Buttermilk Biscuits

A low FODMAP buttermilk biscuit with a gluten-free flour blend, cold butter, and lactose-free milk soured with lemon juice.

Prep 25 min

Cook 18 min

Serves 8

Gluten-freeVegetarian

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (180 ml) cold lactose-free milk
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 large egg, cold
• 2 1/2 cups (360 g) gluten-free flour blend (with xanthan gum), plus more for dusting
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon gluten-free baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 cup (113 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 2 tablespoons (28 g) butter, melted, for brushing

Makes 8 biscuits. One serving is 1 biscuit.

Instructions

Sour the Milk

1. Stir the lemon juice into the lactose-free milk and let it sit for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened.
2. Whisk in the egg and keep the mixture cold in the fridge.

Make the Dough

1. Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Whisk the flour blend, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Add the cold butter and cut it in with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the largest pieces are the size of peas.
4. Pour in the milk mixture and stir with a fork just until a shaggy dough forms.

Shape and Bake

1. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a 1-inch-thick rectangle. Fold it in half, pat it out again, and repeat twice more for layers.
2. Cut 2 1/2-inch rounds straight down without twisting. Press the scraps together once to cut the last biscuits.
3. Set the biscuits on the sheet so they just touch, which helps them rise tall. Chill for 10 minutes.
4. Brush the tops with melted butter and bake for 16 to 18 minutes, until golden on top and bottom.

Tips & Substitutions

• Keep everything cold. Cold butter makes the steam pockets that give flaky layers. Chill the bowl too if your kitchen is warm.
• Don't twist the cutter. Twisting seals the edges and the biscuits rise crooked.
• Dairy-free version. Use almond milk soured with lemon juice and a 1:1 vegan butter stick; check the butter label for cashews, inulin, and chicory root.
• Drop biscuits. Skip the folding and cutting. Add 2 more tablespoons of milk and drop 8 scoops onto the sheet.
• Serve them with jam, gravy, or as breakfast sandwiches with eggs.

Why This Works

Lactose-free buttermilk. Buttermilk and regular milk carry lactose. Lactose-free milk soured with lemon juice gives the same tang and the acid the baking soda needs.

Butter. Butter is mostly fat and very low in lactose. Each biscuit has about 17 g.

No wheat. The rice and starch flour blend replaces wheat flour, which carries fructans.

Storage

Eat the biscuits the day they are baked for the flakiest texture. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days and warm them in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 5 minutes. Freeze baked biscuits for up to 3 months, or freeze the cut, unbaked biscuits and bake from frozen, adding 3 to 4 minutes.