Description
Butter Swim Biscuits are fluffy, tender homemade biscuits with a golden buttery crust, perfect for breakfast or as a comforting side dish. Made with simple pantry staples and buttermilk, these biscuits are easy to prepare and bake in just 30 minutes, yielding a delicious buttery flavor with every bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 4 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter (cold, plus 2 tablespoons melted butter for topping)
- 2 cups buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 450°F (232°C) to ensure it is hot enough to create fluffy, golden biscuits.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, and kosher salt. This helps evenly distribute the leavening agents and sugar.
- Cut in Butter: Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the cold salted butter into the dry mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. This creates flakiness in the biscuits.
- Add Buttermilk: Pour in the buttermilk and gently stir until the dough just comes together. Be careful not to overmix to keep the biscuits tender.
- Shape Biscuits: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and gently pat it into a 1-inch thick rectangle. Fold the dough over onto itself a few times to build layers, then pat it to about 1-inch thickness again. Use a biscuit cutter to cut out 9 rounds, re-rolling scraps as necessary.
- Prepare for Baking: Place the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet so they just touch each other. Brush the tops generously with the melted butter to develop a rich golden crust.
- Bake Biscuits: Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the biscuits have risen beautifully.
- Serve Warm: Remove from oven and serve the biscuits warm, optionally with additional butter, honey, or jam.
Notes
- Use cold butter and don’t overwork the dough to ensure flaky biscuits.
- Buttermilk adds acidity which reacts with baking powder to create a tender crumb.
- For a dairy-free version, substitute buttermilk with a plant-based milk plus a tablespoon of vinegar and use vegan butter.
- If you want extra buttery biscuits, brush with additional melted butter after baking.
- Biscuits are best enjoyed fresh but can be reheated in an oven or toaster oven to restore flakiness.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
