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buttermilk biscuits

Salted Honey Buttermilk Biscuits

★★★★★ 5 from 1 review
  • Author: joshisbaking
  • Prep Time: 30 Min.
  • Chill Time: 30 Min.
  • Cook Time: 25-30 Min.
  • Total Time: 1 Hr. 30 Min.
  • Yield: 8-9 Biscuits 1x

Description

Flaky, tender, buttermilk biscuits brushed with a honey butter hot from the oven and topped with flaky sea salt.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour (510g), spooned & leveled
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (10g)
  • 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt (14g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (2g)
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter (22g), cut into 1in. cubes
  • 1 1/4 cups cultured buttermilk (300 mL)
  • 2 large egg yolks for egg wash (~30g)
  • Granulated sugar to sprinkle on top

Honey Butter

  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter (56g)
  • 1/4 cup honey (50 mL)
  • Flaky sea salt to sprinkle on top

Instructions

  1. Before you do anything—make sure you’ve cut your butter into those 1in. cubes and place them in a small bowl in the freezer until ready to use. Cold butter is key!
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder + soda, and kosher salt. Add in your cold, cubed butter and squish each piece between your thumbs and index fingers to create flat little “shingles” of butter. Toss the mixture afterwards to make sure the butter gets evenly coated in flour.
  3. Make a well in the center and pour in half of your buttermilk. Gently mix it in with a wooden spoon (or your hands). Once most of it has been incorporated, add in the other half of your buttermilk. Mix this in as well until no visible liquid remains. Then, begin pressing/squeezing the dough until it comes together (avoid kneading). It may be a little crumbly, but generally keep its shape (see notes below if it seems dry).
  4. Dump out your dough onto a floured surface and shape into a large disc (roughly 9 in). Using a bench scraper or knife, cut the disc into fourths and stack each piece on top of each other. Squish the stack down and shape into a disc again. Repeat the cut/stack/squish process one more time.
  5. Lightly flour the surface + top of of your dough and roll it out into a disc about an inch high. Using a 4-in. round biscuit or cookie cutter, punch out 4-5 biscuits from the dough—push the cutter straight up/down and don’t twist it at the bottom, as this can seal the sides. Press the scrap dough together and roll out again (using more flour if needed) to get 3-4 more biscuits.
  6. Place your biscuits on a small sheet or plate in the freezer for 30 minutes (to firm up the butter). Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C), lightly whisk your two egg yolks together in a small bowl, and prep a large baking sheet with parchment.
  7. Take your biscuits out of the freezer and space a few inches apart on the baking sheet. Generously brush the tops of each with your egg yolk wash and sprinkle granulated sugar overtop. Bake for 25-30 minutes on the middle rack, until desired browning.
    1. WHILE THEY BAKE: When your biscuits have about 5 minutes left, make your honey butter to brush overtop as soon as they’re out of the oven. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt your butter and honey together until the butter is fully melted (it helps to cut the butter into tablespoon-sized pieces), stirring every so often. Set aside.
  8. As soon as the biscuits come out of the oven, generously brush your honey butter over the top of each, letting it drip down the sides too. Sprinkle flaky sea salt overtop. Let cool on the sheet for 10 minutes and then dig in—these are best enjoyed warm, but you can transfer to separate racks to cool completely. These will keep for up to 5 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature, but if you’re like me—they won’t last past two. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Keep the Butter Cold: colder butter going into the bake is key more maximum rise and flakier layers—so don’t skip the freezing step and put your dough into the fridge for 15 minutes before you cut out the biscuit pieces if it ever feels too wet or sticky.
  • Dough Consistency: the dough should be somewhat crumbly when you go to cut/stack the layers and will come together more—you don’t want it to be wet! It’ll be better as you add more flour and go to roll it out before cutting.
    • Dough Seem Dry? If your dough seems too dry when adding the buttermilk, you can gradually add more by the teaspoon—just be careful not to make it wet. You want the dough to be on the side of crumbly over wet. It’ll come together as you create layers and go to roll it out!
  • Punching out Biscuits: like I mention in the instructions, be careful not to twist your butter after punching it down into the dough. This can seal the edges/side of your dough and undo all the gorgeous layers you’ve just worked so hard to create.
  • Baking & Glazing: there’s a range of 25-30 minutes for two reasons. One is that everyone’s oven is a little different, so 25 minutes may look different from one to the next. The other is that you might prefer a different stage of browning or crispiness to the tops/bottoms of your biscuits! I like mine to be a bit darker, so I keep them in there closer to 30 minutes!

Find it online: https://joshisbaking.com/salted-honey-buttermilk-biscuits/