Pickle Biscuits 

By Andy Baraghani

Published Nov. 7, 2024

Pickle Biscuits 
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.
Total Time
About 1 hour
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
55 minutes
Rating
5(364)
Comments
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These flaky, fluffy biscuits have a surprise ingredient: pickles. Not just because pickles make everything better—though yes, they do—but because the acidity of the brine helps make the biscuits incredibly tender. Cut, stack and flatten the dough three times for flaky layers that look like the pages of a good book. Eat these warm from the oven alongside hearty stews, slow-cooked meats and barbecue, or open them up and top with thinly sliced ham and a dollop of mustard.

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Ingredients

Yield:10 biscuits
  • 3½cups/440 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1tablespoon baking powder
  • 2½teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
  • 2teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 2teaspoons sugar
  • ¼teaspoon baking soda
  • 1cup unsalted butter (16 tablespoons), cut into ½ pieces and chilled, plus 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1cup/200 grams finely chopped cornichons or dill pickles, plus 2 tablespoons brine
  • 1cup buttermilk, chilled
  • Flaky salt (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

340 calories; 19 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 358 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. Step 2

    Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, sugar and baking soda in a large bowl.

  3. Step 3

    Add the chilled butter to the flour mixture and toss to ensure each piece is coated. Using your hands, squish and flatten each piece of butter until you have a bunch of thin shards. Add the pickles and toss once more to combine.

  4. Step 4

    Mix the pickle brine and buttermilk together in a liquid measuring cup or medium bowl. Using a fork, gradually stir (do not mash) the buttermilk mixture into the flour-butter mixture until large shaggy clumps form. Using your hands, knead the dough a few times in the bowl until there are no visible dry spots left. The dough won’t be smooth — and it shouldn’t be.

  5. Step 5

    Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and pat it down to form a roughly 1-inch-thick rectangle. Cut that rectangle into 4 equal-size pieces then stack the pieces on top of one another, then use your hands to pat it down to a 1-inch-thick rectangle again. Repeat the cutting, stacking and flattening 3 more times (this will ensure the biscuits have those glorious layers). Shape the dough back into a 1-inch-thick rectangle one last time. Using a knife or bench scraper, cut the dough in half lengthwise then cut each half crosswise to make 10 biscuits.

  6. Step 6

    Arrange the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. Chill the biscuits in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes (or the fridge for 10 to 20 minutes). You want the dough to be cold, which will help the biscuits rise higher and hold their shape. (If your fridge or freezer can’t accommodate a baking sheet, gently transfer the biscuits to a parchment-lined plate, and return them to the baking sheet after chilling.)

  7. Step 7

    Generously brush the tops of the biscuits with the melted butter and sprinkle with flaky salt, if using. Bake, rotating the sheet once, until the biscuits have puffed up and are golden brown on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the biscuits cool slightly before you eat them.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
364 user ratings
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Comments

Phil

I don’t like sugar in cornbread either, but there are probably hundreds of thousands of Southerners who do. No need for gatekeeping- to each their own.

Susie Paul

We don't put sugar in our biscuits in my South; we don't put sugar in our cornbread, either. Heaven forfend.

Amanda

Yep. Totally delicious. I have some “everything bagel” seasoning that I threw on top to make even more savory.

Brooke

Where have pickle biscuits been all my life?!?!?!Followed the recipe. I had a lot of butter leak out but once they were out of the oven I tilted the pan so the butter pooled and spooned it back over the biscuits and it was all reabsorbed as now brown butter. Mine were done at 18 min.

Julia H

This was my first go at biscuits, ever, so with that in mind they turned out pretty well. After reading through the comments, I decided to use 1 less tsp of salt in the dough (so just 1 1/2 tsp) and just 3/4 cup of butter (12 tbsps). Perhaps these tweaks contributed to less of a rise as the biscuits baked? I’m also wondering if I kneaded the dough too much when trying to eliminate dryness…at any rate, the finished biscuits were flaky, if flat, which was nice. I would cut the pickles into even smaller pieces next time around; they were nickel-quarter sizes, and I should’ve gone penny-dime. And, as others have said, I would skip out on the flaky salt atop the biscuits; it’s a bit much.

Mary Mac

TJ’s has a pickle seasoning that I added to the top of half… 10/10. Will be doing this for all of them next time. Fabulous recipe.

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