When it comes to blueberries, these biscuits are not messing around. These are not sugary biscuits with an occasional blueberry tucked inside. They are made from tall flaky layers that are built to hold as many blueberries as possible.
These are for people who want a really, really good buttermilk biscuit with lots of flaky layers that let the fruit, not a blanket of icing, do the talking.
TL;DR
These are big, tall blueberry biscuits with crisp bottoms and tender, berry-filled layers.
Blueberries in every layer: These biscuits contain a full 12 ounces of blueberries, folded into every flaky layer.
The soul of a proper biscuit: Tangy buttermilk, tall, buttery layers, a modest amount of sugar, enough salt to make a difference, a crisp cast-iron crust, and a soft, tender middle.
Recipe creation, development, and writing by Rebecca Blackwell.
Recipe testing and photography by Anne Blackwell.
These tall, buttery, flaky blueberry biscuits are layered with two full cups of fresh blueberries, an almost unreasonable amount, which feels like precisely the correct amount of blueberries.
But unlike many blueberry biscuits, these are still unmistakably biscuits, not glazed sugary pastries with more sugar than fruit. They're brushed with melted butter and finished with a light sprinkle of sugar, giving the tops a delicate sweetness and satisfying crunch without pushing them into dessert territory.
They're lovely for breakfast or brunch, but just as welcome served with dinner. For me, these biscuits are the perfect side dish to classic comfort food recipes like my all-time favorite meatloaf recipe or Mississippi pot roast.
Rather than stirring the berries into the dough, this recipe uses a laminating technique, which is a fancy way of saying that you fold the dough a few times to create distinct, flaky, berry-filled layers.
A combination of cake flour and all-purpose flour gives the biscuits a soft, delicate crumb while keeping them sturdy enough to hold all those berries. Tucking them inside a cast iron pan close together helps them rise tall and creates crisp, golden bottoms beneath their tender, buttery centers.
Looking for something sweeter? Try these sour cream streusel blueberry muffins or iced blueberry loaf cake.
xo
Ingredients needed to prepare this recipe
- Butter! This is an all-butter biscuit recipe, although you could certainly substitute vegetable shortening or lard if that's your preference. I like to use unsalted butter in the biscuit dough and then brush the tops of the biscuits with some melted salted butter right before baking.
- All-purpose flour + cake flour. Cake flour has less protein than all-purpose flour, which helps produce a softer, more delicate crumb. I combine the two so the biscuits are tender but still sturdy enough to hold a LOT of blueberries.
- Blueberries! This recipe includes a lot more blueberries than your typical blueberry muffin. I wanted blueberries bursting out from every single layer, and that's exactly what we have going on here.
- Buttermilk + baking powder + baking soda. The acid in buttermilk not only makes biscuits that are light and tender, but it also it works with the leaveners in the dough (baking powder and baking soda) to help them rise and rise, and rise some more. In a pinch, you can use one of these methods to make homemade buttermilk.
- Salt + sugar. This recipe calls for just 2 tablespoons of sugar and a generous teaspoon and a half of salt. I really wanted the natural sweetness of the blueberries to take center stage in these biscuits. Two tablespoons of sugar is just enough to boost their flavor without creating a sugary, overly sweet biscuit. And, just like in my favorite buttermilk biscuit recipe, salt is essential to baking a deeply flavorful biscuit!
Step-by-step photos and instructions
Cut the butter into small ½-inch pieces, put them on a plate or in a bowl, and pop it into the freezer for about 10 minutes. You want the butter to be very cold, but not frozen.
Add all the dry ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to blend. Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with pieces of butter that are no larger than a pea.
Different options for cutting the butter into the flour.
If you read enough biscuit recipes, you'll find lots of strong opinions about how to add the butter to the flour. In my experience, the best technique is the technique that works best for YOU. The goal is to incorporate the butter in such a way that coats the flour with fat while keeping some small pieces of butter in the dough that will melt as the biscuits bake, and emit steam that encourages the layers to rise in the oven.
I find that using a food processor does a beautiful job of this. But you can also just rub the butter into the flour with your fingers. Another great option is to freeze the sticks of butter and then use a box grater to grate the butter into the flour.
If you've been using a food processor, dump the mixture into a bowl. Make a well in the center, and pour in the buttermilk.
Use a spoon or rubber spatula to gently mix the ingredients until a very loose and shaggy dough begins to form. Dump this mixture out onto a clean work surface.
Use your hands to very gently knead the dough just enough to bring it together. Your goal from this point on is to not over-work the dough.
Roll or pat the dough into a rectangle that's about 1-inch thick. Use a spatula or bench scraper to loosen the bottom of the dough if it sticks to the surface; sprinkle flour on your work surface as necessary.
From here, you'll begin a series of folds and turns that incorporate the blueberries and create some lamination that will give your biscuits lots of layers.
Scatter a ½ cup of blueberries over the surface of the dough, distributing them somewhat evenly. Very gently, press them into the dough.
Fold the left side of the dough so the edge is in the center of the rectangle.
Fold the right side of dough over the first fold so you have a little packet with blueberries in the center.
Use a spatula or bench scraper to turn the whole thing over so it's seam side down. If the dough is sticking to your work surface, sprinkle it with a bit more flour.
Tip! Use just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to your work surface. The dough should be a bit sticky - try not to incorporate more flour than is absolutely necessary.
Give the dough a quarter turn and roll it out into a rectangle once more. Press an additional half cup of blueberries across the surface of the dough.
Fold the left side of the dough to the center.
Fold the right side of the dough over the left side and flip it over so it's seam side down.
Give the dough a quarter turn and roll it out once more.
Distribute the remaining cup of blueberries over the surface of the dough and press them gently into the dough.
Repeat the same series of folds, capturing any runaway blueberries and pressing them into the dough.
You'll have a nice fat folded piece of dough that's bursting with blueberries.
Use a 2 ½ to 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut 8 biscuits from the dough. You'll probably have to re-roll the scraps at least once, and maybe twice to get 8 biscuits and use up all the dough. Pat the scraps into place with your hands before cutting out another biscuit and be careful to work the dough as little as possible.
Place the biscuits on a plate and put the plate in the freezer for 10 minutes. This will ensure that the pieces of butter in the dough are nice and cold when you bake the biscuits. Those cold pieces of butter are what will give you nice tall layers.
Place the cold biscuits in a cast iron pan, placing them close together. It's important that their sides are touching because this will help them rise. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter.
Sprinkle the biscuits with a bit of sugar and place the pan inside a preheated oven to bake.
Bake for 20 - 22 minutes, until the tops of the biscuits are golden brown. To test that they are done, remove the pan from the oven and use a sharp knife to separate a couple of the biscuits in the center of the pan. Peer between the two biscuits and see if it looks doughy. If yes, return the pan to the oven.
Blueberry biscuits are delicious served warm or at room temperature, but I do feel that they are best the day you make them. This doesn't mean I'll turn a day old biscuit down, of course. But they really are at their peak deliciousness when they are freshly baked.
Serving suggestions
We like to eat these when they are warm from the oven, split in half and topped with a pat of butter that melts into the soft interior.
To add some extra sweetness, drizzle with honey.
Blueberry biscuits are marvelous for breakfast, of course, but most of the time I make them to go with dinner. They are the kind of thing that feels very homey and comforting to me, so I usually crave them when I'm making something for dinner that feels equally homey and comforting, like creamy braised chicken with zucchini and potatoes.
The combo of fresh blueberry stuffed biscuits with chicken, garden fresh zucchini, and potatoes all wrapped up in a creamy Dijon sauce feels like all of the most decadent and delicious parts of summer on one plate.
More recipes for blueberry lovers
If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Scroll down to rate this recipe and leave a comment for me.
Happy Baking!
📖 Recipe
Loaded Blueberry Biscuits
These tall, buttery, flaky blueberry biscuits are layered with two full cups of fresh blueberries and baked close together in a cast-iron skillet for crisp bottoms and soft, tender centers. They are brushed with salted butter rather than buried under glaze, allowing the tender biscuit and fresh blueberries to take center stage.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ sticks (6 ounces/ 170 grams) cold unsalted butter
- 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (90 grams) cake flour (not self-rising)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons table salt
- 2 tablespoons (25 grams) sugar
- 1 cup (8 ounces/ 227 grams) cold buttermilk
- 12 ounces (about 2 cups) fresh blueberries
- 2 tablespoons (1 ounce/ 28 grams) melted salted butter (for brushing over the top of the biscuits)
- 1 tablespoon sugar, optional, for sprinkling over the tops of the biscuits
Instructions
- Cut 6 ounces of butter into small ½-inch pieces, put them on a plate or in a bowl, and pop it into the freezer for about 10 minutes. You want the butter to be very cold, but not frozen.
- Put the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, or in a mixing bowl. Pulse a few times to blend, or stir with a wire whisk.
- Add the butter and pulse until the butter is incorporated enough for the mixture to look like coarse crumbs. Alternatively, use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. You can also just use your fingers; rub the butter into the dry ingredients just until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. (*see notes for another option)
- If you've been using a food processor, dump the mixture into a mixing bowl. Set a small bowl of flour nearby just in case you need it later.
- Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Use a spoon or rubber spatula to gently mix the ingredients until a shaggy dough begins to form. Then, use your hands to gently knead the dough until it holds together completely. Be careful to not over-work the dough. The goal is to just barely bring it together.
- Dump the dough out onto a clean work surface. Pat or roll it out into a rectangle that’s about 1-inch thick. Sprinkle the dough and your work surface with a small amount of flour to keep it from sticking to the work surface. Use only enough flour to keep the dough from sticking.
- Distribute ½ cup of the blueberries across the surface of the dough, spreading them out into an even layer. Use your fingers to press them gently into the dough. Fold the left side of the dough to the center, then fold the right side over the left side like you're folding a letter. *See photos above.
- Give the dough a quarter turn and roll or pat it out into a 1-inch thick rectangle again. Distribute another half cup of blueberries over the surface of the dough and repeat the folding process, then give the dough a quarter turn.
- Sprinkle the dough with the remaining 1 cup of blueberries and repeat the folding process once more.
- Roll or pat the dough back out into a rectangle that is 1 ½ to 2 inches thick. Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut out the biscuits. As you cut them out, set them on a plate. Re-roll the dough as necessary, cutting out biscuits until you have approximately 8 biscuits.
- Set the plate of biscuits in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
- Heat oven to 425°F (218°F). Rub the inside of a cast iron skillet with a bit of vegetable oil or melted shortening. This will create a deliciously crispy bottom on the biscuits.
- Remove the biscuits from the plate and place them in the cast iron pan. Set the biscuits very close together inside the pan so that their sides are touching. This will help them rise while they bake.
- Brush the tops of the biscuits with 2 tablespoons (1oz/ 28g) melted butter, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar (optional), and place the pan in the oven. Bake for 28 - 35 minutes, until their tops are golden brown. The size of your biscuit cutter will affect the bake time. To test that they are done, remove the pan from the oven and use a sharp knife to separate a couple of the biscuits in the center of the pan. Peer between the two biscuits and see if it looks doughy. If yes, return the pan to the oven.
Notes
- There are a lot of different techniques for incorporating butter into flour for biscuits. I usually use my food processor, but you can also use a pastry cutter, or use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour. Another good option is to freeze the butter as sticks and then use a box grater to grate it into the flour.
- When rolling out the dough and incorporating the blueberries, use just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to your work surface. The dough should be a bit sticky - try not to incorporate more flour than is absolutely necessary.
- The size of your biscuit cutter will determine how many biscuits this recipe makes. If you use a 3 or 3 ½-inch biscuit cutter, you should get 8 biscuits.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 biscuitAmount Per Serving: Calories: 355Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 334mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 2gSugar: 10gProtein: 6g
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