🏆 I Am the Official Biscuit Making Champion of the World… For Now

I harbor a secret love for biscuits.
Okay, not-so-secret. I’ve been on a forever long quest to make the perfect biscuit. The kind that’s fluffy, buttery, flaky, with just the right amount of crisp and chew in all the right places. You know the kind: the ones that melt in your mouth like chocolate on a hot sidewalk.

Despite my best efforts, something always went wonky. The biscuits were edible (sometimes even good), but never dreamy. Never epic. I tried every flour under the sun. Buttermilk, whole milk, no milk. Eggs? Sugar? Roll them out? Or treat them like a sleeping baby?

📺 Too Many Biscuits, Not Enough Time

I’m grateful to live in a time when you can just watch someone make biscuits on the internet instead of wrestling with a stained cookbook, trying to peel apart pages that have been glued together with decades of butter and ambition.

It’s amazing to see the technique in action. Those overhead shots, the calm voice narrating each step, but the downside? There are so many biscuit videos and recipes out there that it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Sometimes I don’t want 247 biscuit options and a deep dive into flour protein levels. I just want one solid, tried-and-true recipe that actually delivers. And I think this one might finally be it.

🧈 What I Did Differently (AKA: Biscuit Hacks That Actually Worked)

This morning, something magical happened. I made biscuits that actually, finally—finally—hit the mark. So I’m posting the recipe here, mostly so I can find it again later, because despite all my best intentions, I can never find anything on my phone when I need it.

Here’s what I did:

• ❄️ Froze the butter before cutting it in.
• 🌾 Used King Arthur all-purpose flour.
• 🥛 Needed way more buttermilk than listed—probably close to 1½ cups total.
• ⏳ Used buttermilk that technically expired last month.
  • Still smelled like funky feet, but not green. So… fine?

Maybe that’s the secret.
Expired buttermilk: creating legendary biscuits since 1842.

Also? I didn’t roll out the dough. Every time I do, I end up with hockey pucks that even the chickens won’t touch. I just folded and pressed the dough a few times, keeping the handling to a minimum like it owed me money.

👩‍🍳 Chef John's Buttermilk Biscuits

Crispy in the right places, flaky as a soap opera plotline, and fluffy enough to float away.

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Yield: 12 biscuits

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 7 tbsp unsalted butter, frozen and sliced thin
• ¾ cup cold buttermilk (I used more—see note above)
• 2 tbsp buttermilk for brushing

Directions:

1. Mix Dry Ingredients
   In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Cut in the Butter
   Add the butter slices and use a pastry blender (or your fingers) to cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Add Buttermilk
   Make a well in the center, pour in the buttermilk, and gently stir until just combined.
4. Fold the Dough
   Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Pat into a rectangle.
   Fold in thirds like a letter, turn it 90 degrees, and repeat two more times.
   Press together any crumbs—don’t overwork it.
5. Roll and Cut
   Gently roll dough to ½" thick.
   Cut with a biscuit cutter. Re-roll scraps and cut until all dough is used.
6. Bake
   Place on a lined baking sheet. Press a thumbprint into the top of each biscuit and brush with buttermilk.
   Bake at 450°F until golden brown and fabulous.

🥐 Got Biscuit Bragging Rights?

What have you been whipping up in the kitchen lately?
Drop a recipe or a pic in the comments. Let’s see if your biscuits are fluffier than mine. I’m not saying it’s a competition… but I am definitely saying I’m winning.