Step 1

Adjust the oven rack to the upper middle position, pre-heat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC) and line a baking sheet with baking/parchment paper.

Step 2

Whisk together the gluten free flour blend, xanthan gum, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt until evenly combined.

Step 3

Add the grated frozen butter and use a fork to toss the butter together with the dry ingredients – you want all the butter pieces to be coated in a layer of flour. If there are any larger clumps of butter, break them up.

Step 4

Add the cold buttermilk and use the fork to mix it into the dry ingredients – you want both the dry and the wet ingredients as evenly distributed as possible, so that most of the flour is hydrated by the buttermilk.

Step 5

Once the dough starts clumping together, give it a quick knead by hand until it only just comes together in a ball (it’s OK if it’s a bit crumbly or slightly dry in places, so long as it’s not completely crumbling and falling apart).

Step 6

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat it all together into a disc.

Step 7

Roll it out gently to a thickness of about ¾-1 inch (2-2.5cm). Try to keep the dough as square as possible – use a bench scraper to straighten out the sides.

Step 8

Use the bench scraper (or a sharp knife) to cut the dough into 4 approximately equal pieces. Stack the pieces on top of each other, then pat down the stack and roll it out until it’s again about about ¾-1 inch (2-2.5cm) thick. You don’t need to worry about keeping it square or rectangular, as you’ll use a round cookie cutter to cut out the biscuits.Tip: This laminating step helps to create even more butter-dough layers and flakiness in the biscuits – much like you would laminate puff pastry or croissant dough through a series of folds.

Step 9

Use a round cookie cutter, about 2 ½ inch (6.5cm) in diameter to cut out the biscuits. Dip the cookie cutter into flour between cutting to prevent the biscuits from getting stuck. Re-roll or flatten any scraps to make more biscuits, this recipe makes a total of 10-12 biscuits, depending on how thick you roll the dough.Tip: Don’t twist the cookie cutter while cutting – make sure to just press it straight down. Twisting will squash together and disrupt the layers in the dough, which can interfere with how the biscuits rise in the oven.

Step 10

Place the biscuits onto a lined baking sheet, cover with cling film and freeze for 15-20 minutes.Tip: The freezing helps to achieve the maximum rise and flakiness by firming up the butter in the dough.

Step 11

Once chilled, arrange the biscuits on the baking sheet so that they lightly touch each other (this will help them rise higher).

Step 12

Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter.

Step 13

Bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for about 20-24 minutes on the upper middle oven rack, until they’re well risen and golden brown on top. If your oven bakes unevenly, you can rotate the baking sheet after about 15 minutes.Tip: The oven temperature of 375ºF (190ºC) gives the best rise and flake, and the softest biscuits. Baking them on the upper middle rack prevents the bottoms of the biscuits from browning too much, while also giving nice golden brown tops.

Step 14

Immediately out of the oven, brush the hot biscuits with extra melted butter. Ideally, serve still warm.

Step 15

Storage: The gluten free biscuits are at their best still warm or on the day of baking. But they can be kept in a closed container at room temperature for 3-4 days. I recommend briefly reheating the biscuits in the microwave (for 10-15 seconds) on days 3 and 4, which will return them to their original softness.