Around here, biscuits aren’t just something you eat — they’re something you learn, pass down, and remember. Every Southern grandmother has her own way… maybe it’s White Lily flour, maybe it’s butter or lard, sweet milk or buttermilk. But one thing they all seem to agree on: serve them warm, and serve them with love.
Old-Fashioned Cast Iron Buttermilk Biscuits: Southern-Style From My Huntsville Kitchen
In Huntsville, Alabama, slow mornings in the kitchen carry a kind of quiet, familiar comfort — especially when a cast iron skillet’s warming on the stove and the smell of buttery biscuits starts to drift through the house. These aren’t just any biscuits. These are comfort biscuits. Homemade, southern biscuits. The kind you serve with a slather of honey, a spoonful of jam, or just a quiet moment to yourself with a cup of coffee or tea on the back porch.
I didn’t learn this recipe from a cookbook — I learned it slowly, one morning at a time, with a lot of trial, and a little error. I created the perfect mix of biscuits recipes I had acquired over the years but were not quite "it".
The key to this solid biscuit recipe is to make sure your ingredients are very cold. Even flour in the freezer is my jam.
These biscuits are soft on the inside, golden on the outside, and just buttery enough to feel like a Southern hug. And if you’re in North Alabama like me, you already know — biscuits this good don’t need much of a reason.
Old-Fashioned Cast Iron Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients (Makes About 12 Large Fluffy Biscuits)
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3½ cups cold all-purpose flour (420 g)
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1½ tsp salt (9 g)
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4 tsp baking powder (22.8 g)
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1 tsp baking soda (5 g)
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10 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
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1-3/4 cups cold buttermilk (or buttermilk substitute — see notes)
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat Your Skillet
Slide your cast iron skillet into the oven and preheat to 450°F. A hot skillet makes for the best golden-bottomed biscuits.
Step 2: Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a big mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Step 3: Cut in Cold Butter
Use a pastry cutter (or two knives) to work the butter into the flour. You’re looking for a texture like coarse crumbs — cold little butter flecks throughout.
Step 4: Add Buttermilk & Stir Gently
Make a well in the center and pour in your buttermilk. Stir with a wooden spoon just until the dough pulls away from the sides. No more than 30 seconds. Less is more here.
Step 5: Knead and Roll
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead lightly until it just comes together — no more than a minute.
Stacking and folding gives height and flakiness. Roll to about 1 inch thick for those nice, tall biscuits.
Step 6: Cut Biscuits (Don’t Twist!)
Dip your biscuit cutter in flour and press straight down — don’t twist. Twisting seals the edges and keeps those flaky layers from rising.
Step 7: Bake
Carefully remove your hot skillet from the oven. Arrange biscuits in the skillet with edges just touching for soft sides, or spaced apart if you want crispier edges. I have noticed that allowing the biscuits to touch each other on the baking pan or skillet, helps them to rise taller.
Bake for 7–10 minutes or until golden brown. Keep a close eye — every oven’s a little different.
Step 8: Brush with Butter & Serve
Brush those tops with melted butter right out of the oven and let them cool just a few minutes (if you can wait).
💡 Tips for the Best Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
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Keep Ingredients Cold: Cold butter and cold buttermilk are what give you those flaky layers. I even store flour in the freezer just for biscuit days.
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Don’t Overmix: Tough biscuits come from overworking the dough. Stir gently and briefly. Let the dough be a little crumbly — it’ll come together with light kneading.
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Use a Hot Skillet: That hot cast iron creates the perfect crust underneath.
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Don’t Twist the Cutter: Just press down and lift up. No wiggling.
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Adjust Biscuit Spacing: For soft edges, let them touch. For crispy sides, space them out.
- For extra tenderness, add 1 tsp cream of tartar
🥛 Buttermilk Substitute
No buttermilk on hand? No problem. Add 1 tbsp + 2¼ tsp white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup, then fill to the 1½ cup mark with milk. Let it sit 10 minutes.
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🪞 From My Kitchen to Yours
I hope these Southern buttery biscuits bring a little warmth to your kitchen — whether you’re in the heart of Huntsville or far away but longing for a taste of home. They’re simple, tender, and steady. And in a world that moves too fast, they remind me to slow down — even if just for ten minutes.
If you try them, I’d love to hear how they turned out — especially if they made it to the table before being devoured straight out the skillet.
This is the recipe I always find my way back to when I long for the rhythms of a slow morning. It’s simple, unhurried, and faithful — the kind of comfort I once imagined was only passed down, but somehow became mine.
Reminder: Wrap them in a linen towel to keep them warm — just like Grandma used to do.