Southern Buttermilk Biscuits (Big Mama’s Recipe!)

My Big Mama’s Southern buttermilk biscuits have always been a staple in my life.  Every visit to Winona, Mississippi was complete with biscuits made from scratch for breakfasts every morning.  They were flaky, buttery and super tender. This recipe is about as close to hers as it gets, and it couldn’t be easier.

Buttermilk Biscuit Ingredients

• Self-rising flour (Big Mama’s brand of choice is Martha White): Big mama only used Martha White and White Lily. This flour already contains the right amount of leavening agents, so you don’t need to worry about adding anything extra.
• Shortening: This gives Big Mama’s biscuits their tender and fluffy center because of its fatty oil base. You can also swap out the shortening with an equal amount of cold unsalted butter. I recommend using a grater if you go this route.
• Granulated sugar: You could also use a little honey here too.
• Salt: This will help to balance the sweetness from the sugar.
• Buttermilk: Make your own DIY version by mixing 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit for about 5 minutes until it thickens slightly before using.
• Melted butter: Big mama brushed right on top and also split the biscuits open and added a pat to the centers.

How to make buttermilk biscuits

Step 1: Make the Biscuit Dough

1

In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, and salt and stir to combine.

2

Create a well in the center of the flour then add shortening to the center.

3

Using your hands, add cold shortening into the middle of the flour mixture and start mixing into the flour, keeping in larger pieces, about the size of a nickel.

4

Pour in cold buttermilk and use a fork to mix until you have a shaggy dough. Do not overmix.

5

Flour your hands and turn dough onto lightly floured surface (it’s okay to have small unmixed flour at the bottom of the bowl) and gently bring dough together until more cohesive.

Step 2: Roll and Bake Up

6

Turn the biscuit mixture onto a kitchen board. Work together with your hands on the board until a dough consistency forms and add flour as/if needed.

7

Using a floured rolling pin, roll dough into a round of 1/2- 1 inch thickness. (You should see streaks of shortening peeking through the dough.) If dough sticks as you roll it out, add a little flour to your dough and/or board.

8

Use a 2-inch biscuit cutter (or a cleaned out back of a can) to cut out 12 biscuits. Place in prepared pan. The biscuits will fit snugly and the sides will touch.

9

Bake until biscuits have risen and are light golden brown, about 15-18 minutes then brush biscuits with melted butter.

Recipe Tips

1. Don’t Overmix: Just be gentle and mix only until everything comes together so your biscuits don’t end up tough.
2. Rolling Matters: Make sure you uniformly roll out the dough so the biscuits are all the same size and bake evenly.
3. Sharp Edges: Use a sharp biscuit cutter or a clean round cutter so the biscuits rise uniformly. Also make sure you don’t twist as you cut as it can seal the edges preventing them from rising when baking.
4. Biscuit Placement: For biscuits with softer edges, place them touching each other on the baking sheet. If you prefer crispy edges, space them apart.

Recipe Help

More Biscuits Recipes

• Big Mama’s Biscuits Turned Up- Herb Cheese Biscuits
• Angel Biscuits
• Sour Cream Biscuits
• Cathead Biscuits
• Homemade Cheddar Bay Biscuits (Garlic Cheddar Biscuits)
• 7 Up Biscuits (With How To Video!)

*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!

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