These are my Big Mama’s Southern buttermilk biscuits, boos. The same ones she made nearly every day from the time she was a little girl until she was 94. They always came out flaky, buttery, and super tender. She used shortening instead of butter, and I still do the same because it gives the biscuits a softer crumb and is beyond reliable. She would also add a pat of butter to the center and brush the tops for extra buttery flavor. They tasted like heaven then, and they still do now. It’s one of her Mississippi-bred recipes I’ll treasure forever.
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How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits
These step-by-step photos show how to make easy buttermilk biscuits, but be sure to check the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and detailed instructions. Skip to the → Best Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe
1. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and shortening in a large bowl
Work the shortening into the flour with your hands, keeping some pieces about nickel-sized for flaky biscuits.
2. Add the buttermilk and mix until a shaggy dough forms
Start with half and add more as needed, mixing gently with a fork just until combined.
PRO TIP: Big Mama only used Martha White (with White Lily as a backup). The self-rising flour already has the leavening, so you don’t need to worry about adding anything extra.
3. Bring the buttermilk biscuit dough together and roll it out on a floured surface
Pat and roll until the dough is ½ to 1 inch thick, leaving visible streaks of shortening throughout.
4. Cut out the biscuits with a biscuit cutter
Press straight down without twisting so the biscuits rise tall.
5. Arrange the biscuits in the pan and brush with melted butter
Place them snugly so the sides touch for soft, tall edges.
6. Bake until your homemade buttermilk biscuits are risen and golden brown
Brush with more melted butter while hot, then serve warm.
PRO TIP: Nowadays I get all fancy with a biscuit cutter, but Big Mama always cut her biscuit dough with the cleaned-out back of a can. So don’t worry if y’all don’t have the official gear!
Full Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe
Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups self-rising flour Big Mama’s brand of choice is Martha White
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons shortening cold in large chunks, can also use butter flavored
- 3/4-1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter melted plus more for preparing pan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F. Set rack in upper third position. Prepare 9-inch round baking pan by brushing bottom with melted butter.
- In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, and salt and stir to combine. Create a well in the center of the flour.
- 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.
- Pour in half of the buttermilk and use a fork to mix until you have a shaggy dough. Add more as you need. Do not overmix. 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Bake until biscuits have risen and are light golden brown, about 15-18 minutes then brush biscuits with melted butter. Big mama would also sometimes cut open the centers and smear on more butter letting it melt down. Serve warm and enjoy!
Video
Notes
How to Store
- Room Temp: Once cooled, store the biscuits in an airtight container or resealable bag at room temp for up to 3 days.
- Fridge: You can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 to 6 days.
- Freezer: Transfer cooled biscuits to a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temp or in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheating: Wrap one in a damp paper towel and microwave for a few seconds. For the best texture, warm them in a 300°F oven for a few minutes until soft and heated through.
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Keep the shortening cold and work it into the flour gently. You want nickel-sized pieces throughout the dough for those tender layers.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, make your own. Just mix 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and let it sit for 5 minutes before using.
- Don’t overmix after adding the buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. That’s how you get flaky buttermilk biscuits.
- Roll the dough out evenly so everything bakes at the same rate. Ain’t nothing worse than overdone or underbaked biscuits.
- Place them snug in the pan if you want soft sides. Space them apart if you prefer crispier edges.
Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Serving Ideas
- Breakfast: Use these to make a biscuits and gravy casserole, serve them with candied bacon and creamy grits, or turn one into a fried chicken biscuit.
- Made for Gravy: Split one open and smother it with sawmill gravy, brown gravy, white gravy, red eye gravy, or chipped beef gravy.
- Southern Supper Side: Put these on the table with honey glazed ham, fried chicken, smothered pork chops, or turkey necks. Honestly boos, buttermilk biscuits go with just about any meal.
- Soups and Stews: These are real good with beef stew, catfish stew, chicken noodle soup, chili, or chicken and dumplings.
- Sweet Biscuit Moment: Slather one with apple butter, strawberry preserves, lemon curd, or a drizzle of honey.
Recipe Help
Absolutely! You can prep the dough, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before baking. You can also freeze the wrapped dough for up to 3 months. Just thaw in the fridge overnight before rolling and cutting.
Most likely your self-rising flour wasn’t fresh, or the dough got overworked.
Yep for sure! You can swap it out with an equal amount of cold unsalted butter. I recommend using a grater if you go this route. Margarine is also an option.
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You should make more videos with you Big Mama and Big Daddy. Y’all are so sweet girl. And she make them biscuits just like my Big Mama. I love this. More videos like this are needed in times that we live in now. I know she does a good fried chicken, can we have a video please.
She passed away a couple of years ago. We miss her dearly.
Here it is 2020 in the middle of the Corona Virus pandemic and I’m just now discovering this video. Your grandmother is so precious and I sincerely hope she is still with you! I loved watching her make her biscuits and I loved that your entire family got involved in making the video. I’m 76 and my mama is 99 and still working her crossword puzzles. She is quite frail and doesn’t cook anymore but she cooked a lot of biscuits for our big family over the years. I’s the oldest of seven children and my daddy was a carpenter and built houses and barns. Mama cooked and washed clothes seemed like all the time when I was growing up. Thank you for taking the time to make this video and for sharing it with us. I wish I had done this for my mama and her coconut and chocolate cream pies with the flakey, tender crust and the real whipped cream on top! God bless you and your Big Mama and your entire family! 🙂
Oh thank you so much! Unfortunately, my Big Mama passed away last year but it makes my heart so so happy to have this video.
So glad you made a video, was so sweet to see your grandmother making biscuits and it surely helped to show the measurements for the recipe. I used to use Crisco quite a bit, but try to use butter now instead. I wonder how they’d turn out with butter?
Thanks so much for sharing, wonderful memories to make to share with your family.
I’ve got a great all butter biscuit recipe you should definitely check out right here on the blog.
Hi Jocelyn,
I just discovered Big Mama’s Biscuit recipe on Youtube and have a question for you. Before your grandmother baked her biscuits, she said, “its going to take the biscuits but a few minutes to rise.”. Do you have any idea how long we should let the dough rise before baking? There’s no mention of a rising time in the recipe. When I heard Big Mama say this, my first thought was that she is brilliant! Most recipes for baking powder biscuits don’t call for a “rise” so this may be why her biscuits are so special.
Hi Andee, just about 10 minutes should do it. And yep she is a genius!
I never have buttermilk in the house. Is it possible to substitute something else and have them turn out like yours?
Hi Sharyn, it won’t have the exact same flavor but you can always add lemon juice or vinegar to milk to create a buttermilk substitute to use in a pinch.
Big Mama, I LOVE YOU! You are so cute – thank you so much for showing us how to make your biscuits, and thank you Jocelyn for bringing this fabulous lady into our home! And, I loved the background music. Has Big Mama made any other videos?
Loved the video
I am going to try my hand at making these biscuits
Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy!
That has got to be one of the most precious videos I’ve ever seen. I can’t wait to make these biscuits for my boys, compliments of Big Mama of course! You are so lucky to have her in your life. Love your blog and look forward to trying many of your lovely southern recipes.
Thank you so much!! 100% compliments to Big Mama, she is such a gem. I really appreciate your sweet comments!
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I thoroughly enjoyed your video. Reminds me so much of how my grandmother cooked and taught me. Blessings!!
Thank you so much! It was an experience I will never forget. Grandmothers are the best.