Buttermilk Biscuits

Makes: 6 to 12, depending on size

Time: 20 to 30 minutes

The best biscuits are made with cold butter, which produces flakiness, and buttermilk, which supplies a welcome tang and the best rise. For an especially delicate crumb, use cake flour. These biscuits are easily adapted to lean sweet or savory; once you’ve mastered the basic technique, try the variations that follow. The classic biscuit recipe is great with macerated berries (see Macerated Fruit) or fruit jam or paired with eggs and bacon.

• 2 cups all-purpose or cake flour, plus more for shaping
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into ½-inch slices
• ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk or yogurt

1. Heat the oven to 450°F. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and work it into the flour mixture, breaking it into tiny pieces with your fingers until the mixture looks like coarse meal.

2. Add the buttermilk and stir just until the mixture comes together and forms a ball. Spread some flour (about ¼ cup) on a clean work surface and turn the dough out onto the flour. Knead the dough a few times, adding a little more flour to your hands only if the dough is very sticky.

3. Press the dough out ¾ inch thick and cut out 1½- to 2½-inch rounds with a biscuit cutter or sturdy drinking glass. Put the rounds on an ungreased baking sheet. Press together the scraps, pat them out ¾ inch thick, and cut out more biscuits. Repeat once more if possible.

4. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on size, until the biscuits are golden brown. Transfer the biscuits to a rack and serve within 15 minutes or wrap in foil and keep in a 200°F oven for up to an hour.

Whole Wheat Biscuits Whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid than all-purpose, so you may need to add an extra tablespoon or so of buttermilk: Substitute whole wheat pastry flour for the all-purpose flour.

BAKING POWDER BISCUITS Slightly different flavor with a cakier texture: Increase the baking powder to 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon and omit the baking soda. Use milk in place of the yogurt or buttermilk.

DROP BISCUITS Not quite as good, but ideal when you’re in a rush: Increase the buttermilk or yogurt to 1 cup and drop tablespoons of dough onto a greased baking sheet instead of patting it out flat. Bake as directed.

BACON-ONION BISCUITS Add 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper to the dry ingredients. Fry 5 or 6 slices of bacon over medium-high heat until crispy; remove from the pan and chop. Lower the heat and cook ½ cup chopped yellow onion until it is translucent and lightly browned. Before adding the buttermilk, toss the bacon and onion in the flour and butter mixture.

CHEDDAR-CHIVE BISCUITS Before adding the buttermilk, toss ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese and ¼ cup minced fresh chives in the flour and butter mixture.

SAUSAGE AND GOAT CHEESE BISCUITS Remove the meat from the casings of 3 or 4 sausages and fry in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat until browned, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon as you cook. Before adding the buttermilk, toss the sausage, ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese, and ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley into the flour and butter mixture.

ORANGE CURRANT BISCUITS Add 1 tablespoon grated orange zest and 3 tablespoons sugar to the dry ingredients. Before adding the buttermilk, toss ½ cup chopped dried currants in the flour and butter mixture.

STRAWBERRY AND CREAM BISCUITS This fantastic combination doesn’t need to be limited to Sundays at Wimbledon. Add 3 tablespoons sugar to the dry ingredients. Substitute ¾ cup cream for the buttermilk. Before adding the cream, toss 1 cup chopped ripe strawberries and their juice into the flour and butter mixture.

8 Sweet and Savory Add-Ins for Buttermilk Biscuits

• Fresh corn kernels, up to 1 cup
• Cooked sausage, bacon, or ham, diced, up to 1 cup
• Cheese, shredded or cubed, up to 1 cup
• Dried or fresh fruit, chopped, up to ½ cup
• Ground spices or spice blends, like chili or curry powder, up to 1 tablespoon
• Jalapeños, minced, up to ¼ cup
• Fresh herbs, chopped, up to ¼ cup
• Citrus zest, finely grated, up to 1 tablespoon

Making Biscuits

Step 1
Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers until the mixture looks like coarse meal.

Step 2
Stir in the buttermilk until the dough comes together.

Step 3
Knead the dough a few times on a floured surface.

Step 4
Pat the dough out to about ¾ inch thick and cut out rounds with a biscuit cutter or sturdy drinking glass.

Making Biscuits and Scones in a Food Processor

Feel free to use a food processor to mix the dough for biscuits and scones. Put the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in the bowl of the food processor; pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse several more times to incorporate it into the flour mixture, until it looks like coarse meal, before adding the buttermilk or other liquid. Pulse in quick bursts just until the ingredients are combined and make sure you don’t let it get gummy. Overmixing is the enemy of any biscuit recipe.