Gluten Free Angel Biscuits
Ingredients
2 cups (280 g) all-purpose gluten free flour (I used Better Batter*), plus more for sprinkling
1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons (42 g) nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 cup (36 g) cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons (24 g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons (6 g) instant yeast
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, grated or diced and chilled
1 cup (8 fluid ounces) buttermilk, chilled
*In place of the mock Better Batter + nonfat dry milk + cornstarch, you can use 2 1/2 cups (350 g) Cup4Cup gluten free flour, or my mock Cup4Cup blend.
Instructions
Line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, nonfat dry milk, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and yeast, and whisk to combine well. Add the salt, and whisk again to combine. Add the grated or chopped and chilled butter, and toss to coat it in the dry ingredients. Flatten each piece or clump of butter with the back of the mixing spoon. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk, and mix until the dough begins to come together. If necessary, press together with floured hands, handling it as little as possible.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured piece of unbleached parchment paper and press into a disk. Roll out the dough into a rectangle that is about 1/2 inch thick, moving the dough frequently and sprinkling lightly with flour to prevent sticking. Fold the dough over on itself like you would a business letter, and then fold the side thirds of the rectangle into the center to form a square. Sprinkle the dough again lightly with flour, and roll out the dough once again into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Repeat the process one more time for the flakiest biscuits. Sprinkle the dough again lightly with flour, replace the parchment paper and roll out the dough, but this time into a disk about 1/2 inch thick. Using a floured 2 to 2 1/2-inch cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out rounds of dough. Place the rounds about 2 inches apart from one another on the prepared baking sheet. Gather and reroll the scraps, cut out as many more round of dough as possible, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with an oiled piece of plastic wrap, and place in a warm, draft-free location until nearly doubled in size (about 1 hour). Place the covered baking sheet in the freezer until firm (about 15 minutes). Preheat your oven to 375°F while the biscuits are chilling.
Remove the baking sheet from the freezer, remove the plastic wrap, and place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven. Bake until the biscuits are puffed, very fragrant and lightly golden brown around the edges (about 12 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow the biscuits to cool briefly on the baking sheet before serving warm.
I do not recommend freezing the raw dough, since freezing yeasted dough can sometimes kill the hydrated but unbaked yeast. But the finished biscuits, once cooled, freeze and reheat beautifully.
Originally published on the blog in 2014. Method tweaked only slightly; recipe unchanged. A few photos and video new.