Baking & Breads BAKING

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Name: Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Baking
Ingredients: 250 g plain flour; 2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 115 g cold butter; 120 ml cold buttermilk; 100 g cheddar, grated; 2 tbsp butter, melted; 1 garlic clove, grated; Parsley

Cold butter cut into the flour is what gives the flaky layers; warm hands are the enemy, so work fast..

By Dana Reyes

Published 23 Sep 2026 · Tested 2 times · 0 comments

Cheddar Bay Biscuits — Brush the garlic butter the moment they come out so it sinks into the cracks.

15 min

Prep time

15 min

Cook time

Serves

4.7

NEW

The copycat, improved

Cold butter cut into the flour is what gives the flaky layers; warm hands are the enemy, so work fast.

Folding the dough once before cutting builds height without a second proof.

We tested the garlic butter brushed on before and after baking. After wins — it stays bright and soaks the top.

Instructions

About 30 min from start to finish

Heat the oven to 220°C / 425°F. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and garlic powder.

Rub in the cold butter until pea-sized; fold in the cheddar.

Add the buttermilk and bring together; pat out, fold once, and cut rounds.

Bake 12-14 minutes until golden.

Mix the melted butter with garlic and brush over; scatter parsley.

Testing notes & substitutions

Three rounds of testing turned up three things worth knowing before you start cooking.

No buttermilk

Milk with a squeeze of lemon, left 5 minutes, stands in.

Taller

Keep everything cold and do not overwork the dough.

Questions we get a lot

Can I freeze them?

Yes, unbaked and cut; bake from frozen, adding a couple of minutes.

Too salty?

Use unsalted butter and ease off the garlic salt in the dough.

Dana Reyes

Dana has cooked professionally for eleven years and has been testing recipes for Hearth & Thyme since 2019. She writes about weeknight cooking, slow breads, and the small techniques that quietly change a dish. Every recipe she publishes is cooked at least twice, in an ordinary home oven.