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?
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Did anyone else experience “smoking” in the oven when baking. For context my oven was clean as I had just cleaned it the week before. There was a continuous smoke in the oven that left the biscuits with a Smokey flavor. I thought perhaps the heat point for the butter created the smoke. Thoughts?
Absolutely use a deep baking dish. At this temp my entire house filled with smoke. Biscuits were good BUT this smoking was awful.
Thank you for your feedback! I’m so sorry to hear about the smoking issue—it sounds like the butter might have overflowed or splattered during baking. A few tips to prevent this in the future:
You mentioned you used a deep baking dish but butter doesn’t overflow from a deep baking dish.
Check that your oven isn’t overheating – this is a common issue and not your fault! – but if you oven is actually heating to 500°F it could cause splatter.
Check that the butter amount is exactly as listed in the recipe—too much can cause overflow.
For extra precaution, place a baking sheet or foil on the rack below the dish to catch any potential drips.
Check that there isn’t residual grease or food in the oven could combine with the butter drippings or splatters.
I hope these tips help if you decide to try the recipe again—these biscuits are worth it! Let me know if you have any other questions. 😊
Has anyone tried making these in a cast iron skillet? It will be my first time making them and I need to double the recipe. Also note, I am no baker, so fingers crossed.
I had to add a smidge over ½ cup more flour (70 g) to get the right texture otherwise I was left with some pourable pancake batter. They turned out as they should have though. I think my oven was a bit too hot as my edges got a bit too crispy (used a commercial aluminum pan) but I’ll turn down the heat a touch next time. They were so fast and easy to make. I loved that part.
We ate these with leftover ham and mustard sandwiched in-between and they were perfect for that.
I am not sure what is going on with other people but I have made this weekly for months now and it has been nothing but easy and even if I have some leftover after dinner it disappears before I get up the next morning. I use a basic 8×8 pan that not extra deep and I have had none of the smoke issues. I guess if you allowed too much of the melted butter to be on top it could happen given the smoke point of butter. I for one am glad I came across this recipe given is simplicity especially with how tasty it is. I do melt a little more butter and add onion and garlic powder to it and brush it on when it comes out of the oven to give it a little complexity.
I made these exactly as written except I used a 9 inch corning-ware square casserole dish. I had no problem with the dough and no butter spatter or smoking. But I did have a tough time getting them out of the dish. A fair amount of that lovely crispy buttery bottom stuck to the pan. Any suggestions? Not my favorite biscuit (I prefer a flakier texture) but this sturdy biscuit will make a fabulous breakfast sandwich that will not fall apart.
In oven as we speak.cant wait roast is done
So far a little dry and heavy. Any suggestions to help this?
Dry? Hum, maybe they were overbaked? You can try decreasing your oven temp. by 25°F and decrease the time by a couple of minutes. It’s worth it to try again! 🙂
I may have over worked the dough just a tad, but apart from that? These were a hit in my house! I used cast iron and took them out about halfway to cut them. The bottom had a nice crust. I was worried about the added sugar, but these will definitely become a regular thing here!
These came out absolutely delicious! The inside is so soft and fluffy and the outside is almost crunchy. I’m definitely making this my new go-to biscuit recipe! I followed the recipe exactly, except for adding a little more flour to the mixture. I also used a cast iron skillet. I highly recommend this recipe!! 👌