PJ here today. There are biscuits, and then there are biscuits. The kind that come out of a hot cast-iron skillet, tall and golden, with buttery layers that pull apart just right. The kind your grandmother might have made without even glancing at a recipe card, and the kind my Mammaw made when I was a kid. I have been perfecting a version of her recipe for months now, and I feel like I finally cracked the code. Only, I made it my own while still honoring the spirit of hers.

And that’s exactly what this recipe is: real old-fashioned Southern biscuits made with the bird nest method and the one-and-only White Lily flour. Around here, it’s the only way to get biscuits that are fluffy, tender, and practically melt in your mouth.

This isn’t just baking—it’s a little ritual. You make a nest in your flour, pour the buttermilk right in, and let the dough come together in the most natural, simple way. No mixers, no shortcuts—just a few ingredients and a cast-iron skillet.

Ingredients

2 cups White Lily Self-Rising Flour (plus a little extra for dusting)
½ cup fat (half unsalted butter, half Crisco shortening — about the size of a large egg total)
1 cup cold buttermilk

Directions

Make the Bird Nest. Pour your flour into a big bowl and press a well into the center—that’s your “nest.”
Mix Buttermilk & Fats. Drop your butter and shortening into the nest, then pour in the buttermilk. Stir them together gently in the middle.
Bring in the Flour. Slowly pull flour in from the sides until a soft, tacky dough forms. Don’t overmix and don’t pull in too much flour—this is the difference between biscuits that are light and fluffy and biscuits that turn out heavy.
Turn Out & Fold. Flour your work surface and place the dough on top. Dust lightly, then fold it over itself 4–6 times. This step creates those beautiful flaky layers.
Cut Biscuits. Pat the dough to about ¾ inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter (or a drinking glass, if that’s what you’ve got), and press straight down without twisting. That’s the trick for biscuits that rise tall.
Bake. Grease a cast-iron skillet with butter or shortening, arrange your biscuits inside, and slide them into a 500° oven. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until golden and irresistible.

The Result: You’ll pull out buttery, fluffy biscuits with layers soft enough to peel apart and steam rising from the skillet. They’re best served hot with butter, honey, or jam—but if you’re Southern at heart, you already know a ladle of sausage gravy makes them unforgettable.

Everyone swears by a biscuit trick. For me, it’s the bird nest method and White Lily flour. That’s the unbeatable combo.

So I want to know:

What’s your biscuit secret—do you use butter, shortening, lard, or maybe even cream?
And how do you eat yours? Plain, smothered in gravy, or spread with homemade jam?

Leave me a note in the comments! I’d love to swap tips.