buttermilk biscuits

(from Briana Holt and Eric Kim)
makes 9 biscuits
400 degrees F 
bake time 30-35 minutes
 
425 grams all-purpose flour (3½ cups)
100 grams sugar (½ cup) If you prefer a less sweet biscuit, reduce by 2 tablespoons
12 grams baking powder (1 tablespoon)
7 grams Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal) (1 tablespoon)
8 ounces cold unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into ½-inch pieces
(total) 1¼ cups cold buttermilk (300 grams)(hold back 2 tablespoons)
 
egg wash made from 1 egg beaten together with 1 tablespoon of buttermilk*
 
To make by hand:
In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt). Add cold, cubed butter pieces, tossing so the butter is coated with the flour mixture. Use a bench scraper to cut the butter into smaller pieces, about the size of a pea. (It’s okay if some pieces are slightly larger, some smaller.) Working quickly to prevent the butter from getting warm, use your thumbs and index fingers to gently flatten the butter pieces. Place this bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes or so, until the butter is cold again.
Measure your buttermilk (1¼ cups) (300 grams) and transfer 2 tablespoons to a small bowl; depending on the flour/weather/heat/humidity, you may not need the full 1¼ cups. Retrieve the butter/flour mixture from the fridge. Gradually add half of the buttermilk, drizzling it around the side of the bowl. (I like to use a fork to toss the dry ingredients/butter and buttermilk together but you can also use a large spoon.) The idea is to “toss” not stir/mash the ingredients. After you’ve added the first half of the buttermilk, (making sure you’ve reached all the way down to the bottom of the bowl), gradually add the remaining buttermilk (less the 2 tablespoons you set aside) and toss again. 
The mixture will look a little bit dry; visually, it’s tricky knowing if the dough is sufficiently hydrated but it should not feel wet nor sticky. If you have a good amount of dry flour that hasn’t combined with the rest of the dough, drizzle in 1 tablespoon of the reserved buttermilk and toss again. (*Save the lonely remaining tablespoon for egg wash used to brush the biscuits before baking.)
Transfer the mixture to a clean work surface dusted with flour OR you can place a clean, ‘flour sack’ kitchen towel on your work surface and tip the mixture directly onto the towel. (Working on the towel allows you to gather up the mixture, fold and rotate it with less sticking.) 
Gently gather the mixture together with your hands and using a lightly floured rolling pin, pat the mixture into a rectangle, 1-inch thick. (If using a bench scraper without a kitchen towel, use the scraper to fold the rectangle of dough in half, from top to bottom. If working on a kitchen towel, lifting the top corners of the towel will help you navigate the dough and fold it in half.) There will be stray bits of flour left behind; gather those into the mix by gently using your hands (without mashing it). The idea is to be gentle yet firm with the rolling pin; rolling first from the middle of the dough to the top, then from the middle to the bottom and folding the dough in half using the bench scraper to keep the edges straight. You will repeat the rolling and folding a total of five times; rotating the dough after each fold and straightening the edges will create a square. Add more flour as needed when rolling. (If working on a towel, after the final fold, carefully lift/move the dough from the kitchen towel directly to the work surface.) Use the bench scraper to nudge the dough into sharp corners, forming a square, 6-inches by 1½-inches thick.  
The bench scraper should make nice, sharp cuts; if it’s on the dull side, you can use a sharp knife instead. First cut the square of dough in equal thirds (vertically/start top to bottom) without wiggling the bench scraper/knife, and then again in thirds (horizontally) so you will have 9 even squares. Place the biscuits on a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving about one inch of space between them. Move the baking sheet with the biscuits to the freezer for a minimum of 30 minutes. 
When ready to bake, heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Mix your egg wash (made from one egg and the remaining tablespoon - or two - of buttermilk.) Retrieve the biscuits from the freezer, use a pastry brush to gently egg wash the biscuits and sprinkle with a bit of granulated sugar if you want a crunchy/sugar-y top. Bake the biscuits at 400 degrees F on the middle rack of the oven. After ten minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes until the biscuits are deeply golden. Every oven is different; keep an eye on things through the oven window; wait until halfway through the bake to rotate the pan. You might need a minute or two less or more of baking time. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack. I love these equally served warm out of the oven or the next morning for breakfast with fruit and cream or jam and butter. 
 
Any leftovers should be cooled before wrapping in parchment paper or plastic wrap. You needn’t refrigerate them but you should enjoy them within a day or two. 
 
 
 
 
Ellen Gray
July 2026