I saw this recipe for 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits on Pinterest the other day and I was immediately intrigued. The recipe differed slightly from my regular 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuit recipe in that it used frozen butter, not chilled.
I have adapted this recipe, to include metric measurements from one which I found on Divas Can Cook.
Let me tell you before anyone gives me any grief, these are North American Biscuits, rather than British Biscuits.
In the UK, the word biscuit is used to describe a cookie. In North America, the word biscuit is used to describe a quick bread, similar to, but not exactly like a scone.
And yes, I know this is the English Kitchen. You will find a great many British recipes on this blog. I am also an North American, as are most of my readers, and so you will also find a great many North American recipes on this blog. You will just have to deal with it.
I am sorry if this is confusing to some people. I refuse to call these scones because they are not scones. There is a huge difference between the two things.
First of all in the manner in which they are put together. In biscuits the fat is cut into the flour. In scones the fat is rubbed into the flour.
Secondly, scones tend to be sweeter and are meant to be eaten cold, usually with cream and jam. Biscuits are more on the savory side and are meant to be eaten hot or warm, usually buttered and sometimes, but not always, with honey.
I have never used frozen butter to make a biscuit before. That was quite a new thing for me. The original recipe called for a stick of butter, which is half a cup. I didn't have sticks, so I just measured out half a cup on the full blog and grated to the line.
You do what you need to do. I also stirred the frozen butter into the flour as I went. Somehow cutting it in after grating it seemed to defeat the purpose of using frozen butter. Just my way of thinking I guess.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE 3-INGREDIENT BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
You really do only need three simple ingredients!
- 2 cups (280g) self-rising plain all-purpose flour (see note)
- 1/2 cup (120g) frozen butter (plus more for brushing)
- 1 cup (240ml) cold buttermilk
I always make up my own self-raising flour. Most British cakes use self-raising flour. I make it up, four cups at a time. Its very easily done.
For each cup of flour, simply whisk in 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt. It works exactly the same as commercial self-raising flour.
You can also make your own buttermilk if you don't have any. There are two ways of doing this. For the first way, measure 1 TBS of white vinegar or 1 TBS of lemon juice into a measuring cup. Add the amount of milk needed, give it a whisk and leave it to clabber for 5 to 10 minutes.
The second way is a matter of whisking together equal parts of plain full fat yogurt and full fat milk to give you the amount of milk needed. This is my preferred method.
HOW TO MAKE 3-INGREDIENT BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
The grating of the butter is a little bit fiddly, but for the most part these are very easy to make. Just work as quickly as you can so that you can get them into the oven while the butter is still very cold.
Preheat the oven to 450*F/230*C/ gas mark 7. Line a quarter sheet pan with baking paper. set aside.
Measure your flour into a bowl. Quickly grate the frozen butter into the flour, stirring it in with a fork as you go, until it is well mixed in. (Don't work too hard at it as y0u don't want the butter to melt.)
Pour in the cold buttermilk and mix together to a soft dough with a spatula.
Dump out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a couple of times to pull together. Pat out and fold back on itself twice.
Pat out to a rectangle 1 inch thick.
Using a sharp (3 inch round) metal cutter, cut out four biscuits. Place onto the baking tray.
Re-pat the scraps and cut out 2 more biscuits. Place on the tray.
Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes. Brush the tops with some butter and bake for 2 minutes longer.
Remove from the oven. Brush with some more butter, allowing it to soak in. Give the hot biscuits a final brush with some butter and serve.
As you can see these turned out nice and light and fluffy and rose very tall. They were delicious. I had one with my bowl of soup for my supper and it went down a real treat!
The re-cuts were a bit wonky, but re-cuts usually are! It's to be expected!
Some other biscuit recipes (quick bread not cookie) on here that you might enjoy are:
EASY 7-UP BISCUITS - These delicious biscuits use only four ingredients, a baking mix, some sour cream, 7-up soda pop and butter. That's it. Easy peasy. You can use a commercial baking mix, or you can make up your own baking mix. I tell you how.
CHEDDAR, BACON & CHIVE BISCUITS - Fabulously tasty, light, flakey, peppery, stogged with rich strong cheddar and are beautiful served alongside of savory things like soups, stews, salads, etc. I will go out on a limb here and tell you they are also nice spread with butter and honey, only because I have done that and they were delicious, but then again, taste is a very individual thing is it not?
Yield: 6
3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 14 MinTotal time: 24 Min
Flaky, tender and light as air. Quick and simple to make simple, these biscuits are fabulously delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (280g) self-rising plain all-purpose flour (see note)
- 1/2 cup (120g) frozen butter (plus more for brushing)
- 1 cup (240ml) cold buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450*F/230*C/ gas mark 7. Line a quarter sheet pan with baking paper. set aside.
- Measure your flour into a bowl. Quickly grate the frozen butter into the flour, stirring it in with a fork as you go, until it is well mixed in. (Don't work too hard at it as y0u don't want the butter to melt.)
- Pour in the cold buttermilk and mix together to a soft dough with a spatula.
- Dump out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a couple of times to pull together. Pat out and fold back on itself twice.
- Pat out to a rectangle 1 inch thick.
- Using a sharp (3 inch round) metal cutter, cut out four biscuits. Place onto the baking tray.
- Re-pat the scraps and cut out 2 more biscuits. Place on the tray.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes. Brush the tops with some butter and bake for 2 minutes longer.
- Remove from the oven. Brush with some more butter, allowing it to soak in. Give the hot biscuits a final brush with some butter and serve.
NOTES - To make your own self raising flour, whisk together 1 cup (140g) plus 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt for each cup needed.
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I have to tell that I love your recipes! My grandmother was English and so the cooking and baking my mother did was mostly English. Some of your recipes bring back so many good memories of food that I had forgotten.
ReplyDeleteI had some noodles leftover in the fridge and thinking I would make a sauce and add chicken, then I read your recipe for the day yesterday and it was perfect for what I wanted to do. I subscribe to other food blogs, but yours is the best and most of the recipes I print are from your blog. Keep it up, please!
Thank you so much for your lovely comment! I do put my heart and soul into this page, and it really is nice to be appreciated! I am pleased you enjoyed the chicken recipe! xoxo
DeleteMarie, your buttermilk biscuits look wonderful! I have never made biscuits with frozen butter but I am intrigued! I'm with you, in that, biscuits are quick breads and delicious warm or cold. I refuse to call them scones! Scones are sweeter and never served warm, but are lovely as part of a dessert or with tea or coffee. They are especially nice with a glaze. Thanks for your recipe. I hope 2023 treats you well!
ReplyDeleteI hope that you make these and enjoy them Sandi! I thought they were very good! Thanks also for your comment re scones. I get a bit tired of defending my position on the differences between biscuits and scones, it is nice to hear someone agree! Happy 2023 to you also! xoxo
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