Name: Oven-Baked Cast Iron Skillet Buttermilk Biscuits
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 Cups Flour; 2 Tablespoons Baking Powder; 3/4 Teaspoon Salt; 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda; 1/4 Cup Crisco, Lard, or Shortening; 1 Cup Buttermilk

Jump to Recipe

Homemade buttermilk biscuits baked in a cast iron skillet are a staple of Southern cooking. In just 35 minutes, you’ll have warm, tender, and perfectly flaky biscuits ready to serve with a generous dollop of butter. Visual guidance is provided for assembling the biscuit dough before baking!

A biscuit spilt in half with a butter pad n one side. Biscuit cutters, a knife, and a cast iron skillet of biscuits in the background.

My deep love for fluffy biscuits!

My gosh. There are just some things in life that are the ultimate comfort. A warmed-buttered biscuit is high up on that list!

Or maybe you're in the mood for a more savory breakfast recipe like cheddar-chive biscuits or jalapeño-cheddar drop biscuits. Or using this fluffy biscuit recipe for a breakfast sandwich or ham and cheese biscuit sandwich. It doesn't matter what your taste or preference is, homemade Southern biscuits are EVERYTHING!

As a Southern cook, this was one of the first things that my mom taught me to make - like any good Southern mother would. From using the bacon grease from the fridge stored in a mason jar (if you're from the south then you know what I am talking about), to how to gently bring the dough together to not form a tough and dense biscuit to baking them in a cast iron skillet that has been in our family for 100+ years.

There is so much tender care that goes into these. They are simple, easy, made in 35 minutes and with 6 ingredients, and taste like home. Never buy canned biscuits again!

Equipment Needed

You will need a couple of tools that will make this recipe just a bit easier.

Pastry Cutter - this will help cut the fat into the dough making it ultra tender and flaky
Cast Iron Skillet - the key to cooking these biscuits
Biscuit Cutter or Cookie Cutter - the tool needed for cutting out the biscuits

*all links are Amazon affiliate links*

A pastry cutter in a bowl of flour and shortening. — Use a pastry cutter to cut the cold butter into the flour mixture. Make sure it is a small pea-sized shape to ensure a tender, fluffy biscuit.

The 411 on Buttermilk

Fun fact...I never buy buttermilk. On the rare occasion I need buttermilk for a recipe, I usually only need a cup or so, and they don't sell it in small enough containers that it would just go bad before I use it - because again I don't use it but for a couple of baking recipes.

BUT we usually have whole milk on hand, and we always have white vinegar, so there is no need to buy actual buttermilk from the store. 99% of the time, I just make my own buttermilk at home in just 5 minutes (the recipe is in the link!).

a mason jar full of buttermilk with a stick of butter in the background

Welcome to my kitchen - lets make biscuits!

rubbing a cast iron skillet with shortening on a paper towel. — First things first - grease your cast iron skillet. Using a paper towel, wipe a cast iron skillet with lard, shortening, or butter well all along the bottom and sides. This will grease the pan so that the biscuits do not stick to it during the cooking process.

A bowl of flour. — Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

flour, butter, and a pastry cutter on a cutting board. — Using a pastry cutter...

Cutting butter into flour when making biscuits. — ...cut in the lard until the dough has pea-sized clumps in it and is crumbly.

Biscuit dough in a clear bowl. — clumps in it and is crumbly.
Add in the buttermilk and gently mix with a spatula until the dough has just come together. Do not over-mix!

Biscuit dough that has been patted out into a round disk on a floured countertop. — Carefully pat the dough together in a round disk. Do not roll too hard or knead the dough as this will result in a tough biscuit.

A biscuit cutter cutting out biscuits on a lightly floured counter top. — Cut straight down into the dough and lift right up, making sure not to twist the cutter as you press down.

Buttermilk biscuit dough inside a cast iron pie plate before going into the oven. — Place the biscuits into the greased skillet - it is ok if they touch. Bake in a preheated oven at 450 for 15 minutes.

Freshly baked buttermilk biscuits in a cast iron pie plate on top of a tea towel. A bowl of flour and biscuit cutter next to them.

I love a good prep-ahead recipe, and this one is no exception! If you need to make these ahead or save leftovers, after making biscuits for years, this is the best way to do so:

Unbaked Biscuits: make and cut out the biscuits. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put in the freezer for 30 minutes to flash freeze. Store in a freezer-safe airtight bag or container and freeze for 6 months. To bake, place frozen biscuits in a greased cast iron skillet and bake at 450 for 17-20 minutes.
Baked Biscuits: Bake and cool biscuits. Place on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for 30 minutes to flash freeze. Put the frozen baked biscuits in a freezer-safe ziptop bag sealed airtight for 6 months. To thaw - move to fridge for 24 hours before use. You can freeze stale biscuits as well to use in Cornbread Stuffing during the holidays.

Don't Throw out your leftovers!

Leftover biscuits will keep stored in an airtight bag for 3 days. But when they are on their last legs and getting a bit hard and stale, don't throw them out! Instead, save them for the following uses:

Make homemade breadcrumbs: let the biscuits sit out on a baking sheet for 24 hours to harden and stale. Place in a food processor and pulse until fine crumbles with salt, pepper, and whatever herb of choice. Place on a baking sheet and toast at 300 for 10ish minutes until lightly golden brown - stirring halfway through. Store in an airtight container for a month or in the freezer for up to a year and use in any recipe calling for breadcrumbs.
Use for baked southern-style cornbread and biscuit dressing for year around or the holidays: let the biscuits sit out on a baking sheet for 24 hours to harden and stale. If not the holiday season yet, then place stale biscuits in an airtight ziptop bag in the freezer until the holidays or until needed. Remove and use in the dressing recipe that requires stale biscuits and cornbread!

3 biscuits stacked on a white plate. a cast iron skillet with biscuits in it, rolling pin, and biscuit cutters in the background.

Recipe

Oven-Baked Cast Iron Skillet Buttermilk Biscuits

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Author: Heather Bilyeu
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 10

Print Recipe

Save Recipe

Description

Ingredients

Scale

2 Cups Flour
2 Tablespoons Baking Powder
¾ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Teaspoon Baking Soda
¼ Cup Crisco, Lard, or Shortening
1 Cup Buttermilk

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Using a pastry cutter, cut in Crisco or shortening until the dough has pea-sized clumps in it and is crumbly.
Add in the buttermilk and gently mix until the dough has just come together. Do not over-mix!
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and gently bring it together in a ball or round disk.
With a rolling pin, gently roll out the dough until it is about ½-3/4" inches tall. With a round biscuit or cookie cutter, cut straight down into the dough and lift up. Repeat until all the dough has been used.
Rub either bacon grease or butter in a cast iron skillet using a paper towel.Place the cut biscuits into a greased cast iron skillet (the biscuits can be close together and touch).
With the remaining dough, gently bring it together and pat it out into a disk again. Cut out more biscuits and place them in the skillet. Repeat this process until all the dough has been used - being careful not to overwork the dough during this process.
Place the cast iron skillet in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and enjoy immediately hot and fresh with butter, honey, your favorite jams.

Notes

To grease the cast iron skillet, put a little bit of shortening, lard, or butter on a paper towel and spread around the skillet until the bottom and sides are lightly covered.
Leftovers can be stored in a zip-top bag for 3 days. These make excellent breakfast sandwiches too. Pop in the microwave for 10 seconds to gently warm again.
Use stale biscuits to make homemade breadcrumbs or Baked Southern-Style Cornbread and Biscuit Dressing.

How to Freeze

Unbaked Biscuits: make and cut out the biscuits. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put in the freezer for 30 minutes to flash freeze. Store in a freezer-safe airtight bag or container and freeze for 6 months. To bake, place frozen biscuits in a greased cast iron skillet and bake at 450 for 17-20 minutes.
Baked Biscuits: Bake and cool biscuits. Place on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for 30 minutes to flash freeze. Put the frozen baked biscuits in a freezer-safe ziptop bag sealed airtight for 6 months. To thaw - move to fridge for 24 hours before use. You can freeze stale biscuits as well to use in Cornbread Stuffing during the holidays.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Category: Bread
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 biscuit
Calories: 153
Sugar: 1.3 g
Sodium: 233.6 mg
Fat: 6.2 g
Carbohydrates: 20.9 g
Fiber: 0.7 g
Protein: 3.4 g
Cholesterol: 2.7 mg

Recipe Card powered by

DISCLOSURE. SOME OF THE LINKS BELOW ARE AFFILIATE LINKS, WHICH MEANS THAT IF YOU CLICK ON A PRODUCT LINK, I MAY RECEIVE COMPENSATION. THIS COMPENSATION COMES AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU, AND AS ALWAYS I ONLY RECOMMEND PRODUCTS I TRUST! HEATHER BILYEU IS A PARTICIPANT IN THE AMAZON SERVICES LLC ASSOCIATES PROGRAM, AN AFFILIATE ADVERTISING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A MEANS FOR SITES TO EARN ADVERTISING FEES BY ADVERTISING AND LINKING TO AMAZON.COM.