We compiled all Magpie recipes into beautiful cards for your kitchen! Get the recipe card collection in your inbox here.
I’ve been pestering Landon for years to share some of his recipes with the Magpie community, and I finally wore him down. He’s not been gatekeeping — he’s just particular and studied about his recipes, and he’s wanted to perfect them over time. (A process of which I have been the happy beneficiary.) I could not be more thrilled to share his unbelievably delicious buttermilk biscuit recipe today. These are buttery, beautifully laminated biscuits that will undoubtedly outshine whatever else you’re enjoying them with. We usually have them with fried chicken and collards, but they’d also be magnificent for brunch/breakfast with eggs or served with jams and fruits. On recent bakings, he’s swapped out a portion of the flour for cake flour and the result is a biscuit with the loveliest, softest crumb. You will lose your mind.
I apologize that the photo above is the only one I have of these outrageously delicious biscuits — I normally take the time to shoot in better light — but my lack of care should reflect how eager I was to dig in.
Ingredients.
Flour – 3.25 c (475 g) – use up to 130g of cake flour for a more tender, cake-like biscuit.
Baking powder – 4 tsp (16 g)
Baking soda – 0.5 tsp (3 g)
Salt – 1 tbsp (10 g)
Sugar – 3.0 tsp (12 g)
Butter – 8 oz (225 g) – separated by 4 oz diced ¼” cubes and 4 oz diced ½” cubes, frozen for not more than 30 minutes
Buttermilk – up to 1.5 c (360 ml) – less on a rainy day, more on a clear, dry day
Melted butter, for brushing on the biscuits
Maldon sea salt, for sprinkling
Tips:
- Be flexible when adding buttermilk. The weather / environment can change how much buttermilk is needed.
- Don’t overwork the dough or touch it too much with your hands. You don’t want the butter to melt before putting it in the oven. Keeping everything very cold (especially the butter and the
buttermilk) will help.
Preparation.
Adjust an oven rack to the top position. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Mix well so all ingredients are well integrated.
Add ¼” cubes of butter to flour. Rub and pinch until flour mixture looks well crumbled. Add the ½” cubes of butter and rub and pinch until larger butter pieces are pebble/pea sized. The ¼” cubes are mixed when the mixture looks “well crumbled.” The ½” is done when mixture looks pebble/pea sized.
Make a well in the center of the bowl, pour the buttermilk into the well, and mix by hand or with a spatula until the dough comes together. This will produce a very dry and shaggy dough.
Turn the dough onto lightly floured work surface, dust dough with flour, and roll it into a ½-inch thick rectangle (12” x 9”), applying even pressure and squaring off the edges. Laminate the dough by folding it into thirds, like a letter (a bench scraper may be helpful), and dust with flour; rotate 90 degrees, then
roll the dough into a ½-inch thick rectangle again. Repeat this procedure several times – I shoot for a total of seven times. Dust with flour as necessary. Optional – refrigerate for one hour between laminations.
Place the rectangle of biscuit dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper – the dough should almost fill a quarter sheet. Using a bench scraper or similar implement, make a ¼” cut around the perimeter edge of the dough and then cut into squares (this will yield approximately 8 to 9 biscuits). Chill the cut biscuits for an hour.
Bake the biscuits until they are golden brown, about 25 minutes, plus or minus 5. Remove them from the oven, brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter and sprinkle them with the sea or Maldon salt. Let rest for 15 minutes on a wire rack.
Post-Scripts.
+Things I’ve learned from cooking and entertaining.
+Kitchen gear to amp up your cooking game.
Shopping Break.
+Easy, cute summer dress for under $35. Love the unexpected cerulean blue color!
+All swim is 30% off at Monica + Andy, meaning they are $21/pop! They have the most darling prints at the moment. I bought my children matching sets (swimsuits for girls here, trunks for boys here) in the “ice pop” print (hoping they arrive in time for this weekend, but if not, will be great for the Fourth) and the swan floatie print. Also picked up some of their $30 jammies — these for my son in the red-white-blue stripe, and these for my daughter in the cherry print.
+Absolute summer staple. I have a similar one from Xirena that I wear ALL THE TIME. Lightweight, chic. Great for pairing with jeans.
+Love the embroidery on this dress.
+Bought my daughter these soft shorts for layering under her TBBC dresses and long tees and she loves them! I adore the little lettuce leaf edge.
+These running shorts arrived and I love them. They have a longer inseam than most running shorts, which is my personal preference. I like to wear them with these semi-cropped tanks from Willa Collective.
+During these summer months, I slather SPF onto my face and neck whenever I’m running, and I wear a hat. I’m not messing around! I really like Elta MD’s formula. It is really lightweight, blends with no white cast, and is suitable for even acne-prone skin. For my body, I love SuperGoop. It is so easy to blend, smells great, and really lasts, even at pool/in water.
+On the fitness front, currently in my cart: this bright blue cropped tank and matching leggings set, and these shorts from Spanx. I have this fitness skort from Spanx and I LOVE the way it feels/wears. Slimming but not restrictive.
+Love the pattern on this mini caftan. Great colors for Memorial Day / Fourth.
+Cute rope detail flush mount, and how cute is this ball lamp?
+Cute under-$50 summer tote.
+A fab easy and chic everyday dress. Just looks effortless and comfortable!
+Birkenstocks for kids! I hadn’t even thought about these for mini but saw the cutest little girl wearing them with a sundress at the playground this past weekend and now I want to add them to her summer wardrobe. They appeal to me because I’m sure they will hold up really well!
+Bermuda shorts are having a moment this summer.
+MaisonMe just launched a cute summer collection and I love this dress for me and these shorts for mini.