How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits

Guide Note: While you can always buy pre-made biscuits at the supermarket, nothing tastes better than fresh out of the oven homemade buttermilk biscuits. Follow the steps in this guide for instructions on How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction
• What You'll Need
• Making Buttermilk Biscuits
• Additional Biscuit Tips
• Buttermilk Biscuit Variations

• Also try: How to Make Gravy

Introduction

• Warm and fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits are often the crown jewels of a great holiday feast. Whether topped with butter, margarine, jam or gravy, these light and tasty treats are a great complement to any meal. But you don't need an advanced degree in southern cooking to be able to make great buttermilk biscuits. Just a few simple ingredients and a healthy appetite will do. Here's how:

What You'll Need

(Creative Commons photo by Sarah Marriage)

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose Flour
• 1 cup of Buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 tablespoon Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 stick of cold Butter

Equipment

• Measuring Cup
• Measuring Spoons
• Sifter
• Mixing Bowl
• Baking Sheet
• Mixing Utensil

Instructions for Making Buttermilk Biscuits

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
2. Measure out the flour and put it in your mixing bowl, sifting through it to make sure there aren't any lumps.
3. Add the sugar, salt, Baking Powder and Baking Soda. Stir them in thoroughly.
4. Slice the cold butter into sections and stir it into the flour mixture (either with a mixing utensil or your hands).
5. Make a small dimple in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk.
   

   Making biscuits can be fun for the whole family (Creative Commons photo by Andrew Laing)
6. Mix the buttermilk in until you've got a mixture that is solid enough to knead.
7. Knead your mixture until it has a nice, clay-like texture.
8. Divide your dough into twelve equally sized mounds and pat them down so that they are about 1/2 inch thick. For perfectly round biscuits, use a Cookie Cutter.
9. Place the uncooked biscuits on a greased baking sheet.
10. Put them in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until the biscuits are slightly brown.
11. Serve and enjoy!

Additional Biscuit Tips

1. While the recipe above calls for the use of butter, some biscuit recipes substitute shortening or lard instead. In general, for richer biscuits use butter and for more tender biscuits use shortening or lard.
2. Brush your biscuits with a little bit of butter right before baking for added flavor.
3. Because your biscuits will expand in the oven, make sure that they aren't too close together on the baking sheet before putting them in the oven.
4. For maximum effect, serve them straight out of the oven.

Buttermilk Biscuit Variations

• Once you've gotten good at making regular buttermilk biscuits, try experimenting with some of these clever and flavorful variations on the traditional biscuit recipe:

1. Herbed Biscuits: Mix 3 tablespoons of herbs in with your dry ingredients. Try dried rosemary, fresh dill or parsley for an added kick of flavor.
2. Blueberry Biscuits: Add some blueberries to your recipe to produce a fruity, dessert-leaning biscuit.
3. Sour Cream Biscuits: Replace the buttermilk in the recipe with 1 cup of sour cream to produce a lighter, fluffier biscuit.
4. Cheese Biscuits: Pick your favorite cheese (cheddar is the most common) and mix 2/3 cup (grated) in with your dry ingredients for a cheesy treat.

Resources for How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits

• The Prepared Pantry: How to Make Easy Buttermilk Biscuits
• The Chitterling Site: Grandma's Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
• CookingNook.com: How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits
• Food Network: Better Buttermilk Biscuits
• Recipezaar: Buttermilk Biscuits

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