Cast Iron Buttermilk Biscuits #BreadBakers

Biscuits are a quintessential southern staple.  They are warm, comforting, and practically ubiquitous with meals spanning breakfast through dinner.  I did not grow up with southern biscuits.  I grew up with quick, drop biscuits, which are a delight in themselves, but southern biscuits are a special kind of tender, flaky, melt in your mouth comfort.  My hubby lived in the south for a number of years, so when he gave a hum and a "really good..." to this batch of biscuits, a reward for mowing the lawn, I was quite pleased!  We love these biscuits with honey or jam, and always served warm and fresh.

 

Cast Iron Buttermilk Biscuits
Recipe from Field Skillet
makes 8 biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp sea salt (or 1 tsp kosher salt)
4 tbsp (½ stick) very cold butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
4 tbsp very cold vegetable shortening, cut into ½-inch pieces (I used leaf lard)
1 cup cold buttermilk 
3 tablespoons melted butter, for brushing the tops (I used cream)

Preheat the oven to 400°F.  (My oven runs fairly slow even at confirmed temp and I think 450ºF would have worked better for me since the biscuits spread a little instead of rising quickly, which is the reason for wanting a higher bake temp.)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Toss the cold butter and shortening pieces in the dry ingredients.   With cold hands, two forks or a pastry blender, rub or cut the butter and shortening into the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. 

Add buttermilk and stir gently with a large spoon until mixture just comes together.  The dough will be sticky and a little shaggy.

Scrape the dough onto a floured work surface and pat into a rectangle. Cut the dough into four equal pieces and stack the pieces on top of each other. Gently press down on the stacked pieces of dough, then roll into a rectangle that's about 1-inch thick.  Sprinkle just a little flour on top if needed to prevent sticking.

 

Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 8 equally sized squares. (Trimming the sides is optional.)  Clean the knife between cuts if necessary.

Arrange the biscuits in a lightly greased No. 8 cast iron skillet (10-10½ inches), so that they are just touching each other.  Brush with butter and bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned.  (Mine took 25 minutes at that temp in my oven.)

I think the parchment slowed the baking
and would not use it next time!

Remove the biscuits immediately after baking, and place on a clean kitchen/tea towel to prevent the bottoms from over browning.  Transfer the cloth and biscuits back to the skillet to keep warm until ready to serve.

Serve warm with jam or honey and butter if desired.

  

These are super tender and best fresh from the oven.  However, they can be reheated in a 300ºF oven, wrapped in foil, for 10-15 minutes, or in an air fryer at 275ºF for 6-8 minutes.  Mine stayed wonderfully soft and tender with a short reheat in the air fryer.

Be sure to check out more biscuits from our bakers:

• Apple Cider Biscuits: A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cast Iron Buttermilk Biscuits: A Messy Kitchen
• Cheesy Air Fryer Biscuits with Herbs: The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Cream Cheese Biscuits:  Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Easy Drop Biscuits: Food Lust People Love
• Keto Biscuits With Almond & Coconut Flour: Sneha's Recipe
• Sausage and Cheddar Biscuits: Palatable Pastime

 #BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.