Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits

I love making skillet biscuits! They’re great in the mornings with some sausage breakfast gravy but also adaptable to lunch and dinner meals too! Whether you enjoy them with a bowl of soup, a traditional Southern dinner, or Sunday supper, baking them in a cast iron skillet will guarantee a perfectly cooked and delicious result every time.

For more skillet bread recipes you’ve got to try my rosemary garlic bread and this garlic parmesan pull apart bread. If you want something a bit sweeter, these Dutch oven cinnamon rolls will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Simple Ingredients: Homemade biscuits require just SIX ingredients that you might even already have on hand. . 
• Beginner Friendly Recipe: Making biscuits is easy enough even for beginner bakers to master. 
• Versatile: You can easily change up your biscuits by adding a few ingredients for added flavor. Plus, these biscuits can be served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

Skillet Biscuits Ingredients

• Flour: The secret to fluffy cast iron biscuits is using self-rising flour. My preferred flour is Martha White brand.
• Baking powder: We’re adding a bit extra to give the biscuits even more lift. 
• Salt and sugar: Add flavor to the homemade biscuit dough.
• Butter: Use salted butter for the best flavor. You will need a half cup that’s very cold and cut into cubes and a bit more at the end to add to the top of the biscuits. 
• Buttermilk: This fermented milk has a slight tangy flavor to it that really enhances the biscuits flavor and texture. The acidity makes tender biscuits that are light and fluffy. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can add one tablespoon of white vinegar to a one cup measuring cup and then add milk to fill it up. Let it sit for five minutes before adding it to the flour mixture. 

Be sure to scroll down to the full recipe card for the complete list of ingredients along with their quantities.

Variations

• Sweeter Biscuits: Add a bit more sugar to the buttermilk dough and sprinkle the biscuits with cinnamon sugar before baking. You can also add some honey to the butter mixture brushed on top after baking. 
• Savory Twist: Mix in fresh herbs such as rosemary or thyme to the flour mixture. You can also mix some into the butter mixture brushed over the top after baking.
• Cheese Biscuits: Add a half cup of shredded cheddar cheese to the flour mixture just before adding the buttermilk. You can also sprinkle more on top towards the end of baking.

How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits in a Cast Iron Skillet

Grab your cast iron skillet, your ingredients, and preheat the oven to 425° F. Let’s get started. 

Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together the self-rising flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the cold butter to the bowl and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture. The mixture should be crumbly.

Step 2: Add the buttermilk. Slowly add the buttermilk a ¼ cup at a time to the flour mixture until the dough becomes moist. 

Step 3: Knead. Knead the dough with your hands until it is fully combined. 

Step 4: Roll and Cut. Lightly flour a cutting board and roll the dough out until it’s a ¾-inch thick. Fold the dough over and roll out again to the same thickness. Use a biscuit cutter or measuring cup to cut the dough into biscuits. 

Step 5: Bake. Transfer to the skillet and bake the biscuits in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 19 minutes. 

Step 6: Season with butter. Remove the cast iron buttermilk biscuits from the oven and brush with melted butter. 

Serving Suggestions

Serve the hot biscuits with melted butter and jam, or drizzled with honey to accompany any meal. For lunch or dinner, they make a tasty side dish for a bowl of hot ham and bean soup or Dutch oven chili. 

They’re also great to serve with classic Southern dishes like chicken and dumplings or Mississippi pot roast. 

I love these biscuits for breakfast, especially stuffed with cheese, ham, or bacon for a delicious breakfast sandwich, or enjoy buttermilk biscuits and gravy by smothering them in homemade gravy! Enjoy them alongside other breakfast favorites such as a skillet frittata, scrambled eggs, or a breakfast casserole.

Expert Tips for Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits

• Skillet Tip: The key to making the perfect biscuits is to use a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. This will ensure that the biscuits cook evenly and develop that irresistible crust.
• Flaky Biscuits: Cold butter is the first way to make sure you end up with flaky biscuits. Remove it from the refrigerator at the last minute, and you can even freeze it for 10 minutes before adding it to the flour. Second, folding and rolling the biscuit dough creates flaky layers.  
• Don’t Overmix: You don’t want to handle the biscuit dough too much. Mix and knead the ingredients just until they come together. Too much mixing may toughen the biscuits. 
• Store Leftovers: Store your biscuits in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature for up to five days. For longer storage, you can freeze them for up to three months. Warm up in a 350° F oven wrapped in foil until heated through. You can also microwave them for a few seconds.  
• Bake Immediately: For flaky biscuits you want to work quickly and bake your biscuits while the butter is still cold. If you need to wait, store your uncooked biscuits in the refrigerator until you’re ready for them to go into the oven.

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5 from 4 votes

Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits

You’re going to love these fluffy, buttery old-fashioned buttermilk biscuits baked in a cast iron skillet for the ultimate golden crust and classic southern flavor. Perfect for breakfast or dinner!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time19 minutes mins

Total Time29 minutes mins

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 247kcal

Author: Ned Adams

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• ▢
  12" cast iron skillet

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups self-rising flour I used Martha White
• ▢ 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sugar
• ▢ ½ cup salted butter cold, cubed
• ▢ 1 cup buttermilk divided
• ▢ 1 tablespoon salted butter

US Standard - Metric

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• In a large bowl mix all dry ingredients whisking them together.
• Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender. The mixture should be crumbly.
• Add the buttermilk ¼ cup at a time slowly until the dough becomes moist.
• Knead the dough until it is fully combined together.
• Lightly flour a cutting board and roll the dough out until its ¾ inch thick.
• Fold over the dough and roll out again to be about ¾ inch thick.
• I used a ½ measuring cup to cut the dough so that each biscuit would fit into a Lodge mini cake pan but can also be done on a large skillet or flat cast iron pan.
• Bake until golden brown. Around 19 minutes.
• When done lightly coat the top with the butter.
• Cut in half and drizzle honey on the biscuit. This is also really good with gravy.

Video

Notes

• Use a well-seasoned cast iron skillet for evenly cooked biscuits with a crisp crust.
• Keep butter cold—refrigerate until the last minute or freeze for 10 minutes—to ensure flakiness.
• Fold and roll the dough to create layers, but avoid overmixing to keep biscuits tender.
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days or freeze for up to three months.
• Reheat in a 350°F oven wrapped in foil or microwave briefly.
• Bake immediately while the butter is still cold, or refrigerate uncooked biscuits until ready to bake.

Nutrition

Calories: 247kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 450mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 448IU | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 1mg

Dutch Oven Daddy is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.

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