These easy Southern biscuits are sky-high, with lots of flaky layers. There are two secrets to getting the flakiest biscuits: grating the butter and folding the dough!
Side dishes are usually my favorite part of a meal. And these Super Flaky Southern Biscuits rank up there as one of the best.
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 piping 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 beef roast or steak.
What makes biscuits flaky?
The combination of cold butter and heat from the oven creates flaky layers in biscuits. It’s important to keep the butter as cold as possible when making biscuits to ensure the layers rise in the oven.
The best technique for keeping butter cold while making biscuits is to freeze it for 30 minutes, then grate it on a box grater
You could also use the grater attachment of your food processor
Ingredients
- Cold unsalted butter will make the flakiest layers in the biscuits
- 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!)
How to make southern biscuits from scratch
Place one stick of butter in the freezer 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.
Pour in the buttermilk, and stir gently with a spatula to form a slightly shaggy dough. The shagginess is a good thing! It’ll come together more as you work with it.
Pour the biscuit dough onto a workspace lightly dusted with flour. Pat it into a rectangle that is approximately 2 inches high.
Fold the dough in half, then pat it into another rectangle that is 2 inches high. You can use a rolling pin (gently!) or your hands to pat it into shape.
Repeat this process of folding once more. Then, pat the dough into a rectangle that is 1 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 sheet pan with a silicone baking mat
You can see the layers in the unbaked biscuit, ready to rise!
Refrigerate the biscuits for 30 minutes between rolling and baking to ensure that they rise even more. When the cold butter meets the hot oven, it expands and creates those super flaky layers!
The end result is a perfectly flaky biscuit.
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 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.
These Super Flaky Southern Biscuits are perfect for gift giving, too. They’d be a great addition to a meal for a friend who has just had a baby, gotten out of the hospital, or is grieving a loss.
I served them as a side for my White Chicken Chili with Potatoes and White Beans (also great for packing up and taking to a friend). Wrap them in a basket with a pretty tea towel, and they’d be a welcome sight to a neighbor who has just moved in, too!
FAQs
Do I need self rising flour to make biscuits?
You do not need self rising flour to make biscuits. Instead, you can use a mixture of all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Those are the ingredients in self-rising flour.
What can I use instead of a biscuit cutter?
If you are making round biscuits, a drinking glass works well instead of a biscuit cutter. Or, you could make square biscuits and just cut the biscuit dough with a knife.
Why are my biscuits hard?
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.
If you make this recipe, please leave me a comment below, or tag me on Instagram or Pinterest. I love hearing from you!
Super Flaky Southern 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 20 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.
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