My son-in-law; a gluten-free carb lover, is the inspiration behind this recipe. He’s a huge fan of homemade bread and pastries, so I’m always on a mission to surprise him with my gluten-free creations. His love for my Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits led me to experiment with this gluten-free version that he adores. They are wonderfully crisp and defy all expectations of gluten-free baking. These biscuits are so delicious that my non-gluten free family members can’t tell the difference. They are perfect for breakfast, or a side dish.
I will give you some great tips on how to get beautiful golden brown biscuits with a crispy crust with a soft, buttery interior. Follow these simple step-by-step instructions to make the best gluten-free buttermilk biscuits you’ve ever tasted.
The secret is in the technique, how the flour is mixed with cold butter, buttermilk and eggs. Follow these step-by-step instructions to make the best gluten-free buttermilk biscuits you’ve ever tasted.
Recommended Kitchen Tools
- Grating the butter and then freezing it for a few minutes is an easy hack for flaky biscuits
- Don’t get me wrong, I use parchment paper all the time, but I recently fell in love with silicone pads.
- Round biscuit cutters seem to make my biscuits rise higher. I like rustic looking breads and many times I just cut them into squares or triangles.
What Is The Trick To Making High Flaky Biscuits?
Making biscuits is different than most baking recipes. EVERYTHING in biscuit making is cold- even your hands. The technique is to cut the butter into the flour while not totally combining it. If your hands start feeling oily, your butter is melting. Immediately put the bowl in the refrigerator until it cools, and proceed with the recipe. You won’t hurt it.
TIP: Grate the butter with a large cheese grater and put it in the freezer before cutting it into the flour mixture.
TIP: Refrigerate the dough between every step of folding, shaping, and before you pop them in the oven. This ensures light, flaky biscuits.
Can I Make These Buttermilk Biscuits The Night Before?
Yes! Follow the recipe instructions up to step 9 in the instructions, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. Complete step 10 and bake.
What Makes Biscuits Rise?
Biscuits receive some leavening power from baking powder and cold butter. Keeping the dough cold throughout the mixing process is the key to exceptional biscuits. The steam is created by cold pieces of butter heating and creating steam that puffs the dough as the biscuit cooks. The difference between ordinary and greatness comes from the extra rise that steam provides.
TIP: Use egg wash to add color and crispness to gluten free baking recipes. It’s a little trick that makes a huge difference in the crispness of your biscuit.
FAQs
Why do my biscuits come out dense?
It could be several reasons. The ingredients were not cold. When mixing in biscuits, you want to leave little pieces of butter whole so they create layers of steam and help the biscuit to rise. This creates a fluffy biscuit.
How do I get my biscuits to rise and get fluffy?
The trick is to “cut” the butter into the flour. This means not totally combining it. Use a pastry blender or a large fork to cut the butter into the flour before adding the liquid. Then gently combine until the dough starts to form a ball and cleans the sides of the bowl. Handle the dough as little as possible. Use your hands for this. Baking uses our sight and feel. The more you bake, you will know by sight and touch if the dough “feels right”.
Can I use Crisco instead of butter?
Yes, you can. Butter is more flavorful than Criso. Criso will make a shorter biscuit. Butter has a more water that creates steam that helps the biscuit rise-besides butter tastes so much better!
Can’t Tell They’re Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups Cup4Cup Gluten Free Flour (Substitute:King Arthur Gluten Free Flour)
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1-1/2 teas Kosher Salt (Diamond Crystal) (If using Morton's Kosher salt, cut amount by half)
- 12 Tbsp cold grated butter
Wet Ingredients
- 1-½ cup cold full fat buttermilk (DIY buttermilk:whole milk+ 2 Tbsp vinegar)
- 1 cold large egg
Egg Wash:
- 1 egg plus 1 tablespoon water (lightly beaten)
Garnish
Instructions
- Oven Temp: 425 degrees
- Grate cold butter with a large holed cheese grater into a small bowl and put it in the freezer.
- In a medium bowl, whisk dry ingredients together, flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add the cold grated butter to the flour mixture. With your hands, lightly toss the mixture, coating the butter with flour. Separate the larger clumps of butter so that the flour coats them. Smush pieces of butter and flour between your fore fingers and thumbs to form small flat flake like pieces the size of peas. You can also use a pastry blender or large fork instead of this method.
- Add the buttermilk 1/2 cup at a time and egg mixture and mix gently mix until the dough starts to come together. It will start to clean the sides of the bowl. Try to handle the dough as little as possible, mix it until there are no more dry pieces. The dough should be moist and stiff. and will clean the sides of the bowl. Gently push the dough together in a flat, round shape. Fold it in half, and wrap it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes.
- Dust your workspace surface with flour and roll the dough out to a 5×10 inch rectangle. I pat it into shape with my hands. Use a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter or cut the dough into squares with a knife to make 10 biscuits.
- Place the biscuits on a parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 10 minutes or until you are ready to bake them.
- Brush with egg wash. Sprinkle lightly with Maldon Salt. Place biscuits in the center of the oven. Check them after 12 minutes; if the biscuits in the back of the oven are darker than those in front, turn the baking sheet around so they brown evenly.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.
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