If you’ve ever bitten into a biscuit at The Biscuit Express in Huntsville, Alabama, you know there’s something magical happening in that kitchen.
These aren’t just any biscuits, they’re sky-high, cloud-soft, and practically melt on your tongue. Voted “Bama’s Best Biscuit” by a local paper, this café has perfected the art of the fluffy biscuit, and locals can’t get enough.
1. High-Quality, Low-Protein Flour (The White Lily Secret)

White Lily flour isn’t just a Southern tradition, it’s the secret weapon behind every fluffy biscuit at The Biscuit Express. Made from soft winter wheat, this flour has much less protein than regular all-purpose flour, which means less gluten forms when you mix the dough.
Gluten is what makes bread chewy, but in biscuits, you want tender and delicate. Lower gluten equals a lighter crumb and a taller rise.
The difference is night and day. One bite tells you everything you need to know about why the right flour matters so much in biscuit-making.
2. Ice-Cold Fat (The Steam Secret)

Imagine tiny pockets of butter so cold they’re practically frozen, scattered throughout the biscuit dough like little flavor bombs. When the biscuits hit the blazing hot oven, something amazing happens, the water inside that butter turns to steam instantly.
That steam needs somewhere to go, so it pushes the layers of dough apart, creating thousands of airy pockets. This is what gives the biscuit its signature flaky, fluffy texture.
Room-temperature butter just won’t cut it. Keeping the fat ice-cold is absolutely essential for achieving that perfect rise and melt-in-your-mouth feel.
3. Real Buttermilk

Fresh, full-fat buttermilk is the magic ingredient that makes these biscuits rise like nobody’s business. The Biscuit Express often sources their buttermilk locally, ensuring it’s as fresh and tangy as possible.
Buttermilk’s acidity reacts with baking soda to create carbon dioxide gas, which is what gives the biscuits their massive, fluffy lift. It also adds a subtle tang that balances the richness of the butter beautifully.
Store-bought milk just can’t replicate that same reaction. Real buttermilk is non-negotiable if you want biscuits that practically float off the plate and taste like a Southern grandmother made them.
4. Minimal Mixing/Gentle Hand-Patting

At The Biscuit Express, the bakers treat their dough like it’s made of glass. Overworking biscuit dough is the fastest way to end up with hockey pucks instead of fluffy clouds.
When you mix and knead too much, you develop gluten strands that make the biscuits tough and dense. A gentle hand keeps those strands short and the texture tender and airy.
The dough is mixed just until it comes together, then patted out softly by hand. This delicate approach is what separates amateur biscuits from the award-winning beauties served here every morning.
5. No Twisting The Cutter

Here’s a trick most home bakers don’t know: twisting your biscuit cutter seals the edges and prevents the biscuits from rising properly. The bakers at The Biscuit Express press their cutters straight down and lift straight up, no twisting allowed.
When you twist, you pinch those beautiful layers together, trapping the steam and preventing the dough from springing upward in the oven. Clean, sharp cuts let the layers separate and puff up freely.
It’s such a small detail, but it makes a huge difference in the final height and fluffiness of each biscuit.
6. High Oven Temperature

Crank that oven up to around 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and you’ve got the perfect environment for biscuit magic. The Biscuit Express bakes their biscuits in a scorching hot oven, and there’s a very good reason for it.
High heat creates an instant burst of steam from the cold butter, lifting the biscuits quickly before the fat has a chance to melt and run out. It also sets the structure fast, locking in that fluffy rise.
A cooler oven just won’t deliver the same results. You need that intense heat to get biscuits that are golden on the outside and impossibly light inside.
7. Kissing Cousins On The Pan

Walk into the kitchen at The Biscuit Express and you’ll see the biscuits snuggled up close on the baking sheet, touching sides like old friends. This isn’t just for space, it’s a clever technique that encourages the biscuits to rise up instead of spreading out.
When biscuits touch, they support each other as they bake, pushing upward for maximum height. The sides stay soft and tender, while the tops get that gorgeous golden-brown color.
Spread them too far apart, and they’ll flatten and spread. Keep them close, and you get towering, fluffy biscuits every single time.
8. Fresh Leavening Agents

Baking powder and baking soda might seem like they last forever, but they actually lose their power over time. The Biscuit Express uses fresh leavening agents every single day to guarantee that chemical reaction that creates all those beautiful gas bubbles.
When baking soda meets the acid in buttermilk, it releases carbon dioxide, which is what makes the biscuits puff up. Old, expired leavening agents just won’t give you the same lift.
Freshness matters more than most people realize. Using active, potent leavening is the difference between flat, sad biscuits and ones that practically jump off the plate.
9. The “Lamination” Or Folding Technique

Lamination might sound fancy, but it’s really just folding the dough a few times to create distinct layers. The Biscuit Express gently folds their dough, much like making croissants or puff pastry, to build those flaky, cloud-like layers.
Each fold creates more layers of flour and fat that separate beautifully when they hit the oven heat. The result is a biscuit with a tender, almost delicate texture that pulls apart in soft, buttery sheets.
This technique takes a little extra time, but it’s what transforms a good biscuit into an unforgettable one that keeps people coming back for more.
10. Baked Fresh, Multiple Times Daily

There’s nothing quite like a biscuit straight from the oven, and The Biscuit Express knows it. They bake their biscuits from scratch in small batches throughout the morning, ensuring every customer gets a hot, fluffy biscuit at its absolute peak.
Biscuits are at their lightest and most tender when they’re fresh. After a few hours, they start to lose that airy texture and become denser.
By baking multiple times daily, the café guarantees that whether you arrive at seven in the morning or eleven, you’re getting a biscuit that’s just as fluffy and delicious as the first batch of the day.
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