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A close-up view of flaky cheddar biscuits sitting in a row on an oval grey platter with a small bowl of softened butter next to the biscuits.

Sky-Hight Flaky Cheddar Biscuits

Course: Bread
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Chill/freeze time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 584kcal
Author: Kris Longwell
These sky-high cheddar biscuits are towering with buttery, flaky layers, packed with sharp cheese, and finished with a rich garlic-butter glaze. The ultimate crowd-pleasing comfort food side dish!
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Equipment

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup unsalted butter frozen for at least 30 minutes
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1½ cups sharp cheddar cheese freshly grated
  • 2 tablespoon chives finely chopped
  • 1 cup whole buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoon butter melted with a pinch of garlic powder

Instructions

  • Place two sticks of butter in the freezer for at least 30 minutes (you'll only need ¾ of each stick).
    ¾ cup unsalted butter
  • In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and garlic powder. Set aside.
    3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic powder
  • Working one stick at a time, grate the frozen butter with the large holes on a box grater. Scrape into the flour mixture. Place the bowl in the freezer while you grate the other ¾ stick of frozen butter. Add this butter to the bowl and toss to combine the cold butter with the flour mixture.
  • Fold the grated cheese and chopped chives into the flour/butter mixture until just combined. Form a well in the center and pour the cold buttermilk into it.
    1½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, 2 tbsp chives, 1 cup whole buttermilk
  • Preheat your oven to 425°F.
  • Use a wooden spoon to fold it all together until a shaggy (loose) dough forms. Use your hands, but not too much; you don't want to warm the butter. The dough will be very crumbly; this is okay!
  • Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and use your hands (as little as possible) to press together a rectangle. Use a bench scraper (or large knife) to cut the rectangle into four squares. Place one square on top of another square, and then do this with the other two squares. Press them into another rectangle. Repeat this two more times. Stack the two rectangles, and gently press down. The dough should be about 1 to 1½ inches thick.
  • Use a biscuit cutter to cut out the biscuits. Don't twist the cutter! Simply press down and then lift the cutter from the dough. You may need to push the biscuit dough out of the cutter. Place the biscuit on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat this with the rest of the dough, placing each biscuit almost touching the other biscuits.
  • Bake the biscuits for 18 to 24 minutes, until golden and cooked all the way through. Test the insides of one biscuit at 18 minutes. The taller the biscuits, the longer they will take to fully bake.
  • Meanwhile, melt the 2 tablespoon of butter with a pinch of garlic powder. Remove the biscuits from the oven and immediately brush them with the melted butter. Serve at once!
    2 tbsp butter

Video

Notes

NOTE: Watch the video in the recipe card for visual guidance.
  • Bake Close Together for a Straight Rise: Arrange the cut biscuits on the baking sheet so they are almost touching. Supporting each other as they bake forces them to rise straight up into towering layers; if placed too far apart, they tend to lean to the side during the baking process.
  • Keep Ingredients Ice Cold: Frozen butter and cold buttermilk are essential. The cold fat creates steam in the hot oven, which produces distinct, flaky layers.
  • Never Twist the Cutter: Press straight down and lift straight up when cutting out the biscuits. Twisting the cutter seals the edges and stops them from rising fully.
  • Don't Skip the Stacking Method: Cutting the dough into fourths, stacking the squares, and re-pressing flat 3 times is the secret to getting dozens of visible, sky-high layers.
  • Cheese Tip: Shred your cheddar from a block rather than buying pre-shredded cheese. Pre-bagged cheese has anti-caking coatings that prevent it from melting smoothly into the dough.

Nutrition

Calories: 584kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 700mg | Potassium: 308mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 1152IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 305mg | Iron: 3mg