Baking Powder Buttermilk Biscuits With Smoked Gouda

These flaky baking powder buttermilk biscuits with smoked gouda are easy to whip up in a few minutes. Honestly, the lengthiest part of making them is grating all the wonderful smoked gouda. The slightly sweet biscuit dough is super fluffy and flaky, made with cold butter and rich buttermilk. You simply can’t go wrong baking this easy baking powder biscuit. It’s the perfect accompaniment to roasted tomato soup on a cold day. Comforting biscuits are one of the kitchen’s best inventions. 

I grew up baking from an early age, and I remember we had, and I am still sourcing a new copy of a Five Roses flour cookbook. That thing was dog-eared and covered in bits of flour and grease. It finally lost its spiral binding, although I do have some of the worn pages still packed away somewhere. I learned to make my first baking powder biscuits from that book. Back then, off the grid without a fridge, we used powdered milk, and I can remember how wowed I was at how they rose in the wood stove oven and how crisp the outside was. That comfort food memory has driven my lifelong love of a good biscuit. 

​Once you master the basic tricks to making a great batch of biscuits, nothing is easier. They are perfect to pair with soups and stews in the winter, as my mother used to say, to fill in the gaps (of our stomachs). This batch of baking powder biscuits with smoked gouda has a nice, slightly sweet, and smokey flavor, making them ideal ‘gourmet’ biscuits. 

If you want more cheesy biscuit goodness, be sure to try my Jalapeno Havarti biscuits. 

Why You Will Love These Baking Powder Biscuits.

They Are Simple To Make. With a few pantry staples and the additional smoked gouda, you can whip these up in a few minutes. 

Rich, Savory Flavor: The smoked Gouda adds a deep, savory smokiness that pairs perfectly with the tangy buttermilk, giving each bite a flavorful complexity that elevates a classic biscuit to something special.

Versatile for Any Meal: These biscuits work for breakfast, lunch, or dinner—whether enjoyed on their own, with a bit of butter or as a base for a sandwich. The smoked gouda adds enough flavor to make them stand out on any table, whether served with eggs, soups, or barbecue.

A Note On Buttermilk: If you open buttermilk and find it curdled, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s gone bad. Check for an off smell and mold growth. If you don’t notice either, give the buttermilk a vigorous shake. It will put the whey and the curd back together, so there is no need to throw away that expensive ingredient. It’s still perfect for baking your favorite biscuits.

Let’s Get Started With The Baking Powder Buttermilk Biscuits

Start by ensuring the butter is cold. This is the first thing you must learn about making a great biscuit. The cold butter will make little air pockets in your dough as it is cut in. When baked, it releases steam, making the biscuits airy and flaky. It also keeps the temperature of your dough consistent, allowing it to rise better when baking. 

Remove the smoked gouda from its packaging and cut the thick rind off if it has one. Then, using your cheese grater, grate two cups of the cheese and set aside. You will want to preheat the oven to 450F to bake flaky biscuits.

Next, you will need a regular-sized mixing bowl. Measure the needed flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar into that bowl and blend well. This blending ensures that the dry ingredients are well incorporated before adding the butter. 

​The cold butter can be cut into small pieces and added to the dry ingredients. This extra step will make using the pastry knife to cut the butter easier. If you plop a large portion of cold butter into your dry ingredients, it will take more time to work it through the pastry knife, which may, in turn, warm that butter up too much. 

After you’ve mixed the butter in so that it resembles a coarse meal (or small lumps), you can add the buttermilk. Using a wooden spoon, fold the buttermilk into the dough as much as possible. The mixture should form a ball in the bowl. Once it’s nearly all mixed, you can dump in the two cups of smoked gouda cheese. This grated cheese will need to be worked in by hand. 

Working the cheese in by hand rather than using an electric mixer ensures that the homemade biscuits will be fluffy and not tough. A machine simply can’t get the feel for gentle folding. This is a skill you learn after making so many batches. If you read above, you will recall my first experience, which involved baking powder biscuits with powdered milk and likely also oil, as butter was scarce in our home. Those biscuits would have been much more dense as I needed to gain the skill level to understand how to gently knead the dough. That didn’t make them a failure, as they were still tasty. They simply needed refinement in technique. 

Continuing with the technique, you will want to gently fold the cheese into the dough. Think of it as kneading a softer, stickier bread dough. The cheese is going to want to fall away from the dough. Don’t worry. Once you have added most of the cheese, turn it onto a lightly floured surface. Dump any loose cheese from the bowl out with the dough. And continue to work it in gently until most of it has been added and it becomes a cohesive ball. You can add a little more flour if it is sticky dough sticking to your hands. 

Then wash your hands and roll the dough to one-inch thickness using a lightly floured rolling pin. It’s easy to roll, and now you can cut it with your biscuit cutter or shape the dough into a round when rolling and cut the unbaked biscuits into triangles. Place the biscuit rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The paper will keep melting cheese from sticking to your pan, making cleanup easier. 

Bake them on the center rack of the preheated oven. The baking time for these tender biscuits is 10-15 minutes. Remove the biscuits from the oven when they have risen and are turning golden brown outside. Remember that when combined with a hot oven, the steam the butter is giving the biscuits can be dangerous to stick your face in too close when opening the door. Stand back and open the door, allowing steam to escape before bending to remove the baked biscuits. 

Serve plain biscuits alongside a good roasted tomato soup or as part of a tasty breakfast sandwich. The addition of cheese makes these biscuits a delightful smoky treat. 

Note: If you wish to add sheen, you can butter the biscuit top with melted butter before baking. 

Ingredients:

All-Purpose Flour: This is the base of the biscuit.

Baking Powder: This ensures that the biscuits rise and have a softer crumb.

Salt: The salt balances the sweetness while also enhancing the flavor of the cheese in them.

Sugar: Adds an undeniable sweetness to the biscuit, making them have a less dry flavor.

Butter: Using cold butter in the dough aids in making flaky layers while also making them tender.

Buttermilk: Activates the baking powder in the recipe while giving it a subtle tang.

Smoked Gouda Cheese: This is the star flavor of the biscuit. Pockets of cheesy goodness make the warm biscuits a delight. I used Castello Smoked Gouda for this recipe.

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Substitutions and Add-Ins For These Cheesy Biscuits

Disclaimer: Using these substitutions for the recipe will result in a different outcome depending on how many adjustments you make. Be careful not to make too many, as the end result may not turn out.

All-Purpose Flour: Substitute with a gluten-free all-purpose baking blend. Or use whole wheat or spelt flour for a more wholesome flavor and added nutrients. 

Baking Powder: -Remains-

​Salt:-Remains-

​Sugar: Can be reduced by one tablespoon for a less sweet biscuit. Alternatively, sub in brown sugar for a deeper flavor. 

Butter: Cold margarine or plant-based butter can be used instead.

Buttermilk: Use regular milk or sour milk to produce a similar biscuit.

Smoked Gouda Cheese: This can be omitted or replaced with any other sharp or strong-flavored cheese.

​Expert Tips, Serving And Storing Suggestions For The Biscuits

​Tip #1: Freeze the Butter for Easier Cutting: For an even flakier texture, try freezing the butter for 10–15 minutes before cutting it into pieces. You can even grate the frozen butter directly into the flour. This creates tiny, evenly distributed butter pieces throughout the dough, which helps achieve those light, airy layers.

Tip #2: Chill the Dough Before Baking: If your butter softens too much while mixing, chill the biscuit dough wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge before baking. The butter will firm up again, ensuring the biscuits rise well and retain shape in the oven.

Tip #3: Use a Sharp Biscuit Cutter (or Knife) Without Twisting: When cutting out biscuits, press straight down with a sharp biscuit cutter or knife and avoid twisting. Twisting the cutter can seal the edges and prevent the biscuits from rising fully. A clean cut helps the biscuits bake with maximum lift and flakiness.

These cheesy smoked Gouda buttermilk biscuits can be served in a variety of tasty ways. Try them with a warm bowl of roasted tomato soup or as part of a satisfying breakfast sandwich filled with eggs, avocado, and crispy bacon for a hearty start to your day. Enjoy the biscuits hot, straight from the oven, or with a smear of butter and a drizzle of honey for a sweet twist!

To store, allow the biscuits to cool, then place them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can freeze the biscuits in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.

If you’ve tried this baking powder biscuit recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts—please take a moment to rate and comment below! As always, happy baking and cooking!