Quick and Easy Buttermilk Biscuits
Quick and Easy Buttermilk Biscuits are in the oven in under 10 minutes and on the table in under 30. You can easily freeze these to make later, too.
There’s nothing the says breakfast like a good biscuit! But most people think they’re difficult and time consuming. I’m here to tell you that they’re not. These quick and easy buttermilk biscuits are simple to prepare and bake up tender and delicious.
What is buttermilk?
Buttermilk is the byproduct of making butter. Before homogenization, milk was not refrigerated until the cream and the milk separated. This allowed lactic acid producing bacteria to ferment the cream. This helped in the butter making process because of science and pH levels. Once the butter formed, the resulting liquid sat out overnight allowing these bacteria to ferment the buttermilk.
We don’t typically make butter in this fashion anymore. But people still wanted buttermilk. Enter the cultured buttermilk. Introduced in the 20’s cultured buttermilk was pasteurized, homogenized, and combined with a few lacto-based bacteria to foster the growth of naturally occurring bacteria similar to the buttermilk created in the previous paragraph.
However, the buttermilk that we have today is related more to yogurt than the buttermilk of the olden days. It’s thicker and has more of a sour flavor than the buttermilk back then. From what I’ve read, buttermilk back then was more buttery and like milk than the cultured buttermilk. I can only imagine how it would taste.
The popularity of buttermilk arose (pun intended) with the creation of baking soda. New recipes that called for the new sour version of buttermilk and baking soda started popping up in cookbooks. The company that started producing baking soda (now Arm & Hammer) distributed recipes for cornbread, biscuits, muffins, and other baked goods using their baking soda and used sour milk as an activator.
These recipes became popular because housewives could make baked goods faster. Previously, baked goods required yeast. But not anymore! They could use baking soda and some sour milk to make pancakes, muffins, and biscuits quickly and easily!
What is the difference between buttermilk and cream in biscuits?
Yes, they are both liquids. But the buttermilk in biscuits combine with some baking soda make a fluffy biscuit. Some say it adds a little tartness to the biscuit. I have yet to taste that. And I’ve made these biscuits twice in the last week. I like how flaky and tender they are. But then again, I haven’t made cream biscuits before. I really should try it sometime.
Cream biscuits do not have the added acid so it’s not necessary to add the baking soda. My mother loves cream biscuits because she can take some self-rising flour and some cream and have biscuits on the table for breakfast easily and without all that cutting of the butter into the flour nonsense.
Buttermilk needs baking soda and butter to work. The baking powder alone is not enough and the baking soda counters the acid in the buttermilk to make them rise. The cream biscuits don’t need baking soda or butter. The fat in the cream is enough to have tender and flaky biscuits. Really. I should try them some time.
How can you make buttermilk?
If you don’t have buttermilk you can make “buttermilk” with some milk and acid. Preferably lemon juice or vinegar. But what you’re really making is acidified buttermilk. Which is simply adding the acid to the milk and letting it sit to “culture” and thicken. If you go this route, make sure to stir the buttermilk well before stirring it into the flour mixture. It will look sort of separated after it sits, and I like it to be nice and creamy when added to the flour mixture.
If you don’t have buttermilk and don’t want to wait for acidified buttermilk to be ready, there are several substitutes you can use. Besides the milk and lemon juice or vinegar you can use cream of tartar. This I did not know. But it will clump, right? Yes. It will. So, you can add the cream of tartar to your dry ingredients and then stir in the milk. Or you can stir a little of the cream of tartar with milk to make it a paste and then stir it into the milk.
Got some sour cream or yogurt? Just combine it with some milk. Take 3/4 cup of yogurt or sour cream and combine it with 1/4 cup of milk to make 1 cup of buttermilk substitute. There’s also plain kefir that you can use one to one for buttermilk. Because it is a fermented milk like buttermilk.
And for those with special diets, you can use acid and most milk alternatives to make a buttermilk type ingredient. Of course, it won’t taste like buttermilk because I don’t think those milks actually curdle like regular milk. I could be wrong. At least they will have the acidic qualities needed to activate the baking soda and make the biscuits rise.
How do you make quick and easy buttermilk biscuits?
If I’m making acidified buttermilk, I will start that about 30 minutes before I start the biscuits. It takes about that long for the process to create and creamy buttermilk substitute. I also start the oven about this time so it’s good and even in temperature when I’m ready to bake the biscuits. And I make sure the rack is in the middle. I can’t remember why I move it, but sometimes I do. And forget to put it back.
While that’s brewing, I add the flour and other dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Then I stir everything with a whisk. No. I don’t sift the flour. I don’t even fluff it and level it with a knife. I sort of dip the measuring cup into the flour a few times to make it light and shake off the excess until it looks like it’s level. I do, however, level the baking powder and baking soda. But don’t level the salt. It’s a scientific method.
I dice the butter by cutting the stick of butter lengthwise and then turning to cut it again into 4 long pieces. Then I cut those long pieces into cubes about 1/4 inch thick. I cut starting at the end of the blade by my fingers, then move down the blade cutting the butter until I reach the tip. Then I remove those cubes from the blade of the knife and drop them into the flour. I do this twice to make sure I have even pieces of butter dotted throughout the flour mixture.
I use a pastry blender to combine the butter and the flour mixture. Using a sideways motion, I cut right to left and then turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat until the mixture is a coarse crumble. Then I make a well and add the buttermilk mixture. I have a dough whisk that I love! Using that, I bring all the ingredients together into a shaggy dough that I turn out onto a work surface. Kneading lightly, I bring it all together.
I roll it out to a rectangle and then fold it in half and then half again. This forms some of those nice layers people like in biscuits. And makes them easy to open with a fork or knife. Some people brush the dough with butter before folding. This creates a lacquered type of biscuit with peelable layers. I might have to try this next time!
At this point you can either pat or roll your biscuits. Just make sure they’re at least 1/2 inch thick before cutting them. And DO NOT twist the cutter. Go straight down and up. Twisting seals the edges and could prevent them from rising. They go on a silpat, get a brushing of butter, and bake at 375 for 15 to 17 minutes or until lightly browned. I pull them out and them brush them again with butter. Then I desperately try to resist eating them right away. But it’s difficult.

Quick and Easy Buttermilk Biscuits
Quick and Easy Buttermilk Biscuits are in the oven in under 10 minutes and on the table in under 30. You can easily freeze these to make later, too.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teapsoon salt
- 1/2 cup diced cold butter
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Combine the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir with a whisk to combine.
- Dot the flour mixture with the diced butter and use a pastry blender or two knife to cut the butter into the flour.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk.
Using a dough whisk or a wooden spoon stir the dough until most of the flour is incorporated and a shaggy dough forms. - Turn the bowl out onto a clean work surface and knead until the remaining flour is combined and the dough comes together.
- Press the dough out into a rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds and then press or roll out to 1/2” to 3/4" thick.
- Cut into 2 inch circles making sure not to twist the cutter but press straight down and then up. This creates the flaky layers. Twisting the cutter seals the edges and could prevent the dough from raising.
- Place in a silpat lined baking sheet.
- Brush with the melted butter and bake at 375 for 15 to 17 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter again.
- Serve warm with butter.
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 224Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 31mgSodium 309mgCarbohydrates 25gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 4g
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I love flaky biscuits and this is the perfect one! YUM! And is great one to serve along for any meal.
Yes! Biscuits are great with any meal.
I love biscuits! I would love to make a breakfast sandwich with these.
They make the perfect breakfast sandwich! I did that with a few I made.
Buttermilk biscuits are classic, and I’d love to have one of these right now with some butter and jam!!
Thank you! They are a true classic for not just breakfast.
Biscuits are always a huge hit at brunch.
Most definitely!
These look so good. They’d be a perfect easy starch course with so many meals!
Thank you!
These buttermlk biscuits look so delicious and easy to make! Can’t wait to try them!
Thank you!
Homemade biscuits are the best. Nothing is better than made from scratch.
Agreed! They taste so good from scratch.
They’re so fluffy! And there are just so many ways to enjoy them, plain, savory, sweet. One of my favorite foods!
Thank you! I love eating with sweet or savory. Or stuffed with strawberries or sausage. So many ways.
I love how easily these biscuits come together! They look perfect with a wonderful texture.
Thank you!
You can’t go wrong with homemade biscuits at ANY meal!
Agreed!
I love homemade biscuits. Yours look fantastic!
Thank you!
Nothing better than homemade biscuits and this recipe is so easy you can enjoy them often. Pass the honey please.
Thank you!