Cheddar Cheese Buttermilk Biscuits

Can we take a minute to discuss the level of flakiness going on in these Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits. Check out those layers!
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In biscuits and other pastries where butter is incorporated into the flour before baking, e.g. croissants, layers=flakiness and flakiness=light and airy pastries. So that is definitely what we want.
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Prep time: 20 minutes

Baking time: 12-15 minutes @ 450 F

Yield: 20-24, 2” biscuits

Recipe

 Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour – 390g
• 3 tablespoon sugar-40g
• 1/2 teaspoon salt – 3g
• 4 teaspoon baking powder – 20g
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar – 2g
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese – 90g
• 3/4 cup butter, cold, small pieces – 180g
• 1 egg, cold (for dough)
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk, cold
• 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 F degrees.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, cream of tartar and baking powder in a large bowl and whisk thoroughly. Add in the shredded cheddar cheese and whisk until well combined. Set aside.
3. In a smaller bowl, whisk the cold buttermilk and cold egg together thoroughly.
4. Add the cold butter pieces to the flour. Mix in using a pastry blender or your finger tips. Rub the butter into the flour until incorporated and the butter is pea-sized in the flour. When using your fingers, the warmth of your hand can cause the butter to melt which is not good for the dough so be careful to not overwork the dough. You may also use a food processor to incorporate the butter into the flour by pulsing a few times.
5. Add in the buttermilk mixture just until the ingredients are combined and no dry flour is visible. The dough will be a bit sticky but don't keep working it. You should still be able to see the butter pieces in the dough.
6. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Sprinkle some flour on to the top of dough so it won't stick to your fingers and knead 10-15 times. Dough should be soft but not too sticky to handle.
7. Pat the dough out to 3/4 - 1 inch thickness and cut with a 2” biscuit cutter. You should be able to get at least 20 biscuits from this recipe.
8. Place the biscuits on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes (for parchment) or about 15 minutes (for silicone mat) or until golden brown on top.
9. When they are done, brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter. Enjoy!