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Callie’s Buttermilk Biscuits

These are the Callie’s Buttermilk Biscuits that made Callie’s Charleston Biscuits famous. They are tender and rich and the recipe is a little bit different than the typical southern biscuit recipe. If you’re a regular at making biscuits or you’ve wanted to try but never have, you’ll love this recipe.

Callie's Biscuits in a bread bowl.

Callie’s Biscuits

Biscuits that are just right -tender and fluffy- can be difficult to make if you don’t make them often. There’s a lot of feel and touch involved and those are things that are hard to translate into a recipe. The recipe for Callie’s Buttermilk Biscuits in the wonderful Callie’s Biscuits and Southern Traditions: Heirloom Recipes from Our Family Kitchen Cookbook contains very detailed directions that will greatly increase your chance for biscuit success. And if you don’t succeed on the first attempt, try again.

Callie's Biscuits and Southern Traditions

Homemade biscuits are well worth the learning curve. I’ve paraphrased and shortened up the instructions quite a bit in the recipe below. But if you enjoy southern cooking, Callie’s Biscuits and Southern Traditions is well worth the purchase. With beautiful pictures, a wide variety of southern recipes, detailed instructions, and multi-paragraph introductions to each recipe, this is a cookbook that belongs on the book shelf of any southern cook. Callie’s Charleston Biscuits was started in 2005 when Carrie Morey convinced her mother to put off early retirement from her catering business and use her biscuit recipe as the backbone for a new business. It was well-received and the biscuits were soon after featured on Oprah and the Today Show. They can now be purchased at high end retail stores across the country. And with the publication of the cookbook last year, they can be enjoyed fresh and piping hot from your oven.

What’s Different About These Biscuits?

This isn’t your typical biscuit recipe. For starters, it uses a large amount of cream cheese which gives the biscuits richness and just a little tang. Secondly, forget the notion that you have to use cold ingredients to make southern biscuits. For this recipe, you use softened butter and cream cheese and it is much easier and more enjoyable to work into the dough.  

Close-up of Buttermilk Biscuits.

White Lily Flour

But similar to most other biscuit recipes, Callie’s Buttermilk Biscuits are made with White Lily Flour. It has a lower protein content than other flours an helps achieve that fabulously light and tender texture that is so representative of a southern biscuit. If you can’t find this type of flour, I highly recommend ordering some online.

Happy Biscuit Making!

Resources

Callie’s Charleston Biscuits Website –  you can order Callie’s Biscuits here. They come fully cooked and frozen and would be wonderful to have in your freezer for the holidays. They also have a biscuit of the month club which makes a wonderful gift. Oh, and they also have a recipe blog. 🙂

White Lily Flour Self Rising – 2 Lb Bag

Stainless Steel Biscuit Cutter Set

Callie’s Biscuits and Southern Traditions: Heirloom Recipes from Our Family Kitchen Note: I doubled the recipe from the book. The recipe didn’t make a very large quantity of dough and I find I roll my dough too thin when there’s not much of it. 🙂

Callie's Buttermilk Biscuits in bread bowl.

More Biscuit Recipes

Callie’s Biscuits

The recipe for Callie’s Buttermilk Biscuits that made Charleston Biscuit Company famous. Very rich and tender biscuits.
PREP: 10 minutes
COOK: 16 minutes
TOTAL: 26 minutes
SERVINGS: 18

Ingredients

  • 4 cups self-rising flour preferably White Lily, plus more for dusting
  • 8 tablespoons butter cut in small cubes and at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 500 degrees with rack in the middle position.
  • Place 4 cups flour in a large, wide bowl.
  • Sprinkle the butter cubes and the cream cheese on top of the flour and use your fingers to “cut” it in until the mixture resembles cottage cheese (chunky with some loose flour).
  • Make a well in the center and pour the buttermilk in the well.
  • Use your hands or a rubber spatula to mix the buttermilk into the flour. Don’t overmix. The secret to tender biscuits is messing with the dough as little as possible. A wet and messy dough will form.
  • Spread a good bit of flour out on a work surface. (I like to use a piece of parchment paper for my work surface.)
  • Dump the dough onto the floured work surface. Flour a rolling pin and sprinkle flour on top of the dough.
  • Roll the dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Do not knead the dough.
  • Flour a 2-inch round biscuit cutter. Press the cutter straight down into the dough and straight back up. (No turning.) Repeat, cutting as many biscuits as you can.
  • Roll out dough scraps one time to cut more biscuits. As long as the dough stays wet inside, you can use as much flour on the outside as you need. As I transfer the biscuits to a baking pan, I try to dust off any excess flour.
  • Place biscuits on a baking pan with sides or a cast iron skillet. The sides of the biscuits should be touching. The recipe recommends lining the sides of the pan with parchment paper, but I did not.
  • Brush the tops with melted butter. Place in oven and immediately reduce oven temp to 450 degrees. Bake 16 to 18 minutes, rotating the pan once.

Notes

Nutritional info is provided as an estimate and will vary based on brands of products used. Not to be used for specific dietary needs.

Nutrition

Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 91mg | Potassium: 65mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 313IU | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Southern
Keyword: biscuits, buttermilk

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Recipe Source: adapted from Callie’s Biscuits and Southern Traditions: Heirloom Recipes from Our Family Kitchen

Originally posted October 1, 2014.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

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43 thoughts on “Callie’s Buttermilk Biscuits”

  1. Jane Garcia

    Hi guys! Can i use almond flour plus baking powder to rise instead of the self rising flour she used? Will i use the same measurements? How much bakig powder should i use to let it rise? Thanks guys!

    1. Christin
      Christin Mahrlig

      I’ve never tried making biscuits with almond flour. Let us know if you have any luck!

  2. Well, here’s my tale of woe. I’m not southern but my husband is and I am determined to master the southern biscuit for him. My first attempt didn’t make it. they were hard on the outside and undercooked inside. He called me his “special” little biscuit maker lol. I’m glad he’s got a good sense of humor but I’m not giving up, I’m going to keep trying until I get it right!

    1. More than likely, you overworked the dough. Carrie’s recipe is a very soft dough. Be sure to brush the tops with melted butter before baking and do not over bake. White Lily flour is perfect for these. Try to use a butter that’s at least 90-93% butterfat. If your biscuits don’t completely fill the pan, make a dough “snake” and place along side the edge of the biscuits. This keeps them from spreading out and thinning. Keep practicing!

  3. Perfect biscuits!!! I can’t believe I actually made biscuits for the first time and they are perfect!

    1. Christin
      Christin Mahrlig

      Yay! They really are great biscuits aren’t they? And congratulations on knocking it out of the park the first time!! 🙂

  4. Betty Jo Railey

    This looks wonderful! The recipe in My Southern Kitchen Shrimp, Collards and Grits calls for all purpose flour instead of self rising. We checked your website before making.

  5. Thalia @ butter and brioche

    I have never made buttermilk biscuits before! Definitely need to recreate the recipe. They look so perfect for afternoon tea and topped with melting butter and honey. Pinned!

  6. Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction

    My grandma used to make biscuits that had cream cheese in them! These look perfect!

  7. Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel

    Oh yum, these look delicious!! I love the tang of buttermilk biscuits. Honey and butter, please!

  8. Who doesn’t want a great biscuit…or three! They look fantastic and I’m loving the cream cheese in them. I could make a meal out of this alone but it’s perfect with all the soups I plan to make!

  9. Sarah@WholeandHeavenlyOven

    I love love the addition of cream cheese in the biscuits! I’ll bet it makes them perfectly moist and flaky.—I reaaally wanna reach through my screen right now and make off with that basket full of ’em! Love these, Christin. 🙂 Pinned!

  10. Nice biscuits…they sure have a great texture…and cream cheese? Yes!
    Thanks for the recipe Christin…hope you are enjoying your week 😀

  11. Wow! These biscuits look absolutely perfect! These would be great for a weekend breakfast or breakfast for dinner 🙂 pinning!

    1. Laurie Olson

      I consider myself a really good cook and I’m not afraid to try new things evem more difficult recipies but in all my years of cooking and baking I have never been able to make a good biscuit. Two weeks ago I tried yet another biscuit recipe. I said to my husband it would be my last attempt if they did not turn out. They did not turn out. Then this last weekend I saw this recipe on the kitchen. I haven’t tried it yet but I’m definitely going to give biscuits one more try.

  12. Rina~I Thee Cook

    I’ve been looking for a new biscuit recipe. Looks like I will be giving this one a try!

  13. Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice

    I’m a total sucker for home-made biscuits since they’re so amazing! I’m loving how delicious these look, Christin! Serve me up some biscuits with honey and butter and I’m one happy girl!

  14. Shashi @ runninsrilankan

    Woa- these biscuits are so amazingly tender and flaky – wow – glad Callie talked her mom into sharing her recipe and thanks Christin for sharing it with us!

  15. Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor

    I’ve read about Callie’s biscuits before but I have never actually tried them. They look so light and flaky, just how I like them!

  16. Natalie @ Tastes Lovely

    Well this is just biscuit perfection! I love warm biscuits with butter and honey. Yum!

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