Tender and Delicate Buttermilk Biscuits

Tender and Delicate Buttermilk Biscuits. Crisp on the outside, light and tender on the inside, these buttermilk biscuits come together easily and are a great breakfast/brunch option either sweet or savory.

Song of the day: Tea For Two - Blossom Dearie

Biscuits or scones?

While in America these are recognized as biscuits, in England they are called scones, because there, biscuits are actually cookies. American biscuits and British scones have more or less the same ingredients: flour, butter, buttermilk/milk/cream, sugar, salt, baking powder/soda. And they are both round, with bread-like consistency, and only slightly sweet.

As a matter of fact, American biscuits, especially Southern ones, are more tender and light while British scones are more dense and rich. Finally, American scones have normally an egg in the dough, and they commonly have a triangular shape.

In this post we are going to make American biscuits, my go-to from one of my favorite foodie personalities, Smitten Kitchen.

Let's make biscuits

• Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
• Make a well in the middle and add the buttermilk. Stir with a fork until large clumps form. Then, knead the mixture briefly with your hands until it just holds together.

• Transfer the dough onto a floured work surface and pat it out to ½ to ¾-inch thick.
• Using a round cutter (2.5 inches) press down (twisting produces less layered sides), then transfer the rounds to the prepared sheet, spacing them two inches apart. Assemble the dough leftover, pat it down again, and cut more rounds. In the end, I made 8.

• Bake in the preheated oven until biscuits are golden brown on top, about 12 to 15 minutes.
• Let cool slightly, then serve warm. TIP: Biscuits and scones are best eaten the same day, then, they tend to soften. You can reheat them in the oven.

Serving suggestions for these Tender and Delicate Buttermilk Biscuits

• Turn them into a breakfast sandwich, stuffing them with fried bacon and egg, tomato jam, and arugula.
• Make them an accompaniment to sausage and gravy, or fried chicken.
• Have them with jam, or honey, for a sweet version.

My favorite, is to break them in two, slather with jam, and enjoy with coffee. Just take a look at that texture. So delicate. I love how crumbly they are, and those morsels just melt in you mouth!

These Tender and Delicate Buttermilk Biscuits would also be a great addition to a holiday table: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or just for an afternoon treat with some tea.

Enjoy!

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