result is a perfectly flaky biscuit.
Frequently Asked Questions + Troubleshooting
If you are making round biscuits, a drinking glass works well instead of a biscuit cutter. Or, you could make square biscuits by cutting the biscuit dough with a knife.
Hard biscuits are the result of over-working the dough. Only stir the dough enough to barely combine the ingredients. Then, work with the dough very gently, using your hands to pat it into shape.
Flat biscuits are likely the result of the butter being too warm. Start with frozen butter and handle the dough as little as possible to ensure that the butter is cold when the biscuits go into the oven. Also, refrigerate the biscuits for 30 minutes before baking to make them even flakier.
You can make your own buttermilk by mixing a scant 1 cup of milk with one tablespoon of acid, such as lemon juice, white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
You can make the biscuits up to 12 hours in advance of baking them. Shape the biscuits, then place them on a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake them. You can also freeze cooked and cooled biscuits. Wrap them tightly in foil, and place in a large zip-top freezer bag for up to two months. Defrost and reheat in the oven.
What to serve with biscuits
Breakfast
– Use for biscuits & gravy
– With eggs and bacon
– With butter and jam
– Drizzled with honey
Dinner
– With soup or beef stew
– Alongside a pot roast
– With baked or fried chicken
– With a holiday ham or beef roast
Dessert
– With strawberries and sweetened whipped cream to make strawberry shortcake
They’re a lovely addition to a holiday menu, too. They can be made ahead and frozen, and then reheated in the oven from frozen or thawed.
📖 Recipe
Super Flaky Biscuits
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Place the butter in the freezer for 30 minutes to harden.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Once the butter is hard, grate it using a grater or a food processor. Add the grated butter to the flour mixture and toss gently with your hands to combine, gently breaking up any clumps of butter with your fingers.
- Pour in the buttermilk and stir until a soft dough forms. It should be somewhat shaggy.
- Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat into a rectangle that is about 2 inches high. Fold the dough in half, and use a rolling pin to gently roll the dough into another 2-inch high rectangle. Repeat two or three more times, and roll the final rectangle until it is approximately 1-inch high. You should end up with a rectangle that is approximately 8 inches wide by 6 inches long (it doesn’t need to be perfect).
- Cut the dough into 12 square biscuits with a sharp knife. Place the biscuits on a sheet pan and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F. Bake the chilled biscuits for 10–14 minutes, or until lightly golden brown on the bottom. Serve warm with butter.
These biscuits are incredible! The tutorial in the post is really easy to follow and made it easy for me to make homemade biscuits for the first time. My family loved them so much that I had to make a second batch the very next day. You won’t regret trying this recipe!
Thanks for giving these a try, Jill! So glad you and your family loved them! <3
These are absolutely so incredible! My husband only likes the canned biscuits (umm yuck!!) so I made him try one and that one turned into four..lol thanks for sharing!!
Hahaha I love when that happens! I’m so happy that you enjoyed them.
Just made these for breakfast this morning. They turned out wonderful. Miles high and light and flaky!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed them!
What a wonderful recipe!!! I can’t believe I made such delicious, flaky biscuits!!! I feel like I hit the big time!! Despite the fact I was out of buttermilk and didn’t have time to make it myself, everyone loved them!!! Thank you for sharing!
That is so great to hear, and I’m so glad that you enjoyed them!