Savannah Honey Butter Biscuits – The Ultimate Recipe

Freshly baked Savannah honey butter biscuits on a plate — Golden and fluffy Savannah honey butter biscuits, perfect for breakfast

Savannah Honey Butter Biscuits are a delightful Southern favorite, offering a perfect blend of sweetness and buttery goodness. This recipe will guide you through creating fluffy, tender biscuits that are a staple of any Southern breakfast or afternoon tea. Whether you’re an experienced baker or just getting started, these honey butter biscuits are a must-try. Let’s dive into the secrets of making the perfect Savannah Honey Butter Biscuits.

What Makes Savannah Honey Butter Biscuits Special?

The key to Savannah Honey Butter Biscuits is the balance between sweet honey and rich, creamy butter. This combination results in a melt-in-your-mouth texture, complemented by a subtle hint of honey sweetness. Unlike regular biscuits, these have an extra layer of flavor that makes them a standout dish.

To get started, you’ll need just a few simple ingredients, all of which are probably already in your kitchen. However, what sets these biscuits apart is the method of preparation and the love that goes into each step. If you want to read more about the cultural significance of Southern biscuits, here’s a great article on Southern cuisine traditions to get you inspired. Additionally, understanding the nuances of different kinds of butter can also elevate your biscuit game. For more on butter types, check out this guide to different butters.

Now, let’s move on to making these classic biscuits from scratch.

Ingredients for Savannah Honey Butter Biscuits

To make the perfect Savannah Honey Butter Biscuits, gather the following:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter (cold, cut into cubes)
1 tablespoon honey
¾ cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons honey butter (for brushing)

These ingredients create a light, fluffy dough that turns into irresistible biscuits. Make sure your butter is cold—this is one of the secrets to flaky biscuits.

Step-by-Step Instructions for the Perfect Biscuits

Step1: Preheat and Prepare

Preheat your oven to 425°F. Use parchment paper to line a baking sheet or lightly grease it.
While the oven is heating, it’s a good idea to measure out all of your ingredients.

Step2: Mix Dry Ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
Whisk them together to ensure the leavening agents are evenly distributed throughout the flour.

Step3: Cut in the Butter

Add the cold, cubed butter to the dry mixture.
Use a pastry cutter or two forks to incorporate the butter into the flour. The goal is to create a mixture that resembles coarse crumbs. The butter pieces should be about the size of peas—this will help create those delicious flaky layers.

Step4: Add the Honey and Buttermilk

Add 1 tablespoon of honey and ¾ cup of buttermilk to the flour mixture.
Gently mix until the dough just comes together. Avoid overworking it—the dough should be slightly sticky but not too wet.

Step5: Knead and Shape the Dough

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
Knead the dough gently around 8-10 times until it’s cohesive. Flatten it out with your hands or a rolling pin to about ¾-inch thickness.
Use a biscuit cutter to cut out rounds. You can also use a glass if you don’t have a biscuit cutter, but make sure not to twist—twisting seals the edges, preventing them from rising as well.

Step 6: Bake to Golden Perfection

Place the biscuits on your prepared baking sheet, making sure they’re touching slightly for soft edges or spaced apart for crispy sides.
Brush the tops with honey butter for that beautiful golden finish.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until they’re a beautiful golden brown.

Step 7: Serve Warm

Let the biscuits cool for a few minutes, then serve warm with more honey butter or jam if desired. For the ultimate experience, enjoy them fresh out of the oven.

Tips for Perfect Honey Butter Biscuits

Cold Ingredients: Keep all your ingredients cold, especially the butter and buttermilk. This helps create steam during baking, resulting in fluffier biscuits.
Don’t Overmix: Stir the dough just until everything is combined. Overworking the dough can lead to tough biscuits.
Use Buttermilk: The acidity of buttermilk gives these biscuits a wonderful tang and contributes to the rise, making them light and fluffy.

Variations of Savannah Honey Butter Biscuits

Herb-Infused Biscuits

To add a savory twist to your Savannah Honey Butter Biscuits, consider incorporating fresh herbs into the dough. Herbs like rosemary, thyme, or chives can add a delightful contrast to the sweetness of the honey. Simply chop your preferred herbs finely and fold them into the flour mixture before adding the butter.

Cheddar Honey Butter Biscuits

Add shredded cheddar cheese to your biscuit dough for a sharp, cheesy flavor that complements the honey perfectly. Cheddar honey butter biscuits are great for a more hearty, savory option that works well with soups or stews.

Sweet Cinnamon Honey Biscuits

For a sweeter variation, add ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the dry mixture and sprinkle the tops of the biscuits with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon before baking. This creates a wonderful balance between the buttery richness and the sweetness of cinnamon.

The History of Savannah Biscuits

The origins of the Savannah Honey Butter Biscuit can be traced back to the deep culinary traditions of the Southern United States, where biscuits have always been a staple in kitchens across the region. Unlike the flaky, layered pastries seen in Europe, Southern biscuits are all about tenderness and fluffiness.

In Savannah, Georgia, the addition of honey butter to traditional biscuit recipes quickly became popular as a way to add a touch of luxury to an everyday item. The combination of simple, local ingredients like honey—often sourced from local beekeepers—and rich, creamy butter, has kept this style of biscuit beloved for generations. Southern hospitality and the communal aspect of food mean that biscuits have long been a symbol of sharing, warmth, and comfort.

Biscuits in the South have been passed down through generations, with each family often having their own special twist. The addition of honey butter speaks to the desire for simple ingredients that elevate the experience of eating these biscuits—turning a humble bread into something a little more indulgent. The Savannah Honey Butter Biscuit is often found on tables during family gatherings, celebrations, and casual Sunday breakfasts, which reflects the region’s emphasis on comfort and tradition.

What to Serve with Savannah Honey Butter Biscuits

Savannah Honey Butter Biscuits are incredibly versatile and can be paired with a variety of dishes, making them perfect for any meal. Here are a few ideas:

Breakfast

Fried Chicken: There’s nothing quite like a crispy fried chicken breast tucked inside a fluffy honey butter biscuit. Add a dollop of honey or hot sauce for an extra punch of flavor.
Egg and Bacon: Use your biscuit as a base for a hearty breakfast sandwich. Scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and a drizzle of honey make for a delightful morning meal.
Breakfast Sausage Gravy: Biscuits and gravy are a classic pairing, and these honey butter biscuits add a slight sweetness that pairs excellently with savory sausage gravy. The contrast of flavors makes every bite incredibly satisfying.

Brunch or Snack

Jam and Preserves: Pair your biscuits with strawberry, blueberry, or apricot jam. The sweet and slightly tart flavors work perfectly with the rich honey butter.
Fresh Fruit: Serve your biscuits with a side of fresh berries or sliced peaches for a light, refreshing snack. Fresh fruit and honey butter biscuits are an excellent combination for a lazy brunch.
Clotted Cream and Honey: To add an extra touch of indulgence, serve your biscuits with clotted cream and a drizzle of honey. This pairing gives you a luxurious tea-time experience reminiscent of English scones.

Dinner

Hearty Stew or Chili: Dip your biscuits into a bowl of rich, savory stew or chili. The sweetness from the honey butter creates a delicious contrast to the deep, complex flavors of the stew.
Pulled Pork: Savannah honey butter biscuits also make great sliders. Add a spoonful of pulled pork and a bit of coleslaw between a halved biscuit for a satisfying, Southern-inspired meal.
Barbecue Ribs: Serve these biscuits as a side dish to barbecue ribs. The tangy, smoky flavors of the ribs are perfectly balanced by the sweetness and buttery richness of the biscuits.

Desserts

Savannah Honey Butter Biscuits are not just for savory dishes—they can be transformed into delightful desserts as well. Here are some sweet serving suggestions:

Strawberry Shortcakes: Use your honey butter biscuits as the base for a strawberry shortcake. Split the biscuits in half, layer them with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, and drizzle with honey.
Honey Biscuit Bread Pudding: For an inventive dessert, turn leftover biscuits into a honey biscuit bread pudding. Layer chunks of biscuits in a baking dish, pour over a mixture of milk, eggs, honey, and vanilla, and bake until set. This dessert is creamy, comforting, and highlights the honey flavor beautifully.
Peach Cobbler Biscuit Topping: Use your honey butter biscuits as a topping for a peach cobbler. Simply place unbaked biscuits on top of the peach filling and bake until the biscuits are golden and cooked through.

The Science Behind Flaky Biscuits

The flakiness and tenderness of biscuits often come down to two major components: cold butter and light mixing. When the cold butter pieces melt during baking, they release steam, which creates tiny air pockets that give the biscuits their flaky texture. It’s also important to avoid overmixing the dough, as this can activate gluten in the flour, making the biscuits tougher instead of light and tender.

The butter used must be cold and cut into the flour until it forms small pea-sized pieces. This uneven distribution is what creates layers when baked. The small butter pockets melt and create steam during the high-heat baking process, leading to the separation of dough layers and the flakiness we love in biscuits.

Additionally, using buttermilk rather than regular milk adds acidity, which reacts with the baking powder to provide an extra lift to the biscuits. This reaction is what makes buttermilk biscuits so incredibly soft and fluffy. Buttermilk also adds a subtle tanginess, which complements the sweetness of the honey.

The high temperature of 425°F is essential for baking these biscuits. A hot oven creates the quick steam reaction needed to puff up the dough before the butter has a chance to completely melt. This is also why it’s crucial to keep the dough cold until it’s ready to bake—cold butter equals better steam formation and thus a flakier biscuit.

In-Depth Look at Key Ingredients

Flour

The type of flour you use is crucial to the texture of your biscuits. All-purpose flour is ideal for this recipe because it strikes the right balance between protein content and tenderness. You don’t want to use bread flour, which has too much protein and can make your biscuits tough, nor do you want to use cake flour, which is too soft to give your biscuits the structure they need. If you prefer a more tender biscuit, you can use a mix of all-purpose flour and cake flour to get a lighter crumb.

Butter

The butter is perhaps the most important ingredient in creating the texture of these biscuits. Unsalted butter is preferred because it allows you to control the salt level in the recipe. The butter must be cold—this is non-negotiable. Cold butter ensures that as the biscuits bake, the butter melts slowly, creating steam that helps form the flaky layers. To take your biscuits up a notch, consider using European-style butter, which has a higher fat content and imparts a richer flavor.

Buttermilk

Buttermilk is a traditional ingredient in Southern biscuits. It brings a slight tanginess and acidity, which not only adds flavor but also helps to tenderize the dough. The acidity in buttermilk reacts with the baking powder to create a leavening effect, helping the biscuits to rise higher and stay fluffier. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a cup of milk and letting it sit for a few minutes until it curdles.

Honey

The honey in this recipe serves as both a sweetener and a flavor enhancer. Honey provides a more complex sweetness than sugar and helps to keep the biscuits moist. When brushed on top of the hot biscuits, it also creates a glossy finish that makes these biscuits visually irresistible. If you prefer a different flavor, you can experiment with other types of honey, such as wildflower or orange blossom, which can add subtle variations in taste.

How to Store and Reheat Savannah Honey Butter Biscuits

To keep your Savannah Honey Butter Biscuits as fresh as possible, follow these storage tips:

Storing Biscuits

Room Temperature: Store biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Place a paper towel at the bottom of the container to help absorb excess moisture and prevent the biscuits from becoming soggy.
Refrigeration: For longer storage, biscuits can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week. Make sure to wrap them individually in plastic wrap to maintain their freshness.
Freezing: Biscuits freeze exceptionally well. To freeze, place the baked and cooled biscuits on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Once frozen, transfer them to a zip-top freezer bag. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw them at room temperature and reheat.

Reheating Biscuits

Oven: To reheat, preheat your oven to 350°F and wrap the biscuits in foil. Heat them for about 10 minutes until warm and soft. This method ensures the biscuits stay moist and don’t become too hard or overbaked.
Microwave: Place a biscuit on a microwave-safe plate, cover it with a damp paper towel, and microwave for about 20-30 seconds. The damp paper towel helps to maintain the moisture, preventing the biscuit from drying out.
Skillet: For a slightly crispy outside, reheat your biscuits in a skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side. This gives them a toasty edge that adds to the flavor.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Does Butter My Biscuits Mean in Slang?

“Butter my biscuits” is a playful Southern expression that usually conveys pleasant surprise or delight. It’s similar to saying, “Well, I’ll be!” in reaction to good news. It embodies the lightheartedness and warmth of Southern hospitality, much like the comforting nature of biscuits themselves.

Are Honey Butter Chicken Biscuits Served All Day?

It depends on the location and restaurant. Some places serve honey butter chicken biscuits as part of their breakfast menu only, while others may offer them all day. Fast-food chains like Whataburger and certain local diners may have them available during breakfast hours or as a limited-time offering.

What is the Difference Between Buttermilk Biscuits and Regular Biscuits?

Buttermilk biscuits are made using buttermilk, which adds acidity and helps the biscuit rise higher while giving a distinct tangy flavor. Regular biscuits typically use milk and don’t have the same fluffiness or taste complexity. Buttermilk also helps in tenderizing the gluten in the flour, contributing to a lighter, airier texture compared to regular biscuits.

What Are Honey Biscuits Made Of?

Honey biscuits are made from a combination of flour, baking powder, salt, butter, and honey. The honey adds a hint of sweetness that distinguishes them from other types of biscuits. The use of buttermilk and cold butter helps ensure the biscuits are tender and flaky, while the honey gives a signature sweetness that makes them truly special.

Savannah Honey Butter Biscuits – Fluffy Southern Recipe