Make sure your butter and buttermilk are very cold. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Shift flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
Grate in butter (I already grated my butter then freeze it again) into the flour mixture then mix. Gently add the cold buttermilk into the mixture. Combine everything very quickly.
Dump the dough on a floured work surface and sprinkle some more (add small quantity at a time the lesser flour you use the better). Quickly mix the dough.
Fold the dough into many layers do this like four to five times, this gives the biscuits layers when done. After all the folding pat the dough to about one-inch thickness in a rectangular shape.
Use a biscuit cutter or any small round shape object that's similar to a cookie/biscuit cutter. Dip into flour then cut out the biscuits.
Place on a baking sheet and brush with mayonnaise or cream.
Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Take the baking sheet out and brush with melted butter.
Serve warm and enjoy!
Southern buttermilk is very easy to make but you must be very fast while making it. Make sure buttermilk and cutter are very cold. Ensure you fold your dough several times to give you the biscuits layers and use a little flour as possible when you're folding the dough.
Buttermilk substitute: Add a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar then top it with milk to make one cup. Let it side for about 5 minutes, your buttermilk is ready.