It’s time for 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits!

I remember Grandma Barb preparing buttermilk biscuits from scratch a lot. She always made them last for the meal, and she did it swiftly and easily. It took less than a minute to make those biscuits and put them in the hot oven. They were so tasty then and still today. She’s great!

She has been baking homemade buttermilk biscuits for more than 80 years, so it’s not a surprise.

Next week, I’m going to show my sons how to make biscuits from scratch, starting with these very simple buttermilk biscuits that only need three ingredients. My boys know how to create a few easy dishes. Still, I want them to know how to make a meal from scratch with actual ingredients when kids become older (which happens so quickly). People in the South love to eat fresh, hot biscuits at any meal!This 3-ingredient buttermilk biscuit recipe is great for kids and people who are new to preparing biscuits. Because it was easy to remember 2-1-1, it was one of the first recipes I learnt to create. I called it 112 biscuits when I was a kid (like the 90s band) and had to play Cupid or Only You as I made them.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of flour that rises on its own
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 cup of buttermilk

Now that you have the supplies, let’s go through the steps to make delicious biscuits with just three ingredients.

How to make the BEST Buttermilk Biscuits with 3 Ingredients

1. Get ready.

Get everything ready ahead of time, including your tools and ingredients. Set your oven to 450 F. Measure and sift your flour, ice your butter, and make sure your buttermilk is cold. Get your bowl, baking pan, and biscuit cutter ready to fix.

2. Take the flour out of the bag.

Use a spoon to put the flour in your measuring cup. I tap the cup a few times along the way to make sure there aren’t any air pockets that could mess up my measurements. Use the back of a butter knife to sweep across the rim of the cup when you have a full cup of flour. This will make sure that the flour is precisely level. Put the flour in a big bowl.

3. Put in the butter.

If you can, freeze the butter ahead of time. The dough needs to be cold, and the frozen butter will assist keep it that way. This is really important if you want the BEST biscuits. Only take your butter out of the freezer when you’re ready to do this. You can use either salted or unsalted. I am using unsalted. Take the wrapper off the butter and grate it into the flour. Grating the butter makes it easier to mix with the flour. This makes a soft, supple biscuit that tastes like butter.

4. Add the butter.

It’s time to mix the grated butter into the flour now that we have it. Cutting butter into flour just means spreading it out so that all of the butter is covered with flour. To do this, get a pastry cutter and press it into the butter and flour over and over again. The mixture will soon appear like tiny pieces of bread. That’s what you want: little chunks of butter covered in flour.

5. Put in the buttermilk.

Get a cup of cold buttermilk from the fridge and add it. If I’ve measured my flour correctly, I usually just need a cup. But if you added a little too much flour by mistake, you could need a little extra. Use a rubber spatula to mix in the buttermilk until a dough that is sticky forms. When you turn your dough out onto the floured work area in the next step, it should be a little damp and sticky.

6. Fold and knead.

Dust a work surface with flour and place the dough on it. Put flour on your hands and start to knead the dough gently until it is soft. Put extra flour on the work surface and on your hands, but only use what you need. Adding too much flour will make your biscuits dry. Dough that is a little damp is ideal. Now start to fold the dough. Fold it in half and pat it down. After that, fold it a few more times and lightly smooth it out. This will make your biscuits have layers that flake.

7. Take the biscuits out.

Lastly, roll the dough out into a rectangle that is 1 inch thick. Cut out 5–6 biscuits with a 3-inch cutter. Put the cutter firmly into the dough and then pull it back up. Don’t twist them, otherwise you’ll seal the biscuits and they won’t rise. Put the biscuits on a pan so that the sides contact. This will keep them from falling over when they rise swiftly and high in the oven.

8. Bake and butter:

Put the biscuits on the top or center rack and bake them for 12 to 14 minutes. You might need to bake them longer (I do it on the top rack). I prefer to grease the tops and then broil them for the last minute or two to help them brown. But you should watch them the whole while they are broiling. Brush melted butter on biscuits right after they come out of the oven. Let the butter soak in and then brush again.

FAQs about 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits

Why do you need to keep the ingredients cold?

If you keep the butter and buttermilk cool, the biscuit will be soft and flaky. You want the butter to melt in the oven, not when you’re making the biscuits. The butter pieces will melt and make steam. This steam will make the biscuits fluffy and soft, just like they should be.

Is it okay to use shortening instead of butter?

Yes, you can. For the finest taste, I would choose shortening that tastes like butter. Or a blend of butter and shortening that is equal parts (although that wouldn’t be biscuits with three ingredients, would it?)

I don’t have any flour that rises on its own. Is it okay to use all-purpose flour?

Yes, here is how you manufacture one cup of self-rising flour from all-purpose flour. To make 1 cup of self-rising flour, mix 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder together.

How do I make my biscuits fluffy?

To make sure your biscuits are fluffy, follow the instructions above and keep these important considerations in mind: Make sure the dough stays cold and a little sticky. Get to work right away. When kneading, don’t use too much flour.

Can I use milk instead of buttermilk?

If you want these biscuits to be really good, use buttermilk instead of plain milk.

Can you heat these biscuits up again?

Yes! These buttermilk biscuits with just three ingredients are some of my favorite biscuits to heat up again. Put them in the microwave for about 15 seconds.

To make this biscuit taste better, I want to add more ingredients. Do you have any ideas?

Of course! These cookies are really good, but they’re really simple. Use half butter and half butter-flavored shortening to make the flavor stronger. Add 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar as well.

Keep in mind that creating biscuits is an art that very few people get right the first time! This recipe for buttermilk biscuits with only three ingredients will help you get ahead of the line for making great biscuits. You should still be kind to yourself if you’re new to cooking biscuits, though.

Now go make this recipe rock!