Flakey Corn Cheddar Biscuits

I’ve got the perfect weekend recipe for you- these flakey corn cheddar biscuits are studded with corn and shredded cheddar cheese and they bake up super fluffy and tall with so many layers- I absolutely love them and I think you will too.

Biscuits have kind of a high reward factor when it comes to baking- you get big, tall, flakey, layered biscuits without much effort and I love the sweetness that the corn brings here. We’re using really simple ingredients and they come together easily- let me show you how to make them!

How to Make Flakey Corn Cheddar Biscuits

The ingredients are pretty simple and I’m using canned corn to make sure these are easy to make any time of year- frozen or fresh corn are also an option here, but you’ll want to cook and cool it completely in those cases.

To start off, we’re stirring together the dry mixture; some flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In that bowl, add some very cold butter cut into small chunks.

I’m using a pastry cutter to work the butter into the dough, but you can also use forks or your hands here. You want to work the butter into the dry mixture until there are small chunks of butter running through the dough. Then it’s time to toss in the shredded cheddar cheese and corn.

From there you want to start working the buttermilk into the dry mixture with a fork until you start seeing a shaggy dough form. It will still be fairly dry at this point, but you should see chunks of dough forming in the bowl before turning it out and beginning the process of folding and patting the dough.

Next I like to use a sharp knife to trim the edges of the dough- you just want clean edges but shouldn’t need to trim much here. Then cut the dough into 8 biscuits and place them onto a plate or your baking tray for a quick trip to the fridge. The dough needs time for the butter to re-chill and you don’t want to skip this step!

Once the biscuits have chilled, give them a brush down with the remaining buttermilk and optionally sprinkle with some flakey salt before they are off to the oven. They are ready when they are tall and deeply golden brown all over!

Tips & Tricks for the Perfect Flakey Corn Cheddar Biscuits

Here are my tips and tricks to help along the way:

• Do I have to use cornmeal in the dough? You can optionally skip it and replace it with more flour if you’d like, but I think the cornmeal brings these together nicely.
• Do I have to use canned corn? No, you can use frozen or fresh corn here as well, but you’ll want to cook and cool the corn before you use it if you’re not using canned corn.
• Do I need a pastry cutter? No, you can use your hands or forks to mash the butter into small chunks throughout the flour mixture as well- no need for special equipment here.
• Why do the biscuits get folded several times? This helps the dough fully hydrate and come together, plus it helps create the flakey layers that we want throughout.
• Do I have to chill the biscuits? Yes, do not skip this step. After you work the dough together and fold it several times, it helps to give the butter time to re-chill and it impacts how tall your biscuits will be.
• How do I know when the biscuits are finished baking? The biscuits should be tall and deeply golden all over when they are ready.
• I’m at about 5,000 ft. above sea level and I find that most people who live between about 3,000-7,000 ft. above sea level do not need to make any adjustments to my recipes.

Enjoy!

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Flakey Corn Cheddar Biscuits

Servings 8 biscuits

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 tbs. sugar
• 1 tbs. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup drained canned corn
• 3/4 cups cold buttermilk + 2 tbs
• Flakey salt to top

Instructions

1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick sheet. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, cut in the butter until the mixture has small, pea-sized chunks of butter throughout. Toss in the shredded cheddar cheese and corn until everything is well coated in flour. Stir in the 3/4 cup buttermilk with a fork until a shaggy dough begins to form.
2. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead together gently. It will still be fairly dry at this point. Pat the dough into a large rectangle, and use a bench scrapper to help you fold the dough in half. Repeat the patting and folding process 3-4 times, or until the dough has come together into a cohesive rectangle.
3. Pat it into a large rectangle that is about 3/4-1 inch tall. Use a sharp knife to carefully trim the edges of the rectangle to create straight lines, and then cut the rectangle into 8 biscuits. You can pat and re-cut the scraps once, and you should end up with 8-10 biscuits total.
4. Chill the biscuits in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Don’t skip this step! While the dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
5. Brush the tops of the biscuits generously with buttermilk, and optionally sprinkle flakey salt on top. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until tall and just golden on top.
6. Serve the biscuits warm with jam and honey butter.

Nicole Hampton

Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!