HHeritage Kitchen

Breads

From-Scratch Biscuits

Tender, flaky buttermilk biscuits made from scratch with cold butter and shortening, folded by hand for soft layers and golden tops.

Jump to Recipe
Golden buttermilk biscuits on a baking sheet, one split open showing flaky layers

Prep time

15 min

Cook time

15 min

Total time

30 min

Servings

8 · About 8 biscuits

Origin Story

Biscuits have long had a place on Southern tables, served with everything from eggs and preserves to fried chicken, greens and gravy. In Black Southern kitchens, making biscuits from scratch was often a skill learned by watching: how the dough should feel, how lightly to handle it and when it was ready for the oven. The ingredients may be simple, but a tender, golden biscuit reflects the kind of kitchen knowledge passed from one generation to another.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
  • 3/4 to 1 cup cold buttermilk
  • Melted butter for brushing

Instructions

  1. 1

    Heat oven to 425°F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.

  2. 2

    Cut the cold butter and shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, leaving a few small pieces of fat visible.

  3. 3

    Gently stir in enough cold buttermilk to make a soft, slightly sticky dough.

  4. 4

    Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently fold it over itself several times to help create layers, then pat it to about 1 inch thick.

  5. 5

    Cut the biscuits straight down with a floured biscuit cutter. Do not twist the cutter.

  6. 6

    Place the biscuits close together on a baking sheet and bake for 12–15 minutes, or until risen and golden brown.

  7. 7

    Brush the warm tops with melted butter.

Heritage Kitchen Tips

  • Set the biscuits so their sides touch — they help each other climb as they bake.
  • Grate frozen butter into the flour if cutting it in feels fussy.

Kitchen Note

Keep the butter, shortening and buttermilk cold, and don't overwork the dough. Those little details make a big difference in a tender biscuit.

Ingredient substitutions

Buttermilk
1 cup milk plus 1 tablespoon vinegar, rested 5 minutes
Shortening
2 more tablespoons cold butter

Storage and reheating

Best the day they are baked. Keep covered at room temperature up to 2 days and rewarm in a 350°F oven.

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