Blueberry Butter Swim Biscuits are buttery, soft, and full of blueberry flavor - plus that lemon glaze takes it over the top! While they are ultra moist and tender on the inside, the outside becomes ultra crispy and golden brown from the melted butter. Go blueberries and butter!
When the life gives you blueberries, make the Blueberry Butter Swim Biscuits with Lemon Glaze. They are amazing: tender, fluffy, and just the right amount of sweet and a little tart. The sugar in the dough made a crunchy thin crust on the bottom. Just perfect!!
Blueberry Butter Swim Biscuits are insanely delicious when served warm, with or without additional butter, but always with extra blueberries. They are perfect for breakfast, brunch or dessert. Astonishing with coffee or a glass of milk.
What is Butter Swim Biscuit
Butter Swim Biscuit is the type of biscuit where the dough is baked in a pan with a layer of melted butter on the bottom. This way the butter seeps up right into the dough, which results in biscuits that are crispy on the bottom and fluffy on the inside with a buttery flavor throughout.
The name comes from the fact that the melted butter gives the appearance of the dough floating or swimming in butter.
Why you'll love Blueberry Butter Swim Biscuits
Blueberry and Lemon: Lemon and blueberry is such an elite combo!
Better than blueberry muffins: This is an easy, delicious recipe to make…a nice change of pace from blueberry muffins.
Simple recipe: You won't believe how simple this recipe is. It's so simple you'd think there is no way they will be that good but they are *THAT* good!
Ingredients in Blueberry Butter Swim Biscuits
Lemon Glaze
- Powdered sugar - use confectioner's sugar and a sifter to prevent your glaze from being grainy.
- Fresh lemon juice - Squeeze juice of 2 lemons to arrive at 2 tablespoons.
- Vanilla extract - Used for flavor, optional but tasty!
Butter swim biscuits
- All-purpose flour - Flour is the foundation of these blueberry butter swim biscuits; we need a strong batter to hold all of the blueberries.
- Granulated sugar: Sugar helps retain moisture, contributes to browning, and adds sweetness and flavor. It also helps create a slightly crunchy topping.
- Baking powder and salt: A lot of leavener is required to create a significant rise against all of the wet ingredients and blueberries.
- Eggs: Eggs add moisture and bind everything together
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk adds plenty of moisture and lightens up the dough.
- Blueberries: I used fresh blueberries, however frozen will work as well.
- Butter: Butter produces a moist, tender biscuit. These days I use salted and melted butter (1 stick).
How to make blueberry butter swim biscuits
Begin by whisking together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Slowly pour in the buttermilk while stirring gently until a sticky dough forms. If the dough seems dry, add a little more buttermilk. Be careful not to overmix.
Fold in the blueberries until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough without crushing them.
First things first, pour the melted butter into the bottom of a 9×9-inch baking pan. Evenly spread the dough into the baking dish with melted butter.
Smooth it out using a spatula.
Cut the dough into 9 squares using a knife.
Bake the swim biscuits for 25-30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
How to make lemon glaze
Whisk together powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice in a small bowl until super smooth. Add vanilla extract. Add more lemon juice to thin, and add more powdered sugar to thicken.
Blueberry Butter Swim Biscuits
Ingredients
Biscuits
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour spoon and leveled
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1¾ cups buttermilk (up to 2 cups)
- 1½ cups fresh blueberries
- ½ cup salted butter melted (1 stick)
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450°F.
Make blueberry butter swim biscuits
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Slowly pour in the buttermilk while stirring gently until a sticky dough forms. If the dough seems dry, add a little more buttermilk. Be careful not to overmix.
- Fold in the blueberries until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough without crushing them.
- Pour the melted butter into the bottom of a 9×9-inch baking pan.
- Evenly spread the dough into the baking dish with melted butter. Smooth it out using a spatula. Cut the dough into 9 squares using a knife.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
Make lemon glaze
- Whisk together powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice in a small bowl until super smooth. Add vanilla extract.
- Add more lemon juice to thin, and add more powdered sugar to thicken.
- Once biscuits are done baking, let them cool slightly before drizzling glaze over them. Serve warm.
Tips on making this recipe
- Fresh blueberries are preferred as they hold their shape better during baking. Frozen can be used but they may turn your dough purple.
- If using unsalted butter instead of salted butter, increase the salt in the recipe to ½ teaspoon.
- Fresh lemon juice makes such a huge difference when it comes to flavor, and when a glaze recipe only has 3 ingredients, you're better off making sure that it tastes good.
- If you don't have lemon on hand, I have also made this with lime juice and it was super delicious!
Variations and substitutions
- Bake swim biscuits in the preheated cast iron skillet. This type of skillet conducts the heat very well and what's even more important - very even distribution of heat.
- Experiment with a glaze: Use milk instead of lemon juice for a silky white glaze. I also LOVE drizzling these blueberry butter swim biscuits with orange glaze.
FAQ
Can I make the lemon glaze ahead? Ideally you will make this glaze as soon as you need it, as it does go crusty as it dries. Unless you like crusty glaze which I personally do.
Storage/Reheating instructions
- Wrap cooled biscuits tightly in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to two days or in the fridge for up to four days.
- How to store lemon glaze: If you have leftover glaze that you want to store you can pop it into a ziploc bag and seal with no air in it so that it does not go crusty, then just snip the end off the bag and use it as a piping bag.
- Reheat in air fryer: Can be easily warmed up the next morning in the air fryer.
Smg says
Awesome - I make the swim bread and can't wait to try your recipe. I know it will be delicious - thank you!
Olya Shepard says
Anything swim is always so good!
Lynne Pettman says
Terrific, my first experience with 'swim biscuits'. Very tender in the middle and crispy on the bottom, plus not too sweet. I used what I had in my pantry, so mine were fresh raspberry with a lime glaze. I made the buttermilk with milk combined with fresh lime juice as well. I only had skim milk and heavy cream so I mixed them together, 1cup skim, 3/4 cup cream, then added the lime juice. Just delicious for a special breakfast or brunch side.
Olya says
So happy you liked the swim biscuits, lynne. Delicious with lime juice!
Janet says
Made these and doubled on the lemon glaze! So delicious
Olya says
Good call on that glaze. I love smothering the biscuits with it!