Gruyere Buttermilk Biscuits

These savory biscuits are lovely for breakfast and brunch, but also pair perfectly with dinner recipes! These are so simple to make you do not even need a biscuit cutter for this recipe!

Gruyere is a cheese that comes from Fribourg, Switzerland. The name comes from the town of Gruyeres. The cheese has been described as full-bodied, fruity, earthy, and nutty. The cows that create the milk to make Gruyere do not ingest any silage (green fodder), which in turn makes the milk more wholesome and “unblemished”. The cheese is made by pouring milk into large copper vats. Then natural culture and rennet are added to the milk and causes coagulation that will create a firm curd. The milk is not heated before it is curdled, which is rare for most cheeses, this allows the cheese to maintain its aromatic flavor. The curd is drained, poured into molds, soaked in brine, and compressed for 20 hours under a heavy weight. Then the cheese is aged. Gruyere needs to age for at least five months, but some Gruyere takes up to eighteen months to age.

This recipe was inspired by of Julia Child’s famous Cheese Puffs. I first had them at a dinner party. The host had out Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and was struggling to cook all the components of the meal himself. He was busy working on the main course and I offered up my services to help him with the appetizer Petits Choux au Fromage or Cheese Puffs. I grated the beautiful Gruyere he had purchased, beat the pate a choux, and baked the appetizers in the oven. When they came out they were golden and tasted like little cheese clouds.

I saw the beauty of Gruyere again when I was creating this recipe. I have always struggled with making plain biscuits, but I have never had trouble with creating cheese biscuits. One day I had a hankering for cheddar biscuits, but all I had in the fridge was Gruyere cheese. I was worried that Gruyere may not work in a biscuit recipe until I remembered how well the cheese worked in Petits Choux au Fromage and decided to give it a try. I was very impressed with how the Gruyere created this strong flavor that enhanced the biscuit. Now I want to share my recipe with you. Please enjoy!

Gruyere Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

Yields 8 biscuits

Specialty Tools: Electric mixer and pastry brush

Prep Time 15 minutes

Bake Time 20 to 25 minutes

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 F.

In a large bowl place the flour, salt, black pepper, and baking powder. Mix together on low speed with an electric mixer with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer.

Add the butter to the bowl and mix until the butter is the size of peas.

Pour in the buttermilk and egg. Stir until the mixture is just moistened.

Carefully incorporate the Gruyere cheese to the mixture. Stir until just combined.

Flour a cutting board and place the dough on it. Knead gently just to shape the dough.

Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 8 x 10 inch rectangle. Cut the dough into 8 pieces.

Place the biscuits to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush the biscuits with egg wash. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the top of each biscuit if you like.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.

Serve hot or warm. These biscuits go great with scrambled eggs for breakfast or with roasted lamb or chicken for dinner.

It is very important for the ingredients to be cold, especially the butter, in order for the biscuits to puff up properly.

Variation: Throw in a 1/2 teaspoon of fresh thyme and a 1/2 teaspoon of fresh rosemary to make Herb Gruyere Buttermilk Biscuits!

If you want to make these small appetizers, cut the biscuits smaller and adjust the timing accordingly.

Substitutions: Gruyere is not always easy to find so feel free to substitute it with a sharp Cheddar cheese.

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