Finally made The Savory Baker's Gruyere and Herb Buttermilk Biscuits

so...I'm torn. They are flakey, crispy on top, buttery and cheesy in the middle layers but....

...let me just list my minor complaints:

1. The dough is laminated--and my laminations looked perfect at the beginning...

...but as they baked, they slipped and slid and did NOT stay upright. I think it's the cheese causing the slippage.

2. The recipe book photo radiates a golden sheen with--what looks to me like strata of cheddar (or some hi-res filter)


Ya, that doesn't happen with WHITE gruyere.


So, aesthetically, I'm not happy. These two were the most erect of the biscuits; the others looks like misshapen cheesy lava flows.

2. For something with so much cheese, the overall flavor was flat--like it needed more salt. Recipe calls for--and I used--unsalted butter. But I think a good sprinkling of parmesan and black pepper on the top would have helped.

3. I still don't understand what measurement they used to cut 9 biscuits from an 8x8" square. I went with simple math and cut 2x2, ending up with 16 biscuits rather than 9 as specified. Of course, I ate three of those.

(I said they were aesthetically unpleasing and needed a bit of salt...but I can work around that.)

I seem to recall making scones from CI with this same lamination process--and it did the same thing: shifting and sliding off to the side.

So, end result: I'd make them again, but use cheddar...maybe even some pepperjack in there for a bite, sprinkle with parmesan and seriously press the cheese into the dough before the final envelope fold. The process uses four envelope folds. Maybe I could press half the cheese in the third fold and then the other half in the final fold? That might help to keep the cheesy layers from sliding off.

And I wouldn't make them for a dinner party until these issues were resolved. I will post the recipe next.

PS: While the top sage leaves are cute, they immediately fall off.

Everytime I have tried to make laminated biscuits, they slip and slide. Doesn't matter if it is layers of butter or cheese. You might try tossing the cheese with some flour or cornstarch to absorb some of the fat that cooks out of the cheese? As for the leaves on top, maybe sort of paint them down with egg whites, not just use it underneath them to hold them but actually brush them down on top to really sort of glue them in place?

Oh my…you lost me at laminated. It never comes out right for me.

Well this is certainly disappointing. Do you think that the 8x8 cut into 9 pieces would have slip-slided away less?

I wonder if you will try them again. It is punishing to make something, have it not turn out well enough to share and have to eat it all yourself. I know. Would that additional sea salt have made enough difference? Do they need to be shifted around during baking? It is so much safer to ask questions than try them myself.