Loretta Lynn's 4-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits Are a Southern Classic

I love biscuits, but I don’t make them often. Why? Because my family doesn’t like them (I know, unfathomable, right?). But I’ll do (mostly) anything for a story, so when I was asked to try Loretta Lynn’s biscuit recipe, I said “Yes!” knowing full well I’d be the one eating them all. So I put on my stretchiest pants and got to work. I’m glad I did because these were some of the tastiest—and easiest—biscuits I’ve ever made.

Lynn’s recipe, which she shared in her 2004 cookbook "You're Cookin' It Country: My Favorite Recipes and Memories," is simple and similar to other classic biscuits. It begins by cutting cold shortening into self-rising flour. You can use a fork to do this, but I prefer using both a dough cutter and my hands. Once you achieve a crumble-like texture, you add buttermilk and stir gently until combined. The dough gets turned out onto a lightly floured counter and then rolled into a 1/2-inch thick circle. Next, the dough is cut into rounds (size is up to you!), transferred to a baking sheet, and baked until golden. A pat of butter to the top of the warm biscuit is the final but crucial step.

I followed the steps, and after baking for about 12 minutes, the biscuits were ready to come out of the oven. They weren’t the deep golden color I was after, but I was afraid to go any longer and risk burning the bottoms. I covered the tops with a pat of butter and tried one immediately. I was impressed. They were light and fluffy inside, with a perfectly crispy exterior. I could taste the tangy buttermilk, a delightful contrast to the creamy butter. I loved them, but all I could think about was how I wished I had made some eggs and bacon to create an epic breakfast sandwich. Next time.

Tips for Making Loretta Lynn’s Buttermilk Biscuits

• Use your hands. You’ll be tempted to keep your hands clean, but don’t! Biscuits are such a fun, hands-on experience. Plus, when you use your hands, it’s harder to overwork the dough than if you were using a spoon. Keep your touch light, and you can’t go wrong. 
• Skip the rolling pin. You don’t need to dirty another kitchen tool. Instead, gather the dough and flop it right onto your lightly floured countertop. Instead of rolling the dough, gently pat it into a circle. This will prevent overworking the dough, ensuring light, fluffy biscuits.
• Flour your cutter. Before cutting the dough, create a little pile of flour on your counter for dipping. Each time you cut, make sure your cutter gets a dip in that flour pile. This will help prevent the dough from sticking to the cutter. When cutting the dough, press the cutter straight down and pull it straight up, without twisting, to ensure a clean cut.
• Skip the salt. Lynn’s original recipe calls for both salt and self-rising flour, but self-rising flour already has salt in it. Because of that, I recommend leaving out the extra salt, or you’ll end up with an overly salty batch of biscuits.
  

Loretta Lynn's Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 6 tablespoons shortening, cold
• 3/4 cup buttermilk, cold
• 4 tablespoons butter, plus extra for topping

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 
2. Add the flour to a large mixing bowl, then work in the shortening with a fork until the crumbs are coarse and about the size of peas. Add just enough buttermilk to make a nice stiff dough, stirring with a fork to combine. If it gets too sticky, add just a little more flour, but do not overwork the dough. Touch it as little as possible.
3. Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll out the dough to 1/3- to 1/2-inch thick. Use a floured round cutter to cut biscuits. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake until golden brown. 
4. Remove from oven; top each biscuit with a pat of butter.

Adapted from "You're Cookin' It Country"