Looking to perfect your biscuit-making skills? Our tried-and-true recipe guarantees soft, flaky, and buttery biscuits every time, perfect for any meal or special occasion!
A little while ago on our Facebook page, I asked our wonderful community to share something they’ve always wanted to learn but haven’t yet. One of our dear followers mentioned her dream of making biscuits that aren’t hockey pucks. Well, I’m excited to say I’ve got you covered with a recipe that’s simply delightful! These biscuits turn out flaky, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious every time.
There’s something truly special about making these biscuits fresh in the morning, especially when paired with some savory sausage gravy—talk about a perfect match! They also make a fantastic side dish for supper or can be enjoyed with a spread of citrus butter for a sweet treat. These biscuits are guaranteed to be the highlight of your meal, offering the soft, savory goodness you’re looking for.
Now, let’s talk about a secret ingredient that you might not hear about very often these days: lard. Not the store-bought kind, but real, rendered fat from a hog. You can find it from specialty shops or even render it yourself from trimmings. This special ingredient is key to achieving the perfect biscuit texture.
But, of course, making great biscuits involves a few tricks to avoid those hockey puck disasters. While the recipe itself is important, following these tips will ensure your biscuits come out soft and delicious every time. Keep everything cold: freeze your butter and lard, and use a chilled bowl for mixing. And don’t forget the right tools! A pastry cutter is essential—using a fork or your fingers will just warm up the mix too much. Investing in a pastry cutter is a game-changer.
Ingredients for Buttermilk Biscuits
All-purpose Flour: Provides the base for the biscuit dough, giving it structure.
Baking Powder: Helps the biscuits rise and become fluffy.
Sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness to balance the savory flavors.
Sea Salt: Enhances the overall flavor of the biscuits.
Cream of Tartar: Works with the baking powder to ensure a tender texture.
Unsalted Butter, sliced and almost frozen: Adds richness and helps create a flaky texture.
Pork Lard, cut into chunks and almost frozen: Provides a unique flavor and extra flakiness that’s hard to achieve with butter alone.
Buttermilk: Adds moisture and a slight tanginess, helping to bind the ingredients together and create a tender crumb.
How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits
Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 450°F to ensure it’s hot and ready for baking.
Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, which should be chilled if possible, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, sea salt, and cream of tartar. Stir the ingredients together to evenly distribute them.
Cut in Fats: Remove your almost-frozen butter and lard from the freezer. Using a pastry cutter, cut these fats into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized chunks of fat. This step is crucial for creating a flaky texture.
Add Buttermilk: Make a well in the center of the dry mixture. Pour the buttermilk into this well all at once. Using a fork, gently stir the mixture until it is just moistened. Be careful not to overmix; you want to avoid developing the gluten too much.
Knead Dough: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead it a few times—about 4 to 5 turns—just until it holds together. This step helps to combine the ingredients without overworking the dough.
Roll and Cut: Roll the dough to a thickness of about 3/4 inch. Use a floured 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter or a glass to cut out biscuits. Place them on a buttered cookie sheet, spaced about an inch apart.
Re-roll Scraps: If you have leftover dough, gently re-roll it and cut out the remaining biscuits. You should end up with 18-24 biscuits, depending on the thickness of your dough.
Bake: Place the cookie sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 10 to 14 minutes, or until the biscuits are lightly golden on top.
Serve Warm: Enjoy your biscuits warm from the oven for the best flavor and texture.
I hope you enjoy making and sharing these biscuits as much as I do. They’re a warm, comforting addition to any meal, and I pray they bring a touch of joy and comfort to your kitchen.
Other Bread Recipes You’ll Love:
Flaky and Buttery Buttermilk Biscuits
Enjoy homemade buttermilk biscuits that are soft, flaky, and irresistibly buttery. Perfect for any meal, these biscuits are a delightful treat with sausage gravy, as a side, or with a sweet citrus butter.
Ingredients
- 3 Cups All-purpose Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 3/4 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, cut into slices and almost frozen
- 1/4 Cup Pork Lard, cut into chunks and almost frozen
- 1 1/4 Cups Buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450°F.
- In a large, chilled bowl, mix together all dry ingredients.
- Take your sliced butter and lard out of the freezer. Using a pastry cutter, cut the fats into the flour mixture until it forms small, pea-sized balls.
- Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the buttermilk all at once. Stir gently with a fork until the mixture is just moistened. Avoid overmixing!
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead it gently, just until it holds together—about 4 to 5 turns.
- Roll the dough to about 3/4 inch thick. Use a floured 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter (or a glass) to cut out your biscuits.
- Gather and reroll the scraps to cut out the remaining biscuits. Place them on a buttered cookie sheet about an inch apart. You should get 18-24 biscuits depending on how thin you roll the dough.
- Bake at 450°F for 10 to 14 minutes, or until the biscuits are lightly golden. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
18Serving Size:
1 BiscuitAmount Per Serving: Calories: 145Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 234mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 4g
BL
Monday 6th of September 2021
Why would this recipe require butter and pork lard? What would result from just using pork lard?
Danielle McCoy
Monday 20th of September 2021
You can make it with just pork lard, substituting the butter with lard. They won't rise quite as well, they'll be paler, more crumbly and a little less flavorful. The butter helps the rise in the biscuit, helps bring the crumb together, and adds flavor from the carmelizing milk fats and sugars.
swathi
Monday 14th of March 2016
Delicious homemade biscuits are always perfect, I am having hard time getting it perfect, hope your recipes help me to achieve a perfect one. Thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop, pinning and tweeting/
Danielle McCoy
Monday 14th of March 2016
I hope you have success with them! Thank you for sharing, I appreciate it!!
Kathryn Arnold
Saturday 12th of March 2016
Well, Yay! So there you go... I had no idea about the cold, have been using a fork (or buyer knives) and my hands. Lesson learned. You would not have enjoyed trying to bite into my bisquits!
Citrus butter? Tell me more!
Danielle McCoy
Sunday 13th of March 2016
Hi, Kathryn. Cold and not over working the dough are both the key to making wonderful, flaky biscuits. Citrus butter is super simple. 8 Tablespoons of room temp unsalted butter, 2 Tablespoons raw honey, 1 teaspoon orange zest, 1 teaspoon lemon zest. Beat butter until smooth. Add in other ingredients and stir to mix. Serve at room temperature, but it will keep for a few days in the fridge :). I hope you are able to make some wonderful biscuits soon!
Marla
Friday 11th of March 2016
Hi Danielle, Sounds like a great recipe - my husband would love these. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays. Pinned & tweeted!
Danielle McCoy
Sunday 13th of March 2016
Hi Marla, thanks for sharing! I appreciate it :).
Sandy
Monday 7th of March 2016
I've never heard of rapadura. After looking it up I am interested in more information. I'm glad that it is an unprocessed and unrefined sugar. Any other health reasons to try it?
Danielle McCoy
Monday 7th of March 2016
Hi, Sandy. It isn't really any different nutritionally than refined white sugar. We simply use it because it is unrefined and unprocessed. It is used 1:1 for a white sugar substitute.