Then I saw it. Raw dough floating in a pool of melted butter. While some might have found this image unappealing, I fell in love instantly and I didn’t even know what they were yet!
A little research and I had several common names. Apparently these buttery buttermilk biscuits are actually quite common. It is a wonder I hadn’t run across them before. I mean two of my favorite things: butter and carbs.
These are a no knead, no yeast and no roll biscuits. Seriously, the easiest ever.
Butter Swim Biscuit Recipe
These devine fluffy biscuits have several names:
- Butter Float Biscuits
- Butter Swim Biscuits
- Butter Dip Biscuits
- Easy Butter Biscuits
Rumor has it they are the result of one lazy Texas woman who lacked the motivation to make rolled, cut and then butter biscuits. Then one had to wonder why we spent so much time doing it the hard way when you can just literally bake the dough IN butter.
Hats off, mysteriously lady in Texas who I now idolize.
The trick is not having to add too much flour in order to roll out or even drop the biscuits. Instead, you just transfers the lumpy and very sticky dough right into the baking dish with butter.
Buttermilk Biscuits
These buttermilk biscuits are a thick, chewy and very rich Southern Style biscuit. Perfectly hearty for a runny egg sandwich and thick cut bacon.
The edges turn into lacy, crispy, buttery pieces of biscuit that might crumble off.
There are a couple of changes I’ve made while making these recipe. I used a rectangular baking dish instead of square. I felt like the biscuits cooked more evenly instead of having a center biscuit be all doughy.
Secondly, it was impossible to cut the biscuit dough while raw. It is too sticky and won’t hold. So I took the biscuits out after baking for 15 minutes and cut them then, swishing around the butter to get into the cracks.
Buttermilk in Recipes
What is buttermilk?
Buttermilk is the liquid byproduct spun off of cream during the process of making butter. The solids make butter and the liquid is buttermilk.
I rarely have buttermilk in the fridge. I don’t use it that often, it is expensive and I never need the whole jug. So I keep powdered buttermilk in the pantry, which I used today. I honestly can’t tell the difference when it is baked into the recipe.
If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use these substitutions.
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar + 1 cup 2% or whole milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice + 1 cup 2% or whole milk
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar/lemon juice + 1 cup skim milk + 1 tablespoon melted butter
Do not use cream. It not the same thing.
Measure Flour Correctly
I would venture to say that about 75% of people aren’t measuring their flour correctly. Too much flour can lead to dry and brittle baked goods and thick, clumpy sauces. Too little can make for doughy and loose recipes.
Here is how to measure flour the correct way.
- Stir flour to loosen it in the canister or bag.
- Spoon flour into measuring cup. Do not pack it down.
- Use the back of a butter knife to even off the top.
- Add to recipe.
Simply dipping the measuring cup into a canister of flour packs it down and can result in up to 3-4 ounces more flour than what the recipe calls for.
Butter for Biscuits
These easy biscuits really don’t need any additional butter after literally taking a butter bath. But if I were to serve them with something, it would be honey butter or molasses butter.
Check out all of our flavored butters to find your best match!
What You’ll Need
Large Mixing Bowl– Use a mixing bowl a little larger than you think you’ll need. There is less pressure to keep it in the bowl. You can always transfer it to a smaller serving bowl later. I personally look for ones with lids so I can cut down on plastic wrap and aluminum foil waste.
Measuring Cups and Spoons – stainless steel, these are dishwasher safe and easy to use.
Silicone Basting Brush– Truth time! I used a pastry brush with boar bristles for the photos because it looks prettier, but I generally used a silicone basting brush. They don’t absorb as much of the liquid being basted, are easier to clean and dry better so they don’t carry as much bacteria.
More Bread Recipes:
Butter Swim Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1/2 cup salted butter , melted (1 stick)
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Place in a large mixing bowl.
- Hand mix with buttermilk until just combined. Batter will be lumpy and super sticky.
- Pour melted butter into 11×7 baking dish, then spread sticky batter to the corners of the dish. Butter will float above in some areas and not in others, that is fine.
- Place into the oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove and cut into 8 large biscuits. You can use a basting brush to getting the butter bubbling up the edges on to the top of the biscuits and in the crevices, or you can skip that, whatever works.
- Return to oven for 7-8 minutes or until tops are brown.
- All to sit for at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was.
If you don’t like the butermilk taste, can you use this recipe but with some other ingredient? Can you substitue the buttermilk with yogurt, if so which kind (Greek, whole plain, skim plain?)
Hi Catherine- great question! In theory, just regular (full fat) plain yogurt in a 1:1 ratio should work. Don’t use Greek, it will be too thick. However, I hadn’t personally tried it. If you do, please come back and let us know how it was!
Can you make these without the sugar?
Sure can!
This recipe is fabulous!! I have made it Gluten Free and corn free, ie baking powder, and it continues to please. I have never written a review before but had to give HIGH praises to Jessica for creating such a wonderful morsel
Thank YOU Barrie! We love it too- such a comforting recipe, the best! And thank you for the notes on making it gluten free- I’ve never tried it before, but we have friend that are GF so I’ll add this to their approved menus when we start entertaining again.
Can you use lactaid milk?
That is a really good question- I would think so, however I’ve never tried it. Let us know if you do!
My daughter made these for her family and my son’s family and they all thought it was delicious so I tried it by making 1/2 recipe but had to use vinegar/milk as I didn’t have any buttermilk on hand. Then my daughter visited us and she made the recipe with buttermilk (although she said the first time she made them she had to use the same substitute that I did). My thoughts: I wasn’t very happy with what I made. The so-called biscuits were very spongy and need another name besides “biscuit.” She made the whole recipe at our house so we could see how the two compared. I still think the biscuits are spongy and not very enjoyable to eat. When she left, I gave her the leftover ones as I knew we would never eat them. Hate to be a spoiler but this “biscuit” was not for me nor my husband.
Hi Sonja, Really sorry to hear that- they are supposed to be dense and rich. I even talk about that in the intro. If light and fluffy is what you are after, these biscuits aren’t for you.
Can regular milk be used , not buttermilk?
Hi Frannie,
You can use regular milk, but add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar (to give the tart flavor of buttermilk). I would also highly suggest whole or at least 2% milk for the fat content. In a recipe like this, skim is basically just water.
Very fluffy and tasty. Super quick to whip up to boot!
Woohoo! Thanks for coming back to let us know!
It was great you listed the tip on the pan size. The rolls turned out beautiful. However, they had raised so high there was no butter left to be seen. They looked quite dry. I melted another 1/4 stick of butter and brushed on top. But, I wouldn’t make them again. They just have this unexplainable “off” taste. Almost like they are rancid. Maybe it’s just because I am not a big fan of buttermilk.
The biscuits will absorb the butter. And yes, buttermilk will taste a little sour, as it should. Sorry you didn’t enjoy them.
Thank God for lazy people, this biscuit recipe is brilliant. We make biscuits all the time, so for the next batch, I am making these biscuits.
Haven’t got them baked yet, but the recipe was confusing to me. Called for 2 cups buttermilk, but I had none so followed directions to make buttermilk. It called for a cup of milk and the lemon juice. Since the recipe called for 2 cups buttermilk, I made two cups of buttermilk mix. Dough was very runny. Had to double the dough recipe for it to come out to the right consistency. Not sure how they will turn out.
Hi Pam, this dough is not like typical bread dough, it won’t be thick or hold shape, but it also shouldn’t be runny. You are correct in doubling the milk to 2 cups, I will update that to make it easier to read.
Where has this been my whole life? My mouth is watering just looking at the pictures. I am going to be making this for sure. Thank you for sharing. Really, thank you!
You are my hero! This is the easiest way to prepare biscuits in a big batch. If I need double the recipe, no problem, I can do that too. 😀
Whoah, biscuits and butter, two of my favorite things! I’m drooling over that pool of butter in the pan!
Wow! These are making me drool. I cannot wait to make these and eat them up!