Cheddar Cornmeal Biscuits

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4.60 from 10 votes

These cornmeal biscuits are made with cheddar and chives, and ready in 30 minutes or less!

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: biscuits

Calories: 370kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Ingredients

2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
1 cup (156 g) yellow cornmeal
5 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
½ cup (8 Tablespoons, 113 g) unsalted butter cold and cut into cubes
1 cup (240 mL) cold buttermilk
1 cup (113 g) shredded cheddar cheese *see note
3-4 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Instructions

Preheat and prepare pan. Preheat your oven to 450°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat, or you can bake these in a cast iron, or lightly greased round cake pan.
Combine dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Cut in butter. Using your fingertips, or a pastry blender, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is pea-sized. (If using fingertips, squish the large pieces of butter until smaller). Mixture will be crumbly and butter still visible.
Add remaining ingredients. Stir in cheese (see not about cheese) and chives until evenly combined. Pour in cold buttermilk and stir until a shaggy dough forms. If dough seems dry, add an extra tablespoon of buttermilk, until dough comes together.
Knead the dough. The dough will be sticky at this point. Just pour the dough onto a lightly floured surface. And bring the dough together gently. Knead the dough by pressing the dough down into about a 1/2-inch thickness, then fold in thirds (fold the right side over, then left side over the dough). Repeat 3 times to create flaky layers.
Cut out the biscuits. Pat the dough into a 3/4-inch to 1-inch thick circle. Cut out the biscuits using a 2 ½ to 3 inch biscuit cutter. Press the scraps together and cut out remaining biscuits. I get 8 thick biscuits.
Bake the biscuits. Arrange biscuits onto either parchment lined cookie sheet, in a round baking dish or in a cast iron. For fluffy, pull apart biscuits place biscuits close together. For crispier edges, space apart. Bake for 15 minutes in center of oven until golden brown. Remove from oven, allow to cool on pan for 5 minutes, then move to a cooling rack to continue to cool. For best results, serve immediately and brush tops with melted butter!

Notes

If dough seems dry: Some readers have said their biscuits were dry, this could be because of how you measured your flour. If when mixing the dough together, the biscuit dough seems dry and has bits of flour not worked in, add in a another splash (an extra tablespoon) of buttermilk to make for a soft, slightly sticky dough.
Cheddar: Some readers have said these weren't "cheesy" enough - although 1 cup of cheese was perfect for us, feel free to add an extra 1/4-1/2 cup of cheddar if you want them cheesier.
Make Ahead/Storage: You can store the biscuits in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Freezing: Or you can freeze the biscuits in an airtight container for up to 3 months. I love putting them in a sealable plastic bag and squish as much air out as possible. They will thaw pretty quickly at room temperature. I also love warming them up in the microwave for about 15-30 seconds. You can also freeze these unbaked. Place on a baking sheet and freeze solid then place in a sealable bag. They can be baked frozen, just add a few more minutes of baking time.
Cutting out the biscuits: When cutting out the biscuits, press straight down on the biscuit cutter do not twist it or it will create lopsided biscuits.
No biscuit cutter? If you don't have a biscuit cutter use the rim of a large drinking glass, a mason top, or you can simply cut the biscuits into squares.
Tender biscuits: For tender, fluffy biscuits, you want to keep your ingredients cold and handle the dough as little as possible.

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