These gluten free buttermilk biscuits will become the lightest, most tender biscuits you'll ever have, gluten free or not!
Some of the items linked in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission.
I have a serious problem...I can't stop buying cookbooks! Is there such a thing as Cookbooks Anonymous? And believe it or not, I usually buy cookbooks that AREN'T gluten free! I want to be able to experience ALL the cookbooks, especially those with pastries and such that aren't ever supposed to be gluten free. I suppose you could call it a hobby of mine, trying to convert gluten-filled recipes into gluten free.
Just recently I purchased Joanna Gaines' newest cookbook, Magnolia Table Volume 2. And there are so many great recipes I want to try. But I've had her first cookbook, Magnolia Table, since it was released over a year ago. And the first recipe I made from that book was her biscuits.
Joanna's recipe isn't gluten free, so I had to adapt it to suit my needs. And I have to say, they're probably the best biscuits I've EVER had, gluten free or not!!
My old gluten free biscuit recipe was always loved by my family, but to me they were a little "heavy" and dense. I'm forever looking for perfection when baking. If I don't think something I make is great (not just good for gluten free) then I darn sure am going to keep trying until I do.
It's just one of those things about me that sometimes drives my family crazy. I take a perfectly good recipe and change it. Who wants good, though? I want great!!
How I Changed the Recipe
I made obvious changes to Joanna's recipe (GF) as well as some not so obvious:
- The recipe calls for self-rising flour. Here in the US, I've never seen gluten free self-rising flour. Since I'm not one to buy pre-made gluten free flour blends anyway, I just made my own. Self-rising flour can be made easily by adding baking powder and salt to every cup of gluten free AP flour. That's why there's so much baking powder in these biscuits. But it doesn't at all make them taste of chemicals.
- I bumped up the amount of buttermilk. Usually with gluten free flours, they tend to absorb more liquids and require a little more than the recipe calls for. Plus, with the addition of the extra baking powder, you'll need that extra liquid.
- Instead of rolling out the dough, I patted it into a 1 ½ to 2-inch thick round. I like my biscuits to rise really tall. This meant less biscuits and a smaller baking sheet. I dedicated my trusty old Pampered Chef round baker to biscuit baking 😉
- I brushed the biscuits with melted butter instead of an egg before putting them in the oven.
What Can I Serve These Biscuits With?
If you're anything like me, your absolute favorite way to eat biscuits is LOADED with sausage gravy! And if you're looking for the perfect gluten free sausage gravy biscuit recipe, have I got JUST the recipe you're looking for!! Check out my recipe here for amazing gluten free sausage gravy to ladle on top of these biscuits!
You could also serve them with butter and jam, or if you love clotted cream like I do, here's a recipe for homemade clotted cream! It's one of the easiest things you'll ever make, but is by far one of the best to put on biscuits and scones.
Chicken and biscuits, anyone??? I was very recently testing some recipes for a Chick-Fil-A style chicken sandwich and my husband suggested I make my biscuits to put the chicken on. I gotta tell ya, he sure has some great ideas because this chicken biscuit was the BOMB!!! The recipe will grace the pages of my blog very soon, but until then I'll leave you with a sneak peek 🙂
Tips for Best Biscuit Making
To ensure the lightest and softest biscuits ever, follow these tips for the beset biscuit making:
- Make sure to use the coldest ingredients possible--cold butter, cold eggs, and cold buttermilk
- After chilling the dough initially, knead it a few times to smooth it out and allow the butter to incorporate into the dough. Watch the video, especially at the 1:09 to 1:11 mark to see how I flatten the dough with the palm of my hand and smear it forward, which is called fraisage. It helps to create buttery layers in the dough.
- After cutting out the biscuits, place them in the fridge while you preheat the oven.
These biscuits are so light and airy! If you haven't already purchased Magnolia Table cookbook, check it out here. It's one of my favorites, and that's saying a lot (you know, with my cookbook addiction and all). 😉
Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
- 4 cups (560 g) Kim's gluten free flour blend (or your favorite blend with xanthan gum)
- ¼ cup (45 g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 sticks (¾ lb or 339 g) butter, cold and cut into ¼-inch slices
- 2 large eggs, cold
- 1¾ cups (420 ml) buttermilk, cold (I prefer full fat buttermilk)
- 2 tablespoon butter, melted
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the butter pieces and using either a pastry cutter or your hands (I like to use my hands), rub and flatten each piece of butter into the flour mixture until large bean-sized pieces remain.
- Mix together buttermilk and eggs and pour into flour mixture.
- Stir with wooden spoon until it comes together. You should not need more buttermilk, but if you do, only add 1-2 teaspoon at a time until the whole mixture comes together. It should be slightly wet.
- Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes, or even overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough briefly, pressing and "smearing" the dough away from you onto the counter (called fraisage) with the palm of your hand. Roll or pat out the dough to about 1½-2 inches thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter.
- Place the biscuits side by side (touching) in a large round baking pan, or any kind of bakeware that will fit the biscuits (a 9 by 13-inch rectangular pan will also work, or even a large baking sheet). Chill for 15-30 minutes while preheating the oven to 400° F.
- Brush the biscuits with melted butter.
- Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until lightly browned and well risen.
- Cool for about 5-10 minutes.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Magnolia Table cookbook.
Bonnie Quinn
Hello Kim, have you ever froze these before baking them?
Bonnie L Quinn
Ok, I did it anyway... And if it got any better then what I tasted I'd cry lol these are hands down the best biscuits I've tasted in 10 years!! And I'm very excited I can make a ton and freeze them, for later enjoyment!
LaVerne Tysinger
Thank You for the best biscuit recipe and the BEST flour blends.
I have been gluten free for almost 20 years and have tried almost every flour blend recipes and commercial ones and yours are THE BEST. I made the Buttermilk biscuits this morning and my husband said they was the BEST . I had made the Cheddar Biscuits and he LOVE them and he isn't gluten free but I have definitely won hm over with these two recipes. THANKS again for all your super recipes.
Kim
Awe, it is my pleasure and I'm thrilled you're having great success with my recipes and flour blends 🥰