Gruyere Herb Buttermilk Biscuits

Everyday Bread Cookbook

If you love fresh homemade bread, then this Everyday Bread: 100 Recipes for Baking Bread on Your Schedule is the book for you! ATK simplifies the baking equation so that bread, can be made on any schedule, as often as every day, whether you’re a beginner baker or an enthusiast.

It’s a versatile cookbook simplifying homemade bread with flexible schedules, no-knead techniques, and creative flavors for any meal.

With lots of tips like, “If you use an all-purpose flour with a higher protein content (such as King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, with 11.7 percent protein) in moist, cakey recipes, the results may be drier and chewier.”

I’m also looking forward to making their garlic thyme pull apart bread on page 294, which starts with their no knead brioche.

This recipe was also featured in their Savory Baker Cookbook (the picture is even on the cover).

How to make

These biscuits rise up tall and true with beautiful layers of buttery goodness. There’s nothing like a good flaky tall biscuit!

The full printable recipe ingredients and instructions are available in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. You can find important tips, tricks, and photos in the post.

Make dough

Gather the ingredients. I recommend King Arthur brand all-purpose flour, but other brands will work. Use sticks of butter rather than tub-style butter or large blocks.

Cold ingredients are very important. You’ll want to make sure the sticks of butter have been in the freezer for 30 minutes before grating them. In hot or humid environments, chill the flour mixture, grater, and bowl before use. Keep the buttermilk in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Whisk the flour, sugar, parsley, chives, baking powder, baking soda, minced sage, and fine grain table salt together in large bowl.

Coat the sticks of butter in flour mixture, then grate 7 tablespoons from each stick, on the large holes of box grater directly into the flour, and toss gently to combine. Grating the butter ensures that the pieces are already in the perfect size for flaky layers.

Set aside remaining 2 tablespoons butter.

This recipe uses just butter (rather than incorporating shortening). Butter contains water, whereas shortening does not, and a more hydrated dough means a better gluten structure, which better supports all those layers. Want to learn more about baking, hop over and read my baking tips.

Using a rubber or silicone spatula, gently fold cold buttermilk into flour mixture until just combined (dough will look dry). The dough will start out very crumbly and dry in pockets but will be smooth by the end of the folding process, so don’t be tempted to add extra buttermilk.

Shape dough

Transfer dough to liberally floured counter. Flour the counter and the top of the dough as needed to prevent sticking, but be careful not to incorporate large pockets of flour into the dough when folding. And, don’t overwork the dough. Mixing too much will make the biscuits tough.

Dust surface of dough with flour; using your floured hands, press dough into rough 7-inch square. Roll dough into 12 by 9-inch rectangle with short side parallel to counter edge. Starting at bottom of dough, fold into thirds like business letter, using bench scraper or metal spatula to release dough from counter. Press top of dough firmly to seal folds.

Using bench scraper, turn dough 90 degrees clockwise. Repeat rolling into 12 by 9-inch rectangle, folding into thirds, and turning clockwise 3 more times, for a total of 4 sets of folds, sprinkling with extra flour as needed.

Roll out dough into 12 by 9-inch rectangle, then sprinkle with Gruyere, leaving bottom 4 inches and ½-inch border around top and sides free from cheese. Using bench scraper, fold cheese-free bottom third of dough up over center, then fold center up over top, tucking any cheese that may have escaped back underneath top fold.

Press to seal, then roll dough into 8½-inch square, about 1 inch thick.

Rest & shape

Transfer dough to prepared sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400° F.

Transfer dough to lightly floured cutting board.

Using sharp, floured chef’s knife, trim ¼ inch of dough from each side of square. Cut the biscuits straight down, this will help the biscuits rise nice and tall.

ATK tells you to discard the trimmings. You can also twist them and bake them into bread sticks. They take less time to bake them the full biscuits.

Cut remaining dough into 9 squares, flouring knife after each cut. Arrange biscuits at least 1 inch apart on now-empty sheet and place 1 sage leaf on top of each biscuit.

Melt reserved 2 tablespoons butter, then brush sage leaves and tops of biscuits with melted butter.

Bake

Bake until tops are golden brown, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer biscuits to wire rack, sprinkle with flake sea salt, and let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Storage and make ahead

These are best right after being baked. Flaky and buttery.

But you can make them ahead. The unbaked biscuits can be frozen: Mix up the dough and form them, then freeze the unbaked biscuits in a single layer and transfer to a resealable plastic bag for up to one month. Bake straight from the freezer, adding a few minutes to the cooking time.

If you have leftover biscuits, they are fine on the counter for a day. After that I found it’s best to refrigerate them in an airtight container. Place them back in the oven or toaster oven at 400° F for 7-10 minutes until heated through.

Changes to the recipe

Like I said, you can use the trimmed biscuit dough to make breadsticks. Just give them a couple twists, and place them on parchment paper and bake. I like to bake them separately from the tray of biscuits. Give them a brush of melted butter or use milk or heavy cream for the top before baking.

Switch up the cheese you use, really any hard or semi-hard cheese will be great. Try cheddar cheese. Parmesan, or Asiago in place of the Gruyère.

Use your favorite herbs, or if you don’t like one kind of herb, swap in another. Thyme, rosemary, chives, sage, parsley, etc.

You can use these biscuits to make sandwiches too.

Make them for a weekend breakfast or brunch or as a side for Christmas or Easter dinner.

I also think these would be great cut into smaller biscuits for a larger group of people. Yes, they wouldn’t be quite as amazing in size, but more to share. I’d cut them into 16 biscuits next time I make them.

Tools you may need

Bench scraper
Rolling pin
Dough mat
Ruler
Baking sheet
Parchment paper (and I recommend Reynold’s brand)
Mixing bowl
Silicone spatula
Box grater