Butter Dip Biscuits (+Video)
Butter Dip Buttermilk Biscuits (also called Butter Swim Biscuits) are the easiest homemade biscuits. No biscuit cutter needed! Thick, fluffy and buttery!
A.K.A. BUTTER SWIM BISCUITS
Did the title of this recipe get your attention? Butter. Dip. Biscuits. Hello lover. I just love biscuits. I first shared this recipe back in 2012 (I’ve updated the photos since then) and it has been copied by many others over the years but this here is the original! If you want to see that original post, check it out HERE. I’ve come a long way since then!This is such an easy recipe. You don’t even have to roll out any dough or use biscuit cutters! I adapted this recipe from an old Betty Crocker recipe from the 50’s (just making a few changes) and I think Betty would approve! Also, if you love this recipe be sure to check out my Blueberry Butter Dip Biscuits, Cinnamon Roll Butter Swim Biscuits, Strawberries and Cream Butter Dip Biscuits or my Cheddar Garlic Butter Dip Biscuits!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
I’ve slightly modified this Betty Crocker recipe since I’ve started making these. I started using buttermilk instead of the original milk and I doubled the ingredients so that they come out thicker. So yes, you can use milk but make sure it is not skim milk.
Honestly I am not sure. I only cook and bake with cow’s milk. But if you try it, please let me know how it turns out for you!
I found that after making these so many times that I prefer the taste when using an aluminum-free baking powder. But I have pretty sensitive tastebuds so whatever you have on hand will be fine!
These are definitely big and fluffy which is how we like them. But you can cut the recipe in half for a thinner biscuit or spread the batter into a larger baking dish.
Yes, absolutely! Just do not add the baking powder and salt to the recipe as it is already included in self-rising flour.
Either a glass or ceramic baking dish. Metal baking dishes can heat up the butter and cause it to burn as the biscuits are still baking.
Technically you do not need to. I just like to make doubly sure that the biscuits will not be sticking anywhere in my baking dish.
Buttermilk is a man ingredient in this and I prefer the real thick stuff. When you make your own buttermilk, you don’t get that exact same taste and texture. However, if you want to make your own: the ratio is typically one cup of milk mixed with one tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Allow it to sit for about 5-10 minutes before using.
Absolutely! I have a Butter Dip (or Butter Swim) Yeast Roll recipe here.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- salted butter
- all-purpose flour * (see my notes above about self-rising flour)
- sugar
- aluminum-free baking powder
- salt
- buttermilk
HOW TO MAKE BUTTER DIP BISCUITS:
Preheat oven to 450F degrees. Spray a glass or ceramic 8×8-inch or 9×9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray (I like the kind with flour in it). In a microwave-safe bowl, melt stick of butter in the microwave. Pour melted butter into prepared baking dish.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Pour in the buttermilk.
Stir until a loose dough forms. Batter will be sticky.
Pour biscuit dough into baking dish (right on top of the melted butter.) Spread it out with the back of a spoon or a butter knife or your hand.
You won’t get it perfectly even, but hey, that’s okay, these are homemade, remember? Some of the butter will run over the top of the dough, that’s perfectly okay. Cut the dough into 9 squares. This will help with cutting later when they are done too.
Bake (on the middle oven rack) for about 25-30 minutes, rotating dish once during baking.
Oven times do vary since different ovens have different hot spots, but basically biscuits should be golden brown on top and spring back to the touch.
Slice and serve with butter!
CRAVING MORE BUTTER SWIM BISCUIT RECIPES?
Originally published: February 2012
Updated and republished: April 2019
Butter Dip Biscuits (a.k.a. Butter Swim Biscuits)
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter (1 stick)
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ¾ cups buttermilk (you may need up to two cups)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F degrees. Spray a glass or ceramic oven safe 8×8-inch or 9×9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray (I like the kind with flour in it).
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 1/2 cup salted butter in the microwave. Pour melted butter into prepared baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, mix together 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
- Pour in 1 3/4 cups buttermilk. Stir until a sticky batter forms. If batter still seems too dry add a tad bit more buttermilk until the batter is thick and sticky.
- Pour biscuit dough into baking dish (right on top of the melted butter.) Some of the butter will run over the top of the dough. Tip: I will spray my hand with some nonstick spray to help spread the dough out evenly in the pan.
- Cut the dough into 9 squares (as best you can). This will help with cutting later when the biscuits are baked.
- Bake (on the middle oven rack) for about 25-30 minutes, rotating dish once during baking.
- Oven times DO VARY since different ovens have different hot spots, but basically biscuits should be golden brown on top and spring back to the touch. Insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean with no batter, they are done!
Video
Notes
- Yes, that is the correct oven temperature.
- If using unsalted butter, be sure to add 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Eat within two days. Make sure to cover leftovers. If stored in the refrigerator, they will last for a week. These biscuits can also be frozen. Wrap well in freezer-safe plastic wrap and then store in a freezer-safe bag or container. Will freeze for up to 3 months.
- Self-rising flour can replace the all-purpose flour in this recipe. Just do not add the baking powder and salt to the recipe as it is already included in self-rising flour.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Made these with reduced sugar almond milk by Almond Breeze. Came out wonderful, but I did find that the batter , although stiff, was not quite stiff enough to make “lines” in the batter when slicing the batter before placing it in the oven. I had to let it cook for a few minutes (about 5-7) and then slice it. They are a little bland tasting but that was probably because I used Almond Milk instead of Buttermilk. My kids ate them up in a snap! I think next time I will add the tablespoon of butter to the batter like the comment above and use Buttermilk as is called for in the directions.
These are perfect and an easy way to get into making homemade biscuits! I added a tablespoon of the melted butter to my batter before adding – amazing.
I cannot praise these enough, defintely passing along to family members!
xx
Hello,
Has anybody tried making this, putting in fridge and baking the next day? I teach a foods class and with 25 minutes of baking time we couldn’t get this done in 1 period. Hoping somebody has tried this. Thanks!
These biscuits have became a favorite of my family ! Thanks so much for the easy to make recipe!!
Thank you so much for the recipe. I am making your 3 packet pot roast and your biscuits are going to go great the meal tonight. Thank you for reposting biscuit recipe.
Made these this morning in a cast iron skillet. Were very good. I forgot to add in salt and I had used unsalted butter. They turned out buttery, fluffy, and crusty brown on top. They just needed that salt that I forgot to include with the ingredients. Will make these again with the salt next time. Great recipe, will use it very often. May only use 1/2 of a stick of butter next time. They did not stick at all. I used a #10 skillet, the biscuits rose 1 1/2 inches. Thanks so much for this recipe.
Crystal, thanks so much for your comment and letting us all know how it turned out in your cast iron skillet!
Lol thanks for the reply I reread the recipe and that’s what I get for rushing. The first time I made them I wasn’t in a rush took my time and read it. 2nd time around my baby and the the kiddos were all wanting something while I was trying to cook so I must have read it wrong.
Ok so I made these 2 days ago and they were perfect and delicious. So my boys all 7 of them asked me to make them again why not they are simple enough. Wierd thing happened this batch came out way to doughy on the inside and not only that they came out way sweeter. Only thing I can think is when I made them the 1st time I must have read the recipe wrong and only used 1/2 cup sugar and 1 cup buttermilk. I’m making another batch to test my theory.
Hi Mayra! That would have been way too much sugar. It’s only 1 1/2 tbsp not cups. Of course, the sugar is totally optional in this recipe and you shouldn’t really taste it. 🙂
Made these tonight and they are simple and delicious ! My mother used to make baking powder biscuits and we always ate them with apple butter…. had to try that and it was so good.
The video shows adding salt, but the recipe doesn’t list it. The dough could use a little salt, in my opinion. I realize there is salt in the butter, but that only salts the crust. How much salt was adding in the video?
I address that in my Cook’s Notes at the bottom 🙂
Hello. When I make biscuits, I like to cut them open and toast them the next morn if there are any left. Would these hold up for that or would they fall apart?
Crazy question, but can you freeze these?
Sorry of this has been asked already, but I was wondering if anyone has tried making this recipe in an iron skillet with any luck??…& if so, did the recipe need any changing?? This reminds me of my mother’s “batterbread” (as she always called it)….& I can’t find a recipe for it anywhere!! 🙁 So if this does the trick, I will be on cloud 9! ! ! 🙂 \0/
Hi there Kathy, there have been a few that have made this in an iron skillet and said it turned out well. Hope you give it a try and it is almost as good as your mothers 🙂
Can you leave out the sugar? I don’t really like sweet biscuits.
Hi Cathy – these are not sweet. 🙂
Made these this evening and they were fantastic. This is an easy recipe for a first time biscuit maker!
Glad they were a winner for you!
I just made these biscuits today and they came out yummy. However two issues I would like comments on. The biscuits in the middle came out doughy. Removed the outside biscuits and cooked the insides ones another 10 minutes. Second,even with all the butter the biscuits stuck on the bottom should I use parchment paper?
2 daze post thanksgiving 2016 will go down in my history book as making this biscuit/ cake recipe in place of turkey pie and or sausage gravy&biscuits!!!
This year i smoked a 28lb’er bird with a dry rub on top consisting of cumin, sage, oregano, coriander, grnd mustard and brown sugar.. Smoked for three hours then oven for about 5… The drippings make an excellent smoked flavor turkey Garvey!
So this morning (Saturday the 26th) i want breakfast of leftovers and wall, i searched a quick and easy biscuit recipe. THIS WAS TO MUCH FUN!
This recipe plus smoked turkey pieces and gravy! VOID fulfilled and taste buds totally satisfied…
Thank YOU CC????????????
I love these biscuits ! But for some reason mine stick to the bottom of the pan. Any suggestions why this is happening?
Mine too.. But I’ll make it again and again bc is just too simple.
Ok, great biscuit, very yuumy – but my butter ran over the sides and into the oven…..the kitchen and then house was full of smoke……. will put something under the pan next time.
Hi Coleen! Oh no! I haven’t ever had that happen before! But good tip in case it might happen to someone else!
i tried these, they are easy to make but you still have to put butter in the middle because they taste bland with out it. they probably would be good with gravy. I will try that next time.
i would like to take back my other comment, i ate another biscuit and it had butter in the middle and tasted sooo good. I apologize.
I don’t know what I did wrong. I did just like the recipe says. My biscuits were a bit chewy. I left them in the oven for 25 minutes. My family thinks they taste good. I just need to know what I can do to make them fluffy..
I made these again with some new baking powder and they were fluffy this time. So if your baking powder is out of date (mine was only 2 weeks out of date) then get some new before you bake these biscuits. They are very good.
Thanks Cindi!!
I made them a few weeks ago and will be making them again tonight to go w/ our chicken and dumplings. I love a good buttermilk biscuit and these definitely fit that category.
Andrea, thank you! So happy they were a hit!!
These look fantastic! Can you make them ahead and let them sit a bit before you make them? I wanted to prepare them and then my husband could bake them a couple hours later. Or do they have to be made and bed right away?
Will this recipe work if you replace with almond flour?
I have never tried this with almond flour. If you do, please come back and let us know how it turned out for you. Good luck.
Thank you so much for this recipe ! My 88 year old father-in-law from Georgia says, and I quote “Dang, these are almost as good as Mamma’s scratch!” High praise indeed for this northern city girl. These are super easy and super tasty biscuits. You don’t happen to have a super easy, super tasty southern sausage gravy recipe to go with them do you? Thanks again.
Shannon that is absolutely wonderful! Your comment just made my day 🙂 I do not have a sausage gravy recipe on the site yet unfortunately. But I really need to get on that!! SO glad your sweet daddy loved these biscuits!!