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Cornmeal Biscuits

By | Published: | Posted In: Biscuits, Breakfast & Brunch, Pastry

These flaky gluten free cornmeal biscuits, with a bit of yogurt for tenderness, are made with a puff pastry-style technique.

Light and flaky gluten free cornmeal biscuits

These are tender and flaky gluten free cornmeal biscuits. But they're also trainers.

Stack of cornmeal biscuits

Are you nervous about Puff Pastry? It can be kind of intimidating.

There's a recipe for “Quick” (so to speak) Puff Pastry in my next cookbook. And it requires “turns.” Puff Pastry comes by its name, and telltale layers, honestly. It's layers upon layers of butter wrapped in flour.

Guess what also makes for puffy biscuits?  Leaveners like baking powder and baking soda, but also, you guessed it…

Cornmeal biscuits on wooden surface

Turns.

Sliced cornmeal biscuits

If you want your pastry to flake, you gotta do the turns. There's no substitute for 'em. See how the pastry almost shatters and peels away?

Turns.

A close up of ingredients

And you have to have big chunks of butter.

Flour on a spoon

Toss them in the flour.

Person holding cornmeal batter

And then flatten the chunks with your floured fingers.

A close up of person holding dough

All of them.

Dough on black surface

Then press the dough into a disk and freeze it until firm.

A close up of flattened dough

When you first roll out the dough, it will be a bit crumbly. Can you see the big chunks of butter? They're everywhere.

A close up of folded dough

Then fold the dough in thirds. It will crack as you fold it. No worries. Keep reading.

A close up of dough on brown surface

Turn it 90 degrees, and roll it out again.

Dough being shaped

Then fold it again. See how it has smoothed out? Much more pliable. Becoming quite lovely.

dough being rolled on brown surface

Fold the other side.

rolled out dough on brown surface

Turn it 90 degrees, and roll it out again. Do the whole thing one more time, if you have it in you. Have it in you! We're training. You'll get better and better at this. Practice makes perfect. It will click. *click* Like that.

Raw cornmeal biscuits

Cut it into 2 inch squares, and pop the baking sheet in the freezer. Then bake. No need to brush it with milk or anything else. The yogurt in the dough makes for a very tender crumb, and the butter makes it brown beautifully.

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Cornmeal Biscuits

Prep time:
Cook time:
Yield: 16 biscuits

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (210 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter)

3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)

3/4 cup (100 g) coarsely ground yellow cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, chilled

1/2 cup (113 g) plain yogurt, chilled

1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) milk, chilled

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.

  • Place the flour, xanthan gum, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a large bowl, and whisk to combine well. Cut the 6 tablespoons cold butter into a large dice (see photo), and dump all the butter into the large bowl of dry ingredients (see photo). Toss the diced butter in the dry ingredients to coat (see photo), but not to break up the butter. Flatten each piece of diced butter in between your fingertips (see photo) without crumbling the butter.

  • Add the yogurt and milk to the bowl, and mix to combine, still taking care not to crumble the butter. The mixture should come together. It will not be very wet, so be sure to wet all the dry ingredients with the milk and yogurt.

  • Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Press the dough into a flat disk and cover it tightly with the plastic wrap. Place the dough in the freezer for about 15 minutes, or until firm.

  • Once the dough is firm, transfer it to a piece of parchment paper, and press back into a flat disk if it has crumbled at all. Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the dough, and begin to roll into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. You should see flattened pieces of diced butter pretty clearly in the dough. Fold one short end of the dough over 1/3 of the rectangle, and then fold the other end on top. You will have folded the dough in thirds, like a business letter. The dough will likely crack a bit as you fold it. Turn the dough either clockwise or counterclockwise 1/4 of the way around (a 90° turn). Roll the dough out again into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. You have just completed one full “turn.”

  • Repeat the whole process for 2 or 3 more “turns.” By the second time you fold the dough like a business letter, it will be much smoother and won’t crack. After the final turn, roll into a rectangle about 8 inches wide by 16 inches long. Fold the dough in half so that it is an 8-inch square. It will be about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, divide the dough into sixteen 2-inch squares.

  • Place the squares of biscuit dough about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.

  • Remove the biscuits from the freezer and place them in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and puffy, rotating once during baking.

Comments

  2. Sonia says

    I just used this recipe to make a chicken pie and almost cried at the results. I have been trying to replicate puff pastry ever since I was diagnosed with coeliacs and the texture of this pastry was exactly what I remembered. Sincere thanks from Sydney, Nicole!

    • Nicole says

      You did it, Sonia! I’m so happy. Thank you for going out of your way to tell me that it worked so well for you. It is exciting, isn’t it? Well done. :)
      xoxo Nicole

  3. Amy says

    Hi Nicole! I’d love to see more easy, healthy breakfast ideas. We make your ricotta pancakes just about every weekend, but I need to lose a few pounds! (Not that the pancakes are the culprit!!) How about something without flour and more protein? Besides plain ol’ eggs! Thanks so much!!

    • Nicole says

      Hi, Amy,
      There are lots of grab ‘n’ go breakfast recipes in the new book, so I hope you’ll enjoy that when it comes out. But I will endeavor to come up with some more for the blog. Good suggestions! :)
      xoxo Nicole

  4. Stephanie B says

    Hey Nicole–
    I have Maseca Corn Masa but no corn meal in my cupboard right now. I’m not sure it would work in the recipe but I want to know what you think??

    I haven’t used much in the way of corn meals or masa before but I saw your recipe for pupusas and thought I’d get the instant Masa (love that it says gluten free on the bag) The bag is big though and I need more recipes besides corn tortillas and pupusas. I do have your cookbook:) page numbers that use this ingredient??

    Thanks! and happy long weekend!

      • Mary says

        Hi, actually I use a bit of masa along with cornmeal and an all purpose GF flour blend to make cornbread. The masa adds a depth of flavor that doesn’t come through with cornmeal alone, although I wouldn’t turn down anyone’s cornbread if offered!

      • Kelli says

        I think it is the texture of the cake. Also it is a very dense cake and is cooked in a tubular pan. I have her recipes if you want to play with them. I used to make her chocolate and regular pound cakes all the time. My family and friends really miss them, as do I.

        • Nicole says

          Hi, Kelli,
          I have a recipe for pound cake in my cookbook. It sounds similar. I bet you could just do a 1:1 substitution in your grandmother’s recipes with a good all-purpose gluten-free flour like Better Batter.
          xoxo Nicole

  6. Joleen says

    HI! Quick question – we have lactose intolerance in our home, do you think a DF Margarine would work out alright in place of butter? Thank you so much! These came just in time as we are making chill this weekend…. these will be super to wipe it up with!

    • Nicole says

      Hi, Joleen,
      I don’t feel too optimistic about making a flaky biscuit with margarine. I would try vegetable shortening instead. I’ve never tried it, though, so you’ll have to experiment!
      xoxo Nicole

  7. Jannyjo says

    Nicole,
    I have a silly question. In the recipe you say to line a baking sheet with parchment paper, do we need to do this if we are using USA pans? (I only ask because your pictures don’t show any on your USA pans. )

  8. Miss Diane says

    I’ve been thinking about making puff pastry lately but I just did’nt know how to do. Thanks a lot Nicole and I invite you to visit my blog, though it is french.

  9. Meridith says

    Hi Nicole!!

    I really can’t wait for your new cookbook, I really am looking forward to it!! These biscuits look AWESOME!! If your taking requests I have 2. One, I know your a big fan of eggs (I am too!) but they are not a fan of my stomach! Could you try some egg-replacement recipes? Also, its girl scout season and I would love some GF Samoas!

    Thanks So Much!

    • Nicole says

      Hi, Meridith,
      Oooh egg replacers. That’s a big one! I should try those out, you’re right. I tend to rely pretty heavily on eggs for moisture, protein, structure. They’re so useful, especially in gluten-free baking! But I will try. For you? I will. :)
      GF Samoas? Great idea. Will put ’em on the list!
      xoxo Nicole

  10. Kaity says

    Hi Nicole,

    I’ve been lurking for ages and finally have a question: Would these biscuits (and the puff pastry) freeze well after they’ve been rolled/turned? It’d be great if I could do all of the turning on a free day and pull out the biscuits or the dough to bake later in the week!

    As for new recipes for the blog…cakes! It’s been the hardest thing for me to bake GF. I’ve got pie-crusts, cookies, muffins down and I’m working on breads, but the more delicate cake batter is a real challenge!

    • Nicole says

      Hi, Kaity,
      Yes! They definitely would freeze well. Just freeze them flat on a baking sheet, as if you were going to bake them. Once they’re frozen solid, just transfer them to a freezer safe ziploc bag until you’re ready to use them. The puff pastry will also freeze very well.
      xoxo Nicole

  11. Sherry says

    Hi Nicole,

    I haven’t replied in a while, but I have been reading! I LOVE that you are developing so many wonderful dairy-free recipes! I am getting ready to make some almond butter right now. I wonder, how could it be tweaked to become a (dairy-free) Nutella type spread? Also, I would love to see some flavored tortilla “wraps”; like sun-dried tomato, basil & garlic, etc. Thank you for all of the fantastic work! Congratulations on turning in your manuscript, I can’t wait for the book!

    • Nicole says

      Hi, Sherry,
      It’s nice to hear from you. You can make the Bittersweet Chocolate Almond Butter into a sort of Nutella by using hazelnuts instead of almonds. Easy swap.
      Flavored tortilla wraps are a fantastic idea! Thanks for that. I’ve been working on brown/whole grain version of tortillas (haven’t got it quite right just yet, but I will), but I hadn’t yet thought of making flavored wraps. I love that! Smart. So glad you’re here. :)
      xoxo Nicole

      • Ashley says

        I second Sherry’s idea! Flavored wraps sound delicious and so do whole grain ones! I definitely prefer a wrap for a sandwich over bread :)

  13. Pamela G says

    I’m looking for sammie enclosures. Be it bread or rolls. Something portable. For lunches. something that’s not hard as a rock, but not HUGE, either…..(I know…picky…)

    • Nicole says

      Hi, Pam,
      Not sure what you mean. Like sandwich bread (have you tried the White Sandwich Bread in my cookbook, or the Brown Bread here on the blog?) or tortillas (like the Flour Tortillas in my book?). Or the Cornmeal Sandwich Rolls here on the blog. Or the Ciabatta Rolls here on the blog?
      xoxo Nicole

  15. Tara S. says

    Hi, Nicole! I would love to see more cake and breakfast ideas. I am always on the lookout for a quick and easy breakfast that is portable (for myself and my kiddos). BTW, I searched the Community Forum, but didn’t see anything about what is a good type of GF cornmeal to use. I may have asked this before, but I can’t recall the answer…maybe due to old age…lol. If you don’t mind to re-share this info. I would be most appreciative. Also, congratulations on turning in your manuscript!

    • Nicole says

      Hi, Tara,
      That is the most respectful and kind reader question I think I’ve ever seen! Thank you for searching first, but you should always feel free to ask a question about a current recipe! I know what you mean about quick and portable breakfast recipes. There are LOTS of those in the next book, actually. Hooray! I will see if I can come up with some more new ones for the blog. Good suggestion!
      I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Cornmeal, since I know it’s certified GF. Just be sure to buy the kind that’s gluten-free! They sell many grains in two varieties — certified gluten-free and not certified gluten-free. Be sure you see the little “gluten-free” symbol. On their cornmeal, it says “gluten free” across the top, I think, but sometimes it’s just a little symbol toward the bottom of the package.
      xoxo Nicole

      • Tara S. says

        Thank you Nicole for your reply! I cannot wait for the new book!!! I will be pre-ordering for sure!!! Have a great day!

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