These biscuits are flaky, buttery, and just plain good. Biscuits are particularly well suited to being frozen before baking; you can have the batch on hand for a quick go-to bread; pop them right into the oven from the freezer, and allow another 5 minutes of baking time.
Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment.
Whisk together the flour, salt, xanthan gum, baking powder, and baking soda.
Cut in the butter until it's in chunks about the size of a nickel.
Stir together the buttermilk and honey and add, all at once, to the dry ingredients. Stir until the dough comes together with only a few dry crumbs remaining. Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment or waxed paper that's been dusted with a little cornstarch.
Use the paper to fold the dough over on itself eight times, patting it to a thickness of 1/2" between folds.
After the last fold, pat the dough 1/2" to 3/4" thick, and cut with a 2 1/2" biscuit cutter. Stack the scraps on top of each other and pat down again, repeating the cutting process until all of the dough is used.
Place the cut biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, and place them in the freezer. You can wrap any extra biscuits once they're frozen, and bake them as you need them later on.
Preheat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the middle to upper third.
When the oven is hot, remove as many biscuits as you plan to bake, brush the tops with some milk or buttermilk, and bake for 15 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm.
For cheese biscuits, reduce the butter in the recipe to 1/4 cup; and add 1 cup of any grated cheese you like: cheddar, Parmesan, and pepper jack are all good choices.
Be aware: Some of your baking ingredients can be a hidden source of gluten. Learn more at our blog post: For gluten-free baking, think beyond just flour. For additional information on King Arthur-produced products, read the complete details of our allergen program, including our contact-prevention practices.
