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
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My family loves these Biscuits, I make them a lot.
making these now with my 4 year old grandson, we are excited.
Hi, I started making these biscuits a few years ago and they were delicious. Then I moved to the mountains. The first time I made them after moving here they were perfect. But every time since then, the biscuits have been more dense and has an odd almost chewy texture. I went to Baking and Pastry school, as well as Culinary Arts school and I have been banging my head off trying to figure out why they suddenly changed. I decided to go with a different flour (no change), I used slightly more buttermilk (no change) I changed pans (I usually use a glass pan, but changed to my metal pan and still no change for the better. I checked my baking powder (first thing) It was not scheduled to run out for another year. So here I sit feeling completely ignorant while my husband is begging for butter swim biscuits. By the way our altitude here is about 2500 feet, so high altitude changes don’t seem to be the problem. My last try I realized that our oven temperature is off. Either that or my oven thermometer is broken (but I have two of them so…no way they could both be wrong, however, I adjusted the temperature and no change. 🙁 Is there anything you can think of that might be the problem? I help people with cooking problems and feel very ignorant not being able to figure out what suddenly started going wrong. Thanks so much!!
Maybe you over stirred the dough? That can happen if you mix it to much
love this recipe! so easy and good!
I know you said you’ve tried these but it’s can take anywhere from 20 to 30 % add and subtraction, add more milk less drying agents like flour sugar and baking soda you can also add extremely cold small cubes of butter and reduce whisking time to almost nothing just enough to incorporate ingredients possibly 425 instead of 450 temp so as to not dry it out that’s what’s happening. Hope something helps.
I would try reducing baking powder just slightly, 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon and adding 1 – 2 teaspoons additional buttermilk. Depending on how that works you might need to increase cooking temp by 10 degrees and reduce cook time five-ish minutes.
Even though you are only at 2500, it can still affect baking!
Very excited in trying the recipe, butter swim biscuits. I’ m sure they will be yummy.
Made these for the first time today and they were a hit! Definitely going into rotation!!
I’ve made biscuits all my life and found this recipe and decided to try it. I followed the recipe exactly. I baked them in the center of my oven and started looking at them at 25 minutes looking through the window. They were still white on top so I left them for the full 28 minutes. They were a little golden on top so I removed them from the oven. After resting for about 5 minutes, the butter was absorbed so I started cutting them apart and all edges were very brown and hard. I cut into one from the side and one from the center. They were both very dense and looked like angel food cake. I spread a little home-made jam and tried it. The taste was good but definitely not like a regular fluffy biscuit.
I wanted to try these because the recipe reminded me of one of my favorite desserts, mountain pie. Melted butter topped with dough and baked. I made Chicken a la King and the biscuits were absolutely perfect as per the recipe. Based on what I’ve read of some of the reviews, I’d say it’s best to use real buttermilk and preheat the oven for at least a half an hour. The biscuits came out golden brown with a very light spongy open crumb texture. I only used a teaspoon of sugar. They absorbed the chicken gravy easily and my wife and I felt we’d had a feast. The next time we have company for dinner they’re getting the swim.
I made these today for the first time and it will definitely not be the last. The butter kind of oozed over one side but no big deal. I ate two of them while they were still warm. I had the first one plain with some butter in the middle. (Yes, more butter.) The second one I had with some cheese. The flavor is wonderful and the texture is not biscuit like but similar to a muffin.
The best of recipes…simple and delicious. A perfect accompaniment to soups, stew, just about anything. I use the leftovers, if there are any, for breakfast sandwiches the next morning! Thanks for the great recipe.
And I really need to know who made the adorable baking dish you’re using? So cute!
I made these for the first time today. I spooned my flour into my measuring cup to reach 2 1/2 cups of flour but my mixture was too soupy. I went ahead and added more flour to get the consistency I thought it should be, but I hope they turn out. Next time should I just scoop with the measuring cup?