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Small batch butter swim biscuits are buttermilk biscuits baked in melted butter for a golden, crispy crust and soft, fluffy center. This easy recipe makes 4 biscuits in 20 minutes, no rolling or cutting required.
Featured Comment
“5 stars and more. Excellent recipe. Light and fluffy.”
– Janice
Quick Look
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Equipment: 5×5-inch baking dish
- Cook Method: Baked
- Servings: 4 biscuits
- Difficulty: Easy
These small batch butter swim biscuits, also called butter dip biscuits or butter bath biscuits, bake right in melted butter for a buttery, golden crust and a soft, tender center.
Why I Make These Butter Swim Biscuits
Most butter swim biscuit recipes call for an 8 or 9-inch pan and yield 9 biscuits, way more than I want when I’m cooking for myself.
So I scaled the recipe down to a 5-inch baking dish that produces 4 biscuits. That’s the right amount for one person or a small household.
After testing this dozens of times, I learned the ratio of butter to dough matters more than anything. Too little butter and the bottom doesn’t crisp. Too much and the biscuits turn greasy. Four tablespoons in a 5-inch dish is the sweet spot.
The technique is what makes these special. You melt butter in the pan first, spoon a sticky buttermilk batter on top, score it into squares, and bake.
The biscuits rise into the butter as they cook. The bottom and edges crisp up golden. The center stays soft and pillowy.
There’s no cutting in cold butter, no rolling, no biscuit cutter. The dough is intentionally wet and shaggy. That’s not a mistake. The wet dough is what makes the inside so tender.
I serve these with single serving sausage gravy on slow mornings, split them for breakfast sandwiches, or eat them warm with homemade refrigerator jam.
For a different small batch biscuit, try our small batch drop biscuits or rosemary garlic buttermilk biscuits.
Ingredient Notes
You only need 7 simple pantry ingredients to make a small batch of butter swim biscuits. Each one plays a specific role in giving these biscuits their crisp golden crust and soft, fluffy center. If you have ingredients leftover, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
Butter: Salted butter is what I use. It melts in the pan first and creates the crisp golden bottom and edges as the biscuits bake.
All-purpose flour: Standard all-purpose flour gives the right structure for a soft, tender biscuit. For a gluten-free version, use King Arthur brand Gluten Free Measure For Measure Flour. Self-rising flour also works (see Recipe Variations below).
Baking powder: Provides most of the lift. It activates twice, once when it hits the wet ingredients and again when the biscuits hit the hot oven, which gives these biscuits their tall, fluffy rise.
Baking soda: Reacts with the acid in the buttermilk to create extra lift and tenderize the dough. Without it, the biscuits would be denser.
Sugar: Just one teaspoon. Enough to help the tops brown but not enough to make the biscuits sweet.
Salt: Seasons the dough so the biscuits don’t taste bland. Without it, you’ll notice the difference right away.
Buttermilk: The acid in buttermilk reacts with the baking soda for lift and tenderizes the dough at the same time. ¾ cup is more buttermilk than most small batch biscuit recipes call for, and that’s intentional. The wet, sticky dough is what creates the soft, almost cake-like center.
Extra buttermilk? Use it in a small batch of chicken nuggets, buttermilk quick bread, a mini buttermilk pie, or a small batch of hush puppies.
Buttermilk Substitute: Add 2 ¼ teaspoons of lemon juice or white vinegar to ¾ cup of milk. Let it sit for 10 minutes, stir, and use as directed.
Recipe Variations
These small batch butter swim biscuits are easy to customize. Try one of these simple variations:
Cheddar Garlic Biscuits: Add ¼ teaspoon garlic powder and ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar to the dough. Stir in just before adding the buttermilk.
Blueberry Biscuits: Fold ½ cup of fresh blueberries into the dough after the buttermilk is mixed in. Don’t overmix or the dough will turn purple.
Self-Rising Flour: Use 1 cup of self-rising flour in place of all-purpose flour. Leave out the baking powder and salt. Keep the baking soda, sugar, and buttermilk as written.
How To Make Butter Swim Biscuits
These step-by-step photos and instructions show you how to make a small batch of butter swim biscuits in a 5-inch square baking dish.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt until evenly combined.
- Add the buttermilk. Pour the buttermilk into the dry ingredients and stir with a spoon or rubber spatula just until the flour disappears. The dough will be wet, sticky, and shaggy. That’s exactly how it should look. Don’t overmix.
- Melt the butter in the pan. Pour the melted butter into a 5×5-inch baking dish, spreading it across the bottom.
- Spoon the dough over the butter. Drop the dough on top of the melted butter and spread it gently to the edges with a spatula or the back of a spoon. The butter will rise around the sides of the dough, that’s exactly what you want.
- Score the dough into 4 squares. Use a sharp knife to cut the unbaked dough into 4 equal squares. Don’t worry if the cuts close up a little, the score lines guide the biscuits as they bake.
- Place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any butter that bubbles over.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until the tops are deep golden brown and the butter around the edges is bubbling.
- Rest for 10 minutes in the pan before cutting and serving. This lets the biscuits absorb the remaining butter and finish setting up.
Expert Tips
Measure your flour by spooning and leveling. Scoop directly with the measuring cup and you’ll pack in 20-30% more flour than the recipe needs. The biscuits will turn out dense and dry. Spoon flour into the dry measuring cup, then level the top with the back of a knife.
Don’t overmix the dough. Stir just until the dry pockets disappear. Once the flour is fully wet, stop. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which gives you tough, dense biscuits instead of light and tender ones.
Test your leaveners before you bake. Both lose potency after about 6 months. To test baking powder, add ¼ teaspoon to ¼ cup of hot water. If it bubbles, it’s fresh. To test baking soda, mix ¼ teaspoon of vinegar into ½ cup of hot water, then add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda. If it fizzes, it’s good.
Watch the oven, not the clock. Ovens often vary by 25°F or more in either direction. Start checking the biscuits at the 13-minute mark. They’re done when the tops are deep golden brown and the butter around the edges is actively bubbling.
Troubleshooting
Most butter swim biscuit fixes are simple.
Why is my dough wet and runny?
The dough is supposed to be wet and shaggy, not pancake batter. If it pours instead of spoons, you may have under-measured the flour or used a buttermilk substitute that’s too thin. Add 1-2 tablespoons of flour at a time until the dough holds together when scooped but is still sticky.
Why are my biscuits greasy?
The pan used was too small for the amount of butter, or you used too much butter. For this small batch recipe, stick to 4 tablespoons of butter melted in a 5-inch square baking dish. A larger pan will spread the butter too thin, while a smaller pan or extra butter will leave the biscuits sitting in butter.
Why are my biscuits doughy in the middle but the edges are done?
The biscuits came out of the oven too soon. Return the dish to the oven for 2-3 more minutes and check again. The tops should be deep golden brown and the butter should be actively bubbling around the edges before you pull them out.
Why didn’t my biscuits rise?
The most likely cause is old baking powder or baking soda. See the Expert Tips section for how to test both. Overmixing the dough can also flatten the biscuits by deflating the air bubbles before they bake.
Serving Suggestions
These small batch butter swim biscuits work for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
For breakfast: Top with homemade apple butter, serve alongside an egg wrap, or use them in place of toast under eggs benedict for one.
With soup or stew: Serve warm with a bowl of single serving chicken noodle soup, single serving beef stew, or single serving chili.
For dinner: Pair with roasted chicken thighs and a side of roasted carrots for an easy meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
A 5×5-inch baking dish is the right size for this small batch recipe. It gives the 4 biscuits the right thickness and lets the butter bake into the dough properly. A larger pan will spread the butter too thin and produce flat, greasy biscuits.
Warm in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes for the best texture. You can also microwave a single biscuit for 20-30 seconds, but the edges will lose some of their crispness.
Yes. Wrap each biscuit tightly in plastic wrap, place in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before reheating.
Store leftover biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to a week.
Yes. Double all the ingredients and bake in a 6×8-inch baking dish for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are deep golden brown.
A wet, sticky dough is exactly how it should look. The high moisture is what gives these biscuits their soft, almost cake-like center. If the dough pours instead of spoons, you may have under-measured the flour.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
Did you make this small batch butter swim biscuits recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below to let me know how it turned out.
If you take a photo, tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen). We’d love to see it!
Small Batch Butter Swim Biscuits
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 4 tablespoons butter -melted (½ stick)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt until evenly combined.
- Pour in the buttermilk and stir with a spoon or rubber spatula just until the flour disappears. The dough will be wet, sticky, and shaggy. Do not overmix.
- Pour the melted butter into a 5-inch baking dish, spreading it across the bottom.
- Spoon the dough on top of the melted butter and gently spread it to the edges with a spatula or the back of a spoon. The butter will rise around the sides of the dough.
- Place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any butter that bubbles over.
- Use a sharp knife to score the unbaked dough into 4 equal squares.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until the tops are deep golden brown and the butter around the edges is bubbling.
- Let the biscuits rest in the pan for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. This lets the biscuits absorb the remaining butter and finish setting up.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Made these today with GF flour. They turned out great, even using a 4×6 dish. I cut in 6 portions and that worked out fine too. Perfect to try some blackberry butter that I got at farm near Cleburne, Texas a couple weeks ago. Thanks for the keeper recipe!
Love how these turned out. I enjoyed the texture most after they had a chance to cool down quite a bit. The flavor was heightened too. So soft and fluffy. Of course, buttery to boot! Just like you noted. They were a delicious part of breakfast with some apricot preserves.
Thanks for another ODK winner Joanie. I am having fun playing in my kitchen with your recipes. It’s exciting to do small batches because I can try so many more than I can when using full size recipes. Your recipes are so easy to prepare, requiring few ingredients, delivering big flavor.
These are now, hands down, the best biscuits I’ve ever tasted to date!!! Made my second batch today and tried your recommended variation with fresh blueberries. With a few minor embellishments to the recipe, I am floored at the results! Bojangles Boberry biscuits have nothing on what I just made. Not even close.
I am so tempted to go get a second biscuit but that would be out of sheer gluttony. I’ve made some great dishes from this site, but that blueberry swim biscuit — that’s Numero Uno!
Thanks Joanie 😃
Wonderful! I’m so happy you enjoyed the biscuits!!
Can I use a 6 inch pan to bake the biscuits in? I know that they won’t be square, but that’s the only small batch pan I have on hand.
A 6-inch diameter (round) pan will work.
Gonna make these today but will double to make in a 9 X 9” pan. Married almost 52 yrs. Never had or heard of a 5 X 5”
Pan???
Marna, if you’re using a 9×9 inch pan, you will need to quadruple the recipe. A 5×5 inch baking dish (which can be found on Amazon, in home stores, and in our store) holds 22 fluid ounces and has a base area of 25 square inches. If you’d like to double the recipe, we recommend using 6×8 inch baking dish which has a base area of 48 square inches.
Love all your recipes. Have one just about every day, thanks
Thank you so much, Mildred!
These are amazing, quick, and just the right size for 2. Thanks!
My dough is very loose, no way I can divide it into 4 before baking. I did measure very carefully. But the biscuits were awesome and crispy brown. Any clue as to why I end up with dough that’s so soft?
The dough will be very loose and you do not need to divide it. You simply need to cut the dough so that you see the knife marks. This makes the biscuits easier to pull apart after baking.
These Butter Swim Biscuits was the first recipe of yours that I tried, since ordering the 5X5 baking dish. They were absolutely delicious served along side a hearty Italian soup. The recipe was very easy to follow,I appreciate your thorough instructions, with detailed descriptions and pictures. The flavor was just as you described, buttery with a nice crust, this will be my go to recipe! I am looking forward to trying your lemon bars next!
Joanie, I should have started with your recipe to begin with. I recently made another full-size butter swim recipe; I ate one and they were leaden and burned on the bottom. I threw the rest out – a complete waste of good butter and buttermilk. I still had that carton of buttermilk to use up, so I made your recipe – delicious, fluffy and they baked up beautifully. Thank you! Your drop biscuits are excellent as well.
Thank you so much for your feedback. I’m so happy you love our biscuit recipes.
Thank you for a biscuit recipe that finally worked for me! I can bake up a storm. I make caramel with no problems. I can make you a chocolate torte that takes 8 hours to finish and is as silky as a baby’s cheek. Angel food cake? No problem…
But biscuits? Ugh, they have never been very successful for me. Nor very tasty. These biscuits are easy and taste great! They were perfect for my sausage gravy. Thank you! Thank you!