Small Batch Buttermilk Biscuits

Begin by sifting the self-rising flour into a metal mixing bowl. To this, add your granulated sugar and give it a quick mix with a fork to ensure the sugar is fully incorporated. Now, grab your frozen butter and a cheese grater.

With your cheese grater, carefully grate the frozen butter directly into the bowl, right on top of the flour mixture. Once all the butter is grated, transfer the whole bowl – along with any tools you're using (like your wooden spoon, silicone spatula, pastry cutter, or fork) – into the freezer. Let it rest there while you make the egg wash. This chill time helps keep the butter cold, which is key to achieving those delicious, flaky biscuits.

While your flour mixture is chilling, take a small bowl and whisk together the egg and water until completely combined. You want to make sure there are no streaks of egg left. Set this aside for later; it’ll be used just before baking.

Once your bowl has had a chance to chill, remove it from the freezer. Using the same fork from earlier, gently work the grated butter into the flour mixture. The goal here is to coat each little piece of butter with flour. If any of the butter pieces have clumped together, separate them with the tines of the fork and make sure they’re evenly distributed throughout the flour.

Now it’s time to form your dough. Make a well in the center of the bowl. Grab your cold buttermilk and pour it right into the center. At this point, you’ll switch from the fork to a wooden spoon or silicone spatula (or even your hands if you prefer). Start by gently folding the flour mixture into the buttermilk, moving your tool around the edges of the bowl and gradually incorporating the flour.

As the dough starts to come together, continue folding gently from the center outward. Be very light and deliberate with your mixing here – too much force or motion can lead to dense, heavy biscuits, and we want them to be light and fluffy. When the dough has just come together and forms a single mass, it’s time to move to your work surface.

Lightly flour your work surface, then turn the dough out onto it. Using your hands or a pastry cutter, gently work any excess flour and dry bits into the dough mass. Be gentle – you don’t want to press too hard or overmix, just enough to bring everything together. As you’re doing this, begin to pat the mound into a flat oval or rectangle shape with your hands or the pastry cutter. I like to fold the dough over onto itself a few times and then flatten it back out – not so much that I’m actively creating layers (it does), but really to help shape the dough into a nice, cohesive mound.

Once you’ve got your dough shaped into either an oval or rectangle, it’s time to cut out your biscuits. If you’ve got an oval, use a round biscuit cutter to cut out two regular-sized biscuits or four small ones. If you’ve shaped it into a rectangle, use a knife or the pastry cutter to cut it into two regular biscuits or four small ones.

Transfer the cut biscuits onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Place the entire tray into the fridge to chill while you preheat your oven to 450°F. Once the oven is ready, lightly brush the tops of the biscuits with the egg wash you prepared earlier – make sure to get the sides too if they’re tall biscuits. Pop them in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until they’re beautifully fluffy and golden brown.

As soon as the biscuits come out of the oven, brush them with melted butter or place a thin pat of butter on top of each one to melt in its warmth. Dassit! Enjoy your warm, flaky biscuits with whatever you love most – maybe some homemade jam or a drizzle of honey!