Butter Swim Biscuits are buttermilk biscuits that are baked drenched in butter for a biscuit that has a crispy crust with a soft and fluffy inside. If these biscuits sound amazing (which they are), be sure to also try my Blueberry Butter Swim Biscuits!
Butter Swim Biscuits
This recipe is from Simply Texas Butter Swim Biscuits. She mentions it is from her Grandma. I can only imagine how long it has been around!
It is so easy to make using ingredients you probably have on hand. The only ingredient you may need is buttermilk, but you can easily make your own homemade buttermilk. These buttery biscuits are delicious on their own or smothered in your favorite jam. But, don’t stop there! I also used them in my Butter Swim Biscuit Blueberry Cobbler, Butter Swim Biscuits and Gravy, and Butter Swim Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie, just to name a few!
Butter Swim Biscuits Ingredients
As mentioned, the ingredients in these buttery biscuits are ones you most likely have in your kitchen.
Flour: All-purpose flour is what I used. We have not tested flour substitutions, so I can’t speak for their effectiveness.
Sugar: Just a tablespoon of granulated sugar is all that is needed to give the biscuits a touch of sweetness and help give the biscuits a crispy top.
Buttermilk: If you don’t have any on hand, make your own buttermilk. I would not recommend using milk in the recipe; you will not get the tanginess you get from the buttermilk.
How to Store Biscuits
Biscuits are best eaten fresh, usually on the same day of baking. If you want to make them a day ahead of time:
- Bake biscuits.
- Allow biscuits to cool to room temperature.
- Wrap tightly with foil (Only use plastic wrap if the biscuits are completely cooled; trapping in hot air could make the biscuits soggy.)
- Place in refrigerator until ready to use. (You can also leave at room temperature if you prefer.)
- Warm in the oven at the lowest temperature for up to 10 minutes when ready to serve.
How to Freeze Biscuits
Wrap cooled biscuits tightly with foil or plastic wrap and then in a freezer-safe storage bag. If they are wrapped tight and air can’t get to them, they should remain fresh for a couple of months.
Butter Swim Biscuits
Equipment
- Mixing bowl I like using glass mixing bowls like these
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (312.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 cups (490 g) buttermilk
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Add flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt to a medium bowl. Use a whisk to sift ingredients.
- Pour in the buttermilk and stir until mostly combined, being careful not to overwork the batter.
- Pour the melted butter into an 8×8-inch baking dish*. Place the dough on top of the butter and use a spatula (or your hands) to evenly spread the dough out to the edges of the pan.
- Cut the unbaked dough into 9 squares (3×3 pattern). Bake for 28 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
- Allow the butter to be absorbed into the biscuits before cutting and serving.
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
Always perfect! I’ve also made these with different dried herbs or spices mixed in for a savory option. Garlic powder & dried basil (2 tsp each) are a family favorite, but you can use whatever you prefer.
Has anyone halved this recipe? Anything special to note about having it?
It’s already a smaller recipe.
I’m just one person and won’t eat even that many and don’t want to take up space in the freezer with leftover. If anyone tries it, let me know!
Why not treat someone special. Give some away!😉
This recipe is way off, 2.5 cups of flour and 2 c milk …is soupy, not thick like yours. I’m going to add another cup of flour
Yes, if you added milk I can see why it wouldn’t work, as the recipe calls for buttermilk.
You put milk and milk is not as thick as buttermilk. The flour to buttermilk ratio is perfect! In the future tho if you don’t have buttermilk just add a lil lemon or white vinegar to the milk and let it thicken and boom buttermilk.
I made these using the recommendation of adding two tablespoons of vinegar per cup of regular whole milk, and they were absolutely amazing! I lit the milk and vinegar combination sit while I mixed up the dry ingredients. They were delicious and I kept grabbing another bite of leftovers every time I walked through the kitchen! This will be my go to from now on! The family loves them, and so much easier than rolling out and cutting biscuits with a cutter!
Both of my 8×8 glass baking dishes are in use. Any effect if I use a metal pan?
I use my cast iron. Turns out great every time!
This is such a favorite recipe with our family. Have made it with no issues just as published. Tried a different idea today by doing a 2/3 size amount and right before baking in my smaller 6×8 glass pan, I gently added 3/4 C fresh blueberries. The berries had 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla and 2 tablespoons sugar. Wow! These were big fun, tasty and not overly sweet. Thanks for the inspiration.
Yes, I halved it, and it worked perfectly. 11/2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon salt. (I don’t add sugar – purely a personal preference) half a stick of butter in a smaller baking pan. Made six biscuits – again, the size of the pad you choose will dictate the size of the biscuits. They were delicious! Recommend. (Cut baking time by about 5 minutes – keeping an eye on them after about 20 minutes.)
Your site rocks my world. My renditions of what you create, turn out perfectly, thanks to your inclusions of weights in your recipes. But I do want to share my findings on this style of biscuit. The flavor of the Buttermilk in the finished biscuits is nothing less than amazing. For that reason alone I “could” make them again and again. I found the biscuit itself to be more of a spoonbread, custardy result. This is by far, not a bad thing. I just can’t call these biscuits. While I’ve seen iterations of these swimming biscuits, I am more than happy to have followed your formula.
Perhaps I did something wrong, but I think for the length of baking time, the temperature is too high. Great taste, but the top was too chewy when baked as suggested.
So my first batch is baking right now but they were pretty liquidy. Couldn’t cut them bc they wouldn’t hold a shape. We’ll see in 28 min.
How did it turn out?
Mine too Amy. in the oven waiting to see
This is our go to biscuit recipe! I love the simplicity of it and my guests are always wowed by the fluffy, tasty biscuits!! They think I’m a baking god!!! 😂😂. I let them think it.