United States · Wheat
Buttermilk-style Biscuits
Buttermilk Biscuits
Not cookies: small American quick breads folded with cold butter.
Illustrative photograph · terri_bateman · CC BY 2.0
What makes this bread distinctive?
In the United States, a biscuit usually means a soft baking-powder bread rather than a sweet cookie. This Southern-table favourite depends on cold butter pieces and minimal handling, not prolonged kneading. Here yoghurt and milk replace buttermilk as an accessible home-kitchen adaptation.
- Flour profile
- Wheat
- Core technique
- Cold fat + baking powder
HOME-OVEN FORMULA
From worktop to oven,
step by step.
Flour absorption, starter strength and room temperature all affect the result. On your first bake, watch the dough rather than the clock alone.
Method
- 01
Preheat to 220°C. Mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
- 02
Add small butter cubes and work with fingertips until pea-sized pieces remain.
- 03
Add yoghurt and milk and combine with a spatula just until dry flour disappears; do not knead.
- 04
Form a rectangle on a lightly floured surface and fold in thirds. Repeat twice and leave approximately 2.5 cm thick.
- 05
Cut 8 squares with a sharp knife. Arrange on a tray and bake at 220°C for 14-18 minutes until golden.
- 06
Rest for 5 minutes before serving; extend baking if wet dough remains in the centre.
BAKER'S NOTES
Small details,
better results.
- Chill briefly if the butter starts to melt.
- Cut straight down without twisting to help the layers rise.
- Contains milk, wheat and gluten; do not taste raw dough.
AT THE TABLE
How to serve it
- Butter and jam
- Alongside soup
- Breakfast with eggs