Flaky Layer Buttermilk Biscuits in a Cast Iron Skillet
These cast iron buttermilk biscuits are the perfect blend of simplicity and flavor. Baked in a cast iron skillet, these homemade biscuits are made from scratch with perfect fluffy, flaky layers.
Be sure to serve these with homemade sausage gravy.
Buttermilk Biscuits in Cast Iron
This cast iron buttermilk biscuit recipe is easy to make and the perfect recipe that will become a family favorite.
Baked using a cast iron skillet, the best homemade biscuits are a masterpiece of simplicity and taste. With a golden-brown crust, each bite reveals a tender, flaky texture that practically melts in your mouth.
This biscuit is not overly sweet, allowing its buttery richness to shine through. It is a comfort food that brings families together over a delicious breakfast.
Recipe Ingredients
This cast iron buttermilk biscuit recipe requires just six basic ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy biscuit recipe:
- Cold All Purpose Flour: I use organic all-purpose flour when making classic buttermilk biscuits.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder: To help give these biscuits their tall rise and the best flaky buttermilk biscuits.
- Cold Butter: To achieve the flakiest biscuits, use cold butter. Make sure the butter is fully chilled in the refrigerator before slicing and adding it to the flour mixture. This will help the biscuits rise and result in a delicious texture when baked.
- Cold Buttermilk: Buttermilk has an acidity that reacts with the baking powder and baking soda to create a deliciously light texture, resulting in great biscuits. It is an ingredient you do not want to omit.
- Salt: I recommend using Celtic Sea Salt.
Kitchen essentials you may need include, Large Bowl, Pastry Blender, Measuring Spoons and Cups, Cast Iron Griddle Skillet, Rolling Pin, Biscuit Cutter, or Canning Lid Ring.
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How to Make Biscuits In cast Iron Skillet
Here is how to make old fashioned biscuits in a cast iron skillet:
- PREHEAT CAST IRON SKILLET: Place a large round cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat it to 450 degrees.
- MIX DRY INGREDIENTS: In a large mixing bowl, use a wooden spoon to combine flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- ADD COLD INGREDIENTS: Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of the ingredients and add cold buttermilk.
- MIX AND SHAPE BISCUIT DOUGH: Turn the biscuit dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently until the dough comes together and is no longer sticky. Roll the dough with a lightly floured rolling pin or gently pat the dough with the palm of your hand.
- ROLL AND CUT BISCUITS: Roll the dough to 1/4 inch for plain biscuits, 1/2 inch for tea biscuit size, or 1 inch thick for large fluffy biscuits. Cut the dough into rounds using a biscuit cutter lightly dipped in flour. Do not twist the biscuit cutter.
- REUSE DOUGH SCRAPS: Gather the remaining dough scraps and re-roll them to cut out 1 or 2 more biscuits.
- BAKE BISCUITS: Carefully remove the cast iron skillet from the oven with an oven mitt. Place each biscuit onto the skillet. Return the skillet to the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes.
- SERVE: Remove the biscuits from the oven and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
Keep Ingredients Cold: Make sure to keep your ingredients, especially butter and buttermilk, cold. It’s crucial for achieving the best results.
Avoid Over Mixing: Overmixing can result in tough and flat biscuits. Stir the dough just until everything is combined. When kneading, do it quickly—less than a minute—until it is no longer sticky.
Proper Biscuit Cutting Technique: Avoid twisting the biscuit cutter when cutting the dough. Instead, press it down firmly into the dough and lift it straight back up. Twisting the cutter seals the edges, preventing the biscuits from rising and becoming flaky.
Space the Biscuits: For a tender biscuit with crusty sides, place the biscuits evenly apart on the prepared baking sheet or skillet. If you prefer biscuits with softer sides, position them so that the edges touch.
How to Store
Storing Baked Biscuits: Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for several days to prevent them from drying out.
Re-Heating Biscuits: To re-heat buttermilk biscuits, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the biscuits on the cast iron skillet and bake in the oven for 3-5 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.
Recipe FAQs
What is A Skillet Biscuit? A skillet biscuit is a type of biscuit that is baked in a cast iron skillet. It’s a popular method for making delicious biscuits, particularly in Southern cuisine.
What are Buttermilk Biscuits? In the US, homemade biscuits are considered quick bread. It is somewhat similar to a scone and is usually unsweet made without yeast.
What Does Buttermilk Do For Biscuits? Buttermilk is a key ingredient in this recipe due to its acidity, fat, and liquid content. Its inclusion helps the dough rise, resulting in tall, flaky, fluffy layers that make for an exceptional biscuit recipe.
What Happens If You Use Milk Instead of Buttermilk? It is not recommended to replace buttermilk with regular milk for this recipe. The absence of acidity in the buttermilk will not produce the same result.
How to Make a Buttermilk Substitute: Measure 1 tbsp + 2 1/4 tsp white vinegar into a two-cup liquid measuring cup. Add enough whole milk to fill the 1 3/4 cup line. Stir and let sit for 10 mins.
What to Serve With Cast Iron Buttermilk Biscuits
Here are some delicious options to serve with buttermilk cast iron biscuits:
- Enjoy your cast iron skillet biscuits with sausage gravy for a comforting homemade meal.
- Enjoy a savory breakfast meal alongside your biscuits with this sweet potato hash skillet recipe.
Click HERE to discover 18 + amazing side dish recipes to serve with biscuits and gravy!
Buttermilk Biscuits in a Cast Iron Skillet Recipe
Whether you enjoy them fresh out of the oven or reheating them for a quick and delightful treat, these cast iron buttermilk biscuits are timeless comfort food that warms the heart and satisfies the soul.
Cast Iron Buttermilk Biscuits
Learn how to make these homemade old fashioned buttermilk biscuits.
With this easy recipe, biscuits are baked in a cast iron skillet
resulting in large, flaky, fluffy layers.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups cold all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 10 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small slices
- 1 3/4 cup buttermilk
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat Cast Iron Skillet
Place a large round cast iron skillet in the oven and pre-heat to 450 degrees.
Step 2: Mix Dry Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, combine together, 3 1/2 cups of cold all purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 4 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda.
Step 3: Add Cold Wet Ingredients
Using a pastry cutter, cut in 10 tablespoons of cold butter. The mixture should resemble course crumbs. Make a well in the center of the ingredients and add 1 3/4 cup buttermilk.
Step 4: Mix
Stir until all the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The time for stirring should be less than 30 seconds.
Step 5: Roll Out Biscuits
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Knead gently until the dough comes together and is no longer sticky. Roll the dough with a lightly floured rolling pin or gently pat with the palm of your hand.
Roll dough 1/4 inch thick for plain biscuit, 1/2 inch for tea biscuit size or 1 inch thick for large fluffy biscuits. Cut the dough into rounds using a biscuit cutter that has been lightly dipped in flour. Do not twist the biscuit cutter.
Step 6: Bake Biscuits
With an oven mitt, remove the cast iron skillet from the oven. Place each biscuit onto the skillet. Return the skillet to the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes.
The thickness of your biscuit and your desired golden brown top will make a difference in how long the biscuits need to be baked. I suggest keeping a close watch to determine how long they need to bake in your oven.
Step 7: Serve
Remove biscuits from the oven and enjoy!
I have been using this recipe for a long time now, and it has always filled the craving for delicious biscuits. It is the perfect biscuit for pulling apart the tender, flaky layers and serving with a large scoop of the most excellent homemade sausage gravy!
Notes
TIPS FOR THE BEST HOMEMADE OLD FASHIONED BISCUITS
Cold Ingredients
For the best old-fashioned buttermilk biscuits, you need cold ingredients. When I say cold, I am talking about straight from the refrigerator cold. I even store extra flour in the freezer just for making these buttermilk biscuits. Keeping the flour, butter, and buttermilk nice and cold will make a difference in this recipe!
Do Not Over Mix
Over mixing the dough results in tough, hard biscuits that are flat. The time for stirring the dough should be around 30 seconds, “just” until the ingredients come together. Kneading the dough should be done quickly, less than 1 minute, until it is not sticky.
The dough will be crumbly when you put it on a floured work surface to knead; it forms together as the dough is quickly kneaded.
Preheat Cast Iron Skillet
This is one of my favorite tips for making biscuits. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and place a cast-iron skillet in the hot oven.
Do Not Twist the Biscuit Cutter
When cutting the dough, do not twist the biscuit cutter. Press the biscuit cutter straight down firmly into the dough, and lift straight back up. Twisting the biscuit cutter seals the edges, preventing the biscuits from rising and creating flaky layers.
Correctly Space Biscuits
If you prefer a tender biscuit with crusty sides, place biscuits evenly apart on the prepared baking sheet or skillet. For biscuits with softer sides, position the biscuits with the edges touching.
How to Make a Buttermilk Substitute: To substitute for buttermilk in this biscuit recipe, all you need is milk and a tad bit of white vinegar. For this recipe, measure one tablespoon plus 2 1/4 teaspoons of white vinegar into a two-cup liquid measuring cup. Then, add in enough milk to fill to the 1 3/4 cup measurement line. Stir the mixture together and let sit for 10 minutes.
Since I’m on lockdown and can’t get buttermilk, is there something I can use to substitute? Thanks, they look delicious.
Hi there! You can add a bit of ACV apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to the milk to sour it. 1 Tablespoon vinegar/lemon juice and add milk to make one cup, stir it. This recipe would use 1 3/4 T ACV and 1 3/4 Cup milk.
The acid in the buttermilk reacts to the alkaline baking soda/powder to give extra rise. It will work without, but it works better with…
I’ve also read that adding a tbs of apple cider vinegar to milk as a buttermilk substitute works. I’m so excited to make these biscuits! Sarah, thank you so much for sharing all of your secret tips ?
We are a farm family of 7, including THREE starving teens; We eat a lot of biscuits! I’ve tried dozens of different different recipes and techniques with inconsistent, mediocre results.
I’ve just made this for the first time. The dough was too wet, I did add extra flour when gently and briefly kneading it. The biscuits flattened out while waiting for the pan to pre-heat (thank you, 5 year old and new puppy for distracting me). I lightly oiled the cast iron, placed them in, and popped into oven in two 9″ pans.
The biscuits came out with excellent leaven and color. The bottom was perfectly brown-crusted with a bit more flavor than the top. The flakes are wonderful, texture is perfect and reminiscent of KFC biscuits. I’ll certainly make these several more times to make sure I get it mastered; it will prob be my go-to-taped-inside-the-cupboard-door-recipe. That cut butter is the perfect touch.
Thank you for sharing this! I love the results of the pre-heated cast iron. I make all of my cornbread that way, why did I not think of it?? YUM!!
Thank you! Seriously! It makes me so happy when someone gets great results with one of the recipes that we use in our home!
Did you play with the biscuit recipe using lard? Wonder how that would turn out as it was traditionally used in baking goods?
I am sure that lard would work. I have used it in several biscuit recipes before and I feel like it makes a delicious flaky biscuit!
These were delicious and we will make them again and again! My son is going to master them himself! So much fun cooking them together. I used a cheese grater for the butter (I put in freezer for a few minutes before doing), it makes for easy distribution of butter!
Just a heads up…In my browser, your post, AND recipe, were covered with ads that I couldn’t nuke. You shouldnt’t have to be treated that way. It is one thing to have ads scattered through a post, it is another to have them covering your content!
Thank you for letting me know. I am sorry about this and have contacted the company.
Hi! Can I make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate it overnight to bake in the morning. I have an event that I need to leave for at 6am (crazy, I know) and I want to bring these for a breakfast treat for my friends who will be there. Thanks!
I don’t see why you couldn’t do it this way.
Thank you! I’ll let you know how it goes.