We can all agree that the best part of a grilled cheese sandwich are the bits of cheese that escape the bread and get all crispy around the edges. These biscuits get baked on a pile of shredded Gruyere cheese to form a lacy crispy cheese skirt around each biscuit. Texture heaven. I flavoured them with za’atar and extra Gruyere.

Here are some tips for success in making the ultimate flaky biscuits:

• The type of flour you use makes a difference. All-purpose flour has a higher protein content than cake and pastry flour. More protein means more gluten, which gives the dough enough structure/body to create flaky layers and a nice crusty exterior. But using all-purpose flour exclusively led to a biscuit that was a bit tough. Cake and pastry flour, with its lower protein content, does not develop gluten as well as all-purpose flour. This results in light fluffy biscuits but those made exclusively with this flour did not rise as high or achieve the flaky layers I desired. The ideal was a 55%/45% (by weight) mix of all-purpose and cake and pastry flour.
• Use both baking soda and baking powder. Baking soda has an alkaline base, which means it is not acidic. It needs acid to activate it and create carbon dioxide, which provides the leavening. Buttermilk plays the role of acid in these biscuits. It also adds a nice tangy flavour. Too much baking soda would completely neutralize that tangy flavour and leave behind unactivated baking soda which tastes metallic. Baking powder is made up of baking soda plus a dry acid. That additional acid will help give the biscuits their characteristic tang, plus provide extra leavening insurance.
• The butter must be very cold. If you tend to have hot hands, I would suggest investing in a pastry blender. They are inexpensive and do a great job of working the butter into the flour. Make sure that you don’t totally work the butter into the flour. leave a few pea sized bits of butter. Butter is 20% water, so when those little knobs of butter hit the hot oven, they will melt and release steam, which creates pockets of air for maximum lift.
• Don’t over knead the dough: You are not looking for a ball of dough that is as smooth as a baby’s bottom. After adding the buttermilk, the dough will look like a shaggy mess. That is correct. Just knead the dough 6-7 times until there is no dry flour visible. You will still see little knobs of butter in the dough.
• Building layers is the key to flaky biscuits. Shape the dough into a rectangle, roughly 11×7 inches. I used a rolling pin to start and then used my bench scraper to help me straighten the edges. A ruler would also be an excellent tool for this. Next, fold the dough into thirds, as if you were folding a sheet of paper into thirds to fit into an envelope. Repeat this flattening and folding three more times and you have built in your layers.
• Don’t twist the biscuit cutter. Press the cutter down into the dough and then lift it straight back up again. If you twist it, you seal off the edges of the dough, prohibiting the biscuits from rising evenly.
• Give the biscuits a refrigerated 15 minute rest before baking. This gives the gluten time to relax, resulting in more tender biscuits and the butter can harden. If the butter is too soft, the biscuits will spread and slump more readily.

Here’s a video to show you how it all comes together.

Buttermilk Za’atar Cheese Skirt Biscuits

Biscuits baked on a bed of cheese for a lacy and crispy bottom skirt!

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Servings 8 biscuits

Calories 356 kcal

Equipment

• pastry blender
• pastry scraper

Ingredients

  

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• 165 grams all purpose flour
• 130 grams cake and pastry flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt or 1/8 teaspoon Morton's Kosher Salt
• 8 grams baking powder
• 3 grams baking soda
• 125 grams unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces and very well chilled
• 130 grams Gruyere cheese grated and divided into 40 grams (to add to dough)and 90 grams (to place under biscuits)
• 8 grams Za'atar
• 220 grams buttermilk
• 21 grams honey

Topping for biscuits

• 14 grams unsalted butter melted
• 4 grams Za'atar

Instructions

 

• Stack 2 sheet pans together. Line the top sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. (Doubling the baking sheets prevents the biscuits from getting too dark on the bottom.)
• Sift the all-purpose flour, cake and pastry flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl. Add cold butter pieces to the bowl. Using a pastry blender, or 2 forks, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is the size of small peas. I do not recommend using your hands, as the heat from your fingers will melt the butter. You want the biscuit dough to have small flecks of butter that are not completely incorporated into the dry ingredients. Butter is about 20% water, so that when the biscuits hit the hot oven, these little bits of butter will release their moisture and create steam, which will help create flaky tall biscuits.
• Add 40 grams grated Gruyere cheese and za'atar and briefly mix. Add the buttermilk and honey and, using a rubber spatula, stir together. Just stir until there are no dry patches of flour in the bowl. The dough will look like a shaggy mess. This is correct.
• Lightly dust your counter with all-purpose flour. Dump the dough onto the floured work surface and gently knead together just to incorporate the remaining dry flour This should only take about 7 kneads.
• Using a pastry scraper, bring the dough together into a rectangle, roughly 11×7 inches. Fold one side of the rectangle into the center, then fold the other side into the center. Imagine you are folding a sheet of paper into thirds to fit into an envelope.
• Turn the dough horizontally. Gently roll or pat it into a 11×7 inch rectangle a second time.  Repeat the letter fold again. Turn the dough horizontally one more time and gently roll or pat dough into a 11×7 inch rectangle a third time. Fold like a letter into thirds again, for a third fold. Repeat the patting and folding one last time, for a total of 4 folds.
• Sprinkle the remaining 90 grams of grated Gruyere cheese into 8 piles on the parchment lined baking sheet, making sure they are about 2 inches apart.
• Gently pat or roll the dough until the rectangle is about 1 inch thick. Cut dough into rounds with a 2½ inch biscuit or cookie cutter. Don’t twist the biscuit cutter when pressing into the dough. Just go straight down. If you twist the cutter, the biscuits will not rise as tall. Re-roll scraps until all the dough is used. You should have 8 biscuits. Place each biscuit on a mound of cheese, making sure cheese peeks out at the edges of the biscuit. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with za'atar. Place baking sheet in fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
• While biscuits are chilling, place oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F. Bake biscuits for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown and biscuits reach an internal temperature of 205°F-210°F using an instant read thermometer.
• Let biscuits cool on baking sheet for at least 5minutes. Any leftover biscuits can be wrapped in plastic wrap and then popped into a freezer bag for freezing. Thaw slightly, split biscuits and toast in oven.

Nutrition

Serving: -1biscuitCalories: 356kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 10gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 430mgPotassium: 108mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 691IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 293mgIron: 4mg

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