Gluten Free Cream Cheese Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
3 cups (420 g) all purpose gluten-free flour (I used Better Batter)
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
1/3 cup (48 g) cornstarch
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons (24 g) granulated sugar (optional)
8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, diced and chilled
6 ounces cream cheese, chilled
1 1/4 cups (10 fluid ounces) buttermilk, chilled, plus more for brushing tops
Coarse salt for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the optional sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the butter, separate the pieces and toss in the dry ingredients to coat with butter with flour. Add the cream cheese, and toss to coat again. With clean and dry, well-floured fingers, flatten the flour-covered pieces of butter and cream cheese. Create a well in the center of the bowl, and add the chilled buttermilk. Stir the mixture to combine until the dough begins to come together, then knead the mixture a bit with your hands to bring it together into a disk.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and press it into a rectangle. Dust the dough lightly with flour, and roll it out roughly until it’s about 1-inch thick. Fold the dough in thirds by the short sides, like a business letter. Turn the dough one-quarter of the way around in one direction, and roll out into a rectangle about 3/4-inch thick. Flour a round biscuit cutter, and cut out rounds of dough. Place the rounds on the prepared baking sheet. Gather and reroll the scraps, sprinkle lightly with flour if the dough is sticky, and cut more rounds of dough. Place the rounds on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the biscuits with a bit of buttermilk, and sprinkle with the optional coarse salt. Place the baking sheet in the freezer to chill for about 10 minutes or until firm.
Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake, rotating once during baking, until lightly golden brown on top (about 18 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow to set briefly before serving.
Originally published on the blog in 2012. Photos, video, and text new; recipe scaled up and tweaked slightly.