Cheddar Scallion Biscuits

These are laminated biscuits — the dough gets cut into thirds and stacked three times before the final roll, which creates visible flaky layers rather than a uniform crumb. Sharp cheddar and scallions go in with the buttermilk and stay distributed through every layer. They bake at 450°F for 13 minutes and come out tall, golden, and layered in a way that drop biscuits never are.

Two things that determine whether these work: everything stays cold throughout — the butter, the buttermilk, two 10-minute freeze steps — and the cut-and-stack lamination happens three times. Shortcut either and you get a good biscuit but not a great one. The layers come from steam, and steam requires butter that’s cold enough to stay in distinct pieces rather than melting into the flour before it hits the oven.

Prep: 30 minutes  ·  Bake: 13 minutes  ·  Makes 12

What You Need

• 3½ cups soft wheat flour — White Lily preferred for tenderness; see note below on substitutes
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1¼ cups (283g) cold unsalted butter, cubed — cold from the fridge, cut just before using
• 1 cup cold whole buttermilk
• 1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded, plus extra for sprinkling on top
• ½ cup scallions, thinly sliced, plus extra for topping
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 large egg, beaten — for brushing

this now & bake later ❤️

On the flour: White Lily is a Southern soft wheat flour with lower protein than standard all-purpose, which makes a distinctly more tender biscuit. If you can’t find it, use 3 cups standard all-purpose flour plus ½ cup cake flour. Regular all-purpose alone works but the texture is slightly more structured and less delicate.

How to Make Them

Step 1: Mix the Dough and Freeze

Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Add the cold cubed butter and work it in quickly with your fingers — tossing and pinching until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-sized butter pieces still visible.

Freeze the bowl for 10 minutes. This re-chills any butter that warmed from handling.

Stir in the cold buttermilk until a shaggy, rough dough forms — not smooth, not uniform. Add the cheddar, scallions, and black pepper and stir to distribute.

Step 2: Laminate the Dough

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a rough rectangle. Cut it into thirds crosswise and stack the three pieces directly on top of each other. Pat back down into a rectangle.

Repeat this twice more — three rounds of cut-and-stack total. Each round multiplies the butter layers. Work quickly and use a bench scraper or knife to cut cleanly rather than tearing.

Step 3: Roll, Cut, Freeze, and Bake

Roll the dough into an 11×7-inch rectangle, roughly ¾ inch thick. Trim the edges to form a clean 10×6-inch rectangle — trimmed edges rise more evenly than ragged ones. Cut into 12 rectangles.

Arrange on the parchment-lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Freeze for another 10 minutes.

Brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle extra shredded cheddar and sliced scallions over the tops. Bake at 450°F for 13 minutes until deeply golden brown. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before serving.

What Goes Wrong

Flat biscuits with no layers. Butter warmed up during mixing or the freeze steps were skipped. Cold butter is essential — work fast and freeze as directed.

Layers aren’t distinct. The cut-and-stack wasn’t done three times, or the dough was torn rather than cut cleanly. Three rounds, clean cuts.

Edges don’t rise as tall as the center. Skipped trimming the edges. Trimmed edges rise more uniformly than ragged pressed ones.

Make These for Brunch or Alongside Soup

These biscuits are the kind that become a thing people request. The cheddar and scallion combination is obvious in the best way — savory and bright, and the layered structure means the inside is completely different from the golden outside. They’re best within an hour of baking but hold reasonably well for a few hours at room temperature.

Tell me in the comments what flour you used and whether you did all three rounds of lamination. Rate the recipe, save it on Pinterest, and subscribe for more.

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