For this biscuit, I fold the bold, savory punch of chili oil and garlic crunch right into the dough. The result? Flaky, buttery layers streaked with chili-red specks, tender crumbs that melt in your mouth, and pops of salty feta in every bite. It’s fiery and very addictive—at least, I can’t stop eating them.
You might also like Salted Egg Yolk Cookie or Char Siu Pie.
Jump to:
What is chili crunch?
Chili crunch, chili crisp, crispy chili oil, chili garlic crunch, hot crispy oil are essentially the same kind of condiment made from dried chili flakes infused in oil, often with crunchy bits of garlic, shallots. It originated in Chinese cuisine but has become popular globally. Things really heated up in March 2024 when Momofuku tried to trademark "Chili Crunch" and sent cease-and-desist letters to smaller brands using the name. That didn’t go over well—especially with the AAPI community. After a lot of backlash, David Chang apologized and dropped the trademark claims.
Ingredients of Chili Crunch Biscuit
- Butter - I like to use unsalted butter because I can easily control the saltiness. Also this is a very heavily buttery pastry, so using high quality butter can really level up the flavor. Use cultured butter (82–86% butterfat), Irish butter (around 82%butterfat) or Icelandic butter (around 82%butterfat). If you don’t know which one to get, European-style butters are always better than American butter (80%butterfat.)
- Feta Cheese - Buy a whole block of feta cheese instead of the crumbs. This will help keeping the texture of feta cheese after baking.
- All Purpose Flour - I use unbleached all-purpose flour.
- Granulated Sugar - The amount of the sugar here is just enough to sweeten the dough slightly.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda - When baking soda is activated with buttermilk (acid), it produces carbon dioxide gas, which helps dough rise and creates tender crumbs. Baking powder helps the dough to be more fluffy.
- Salt - I use diamond Kosher salt, half the amount if you are using table salt. For the optional topping, I choose Maldon sea salt flakes, which is commonly used in dessert and any dishes for texture and flavor.
- Buttermilk - I use whole buttermilk. Buttermilk gives a slightly tangy flavor that balances out the richness of the butter. The natural sugars and proteins in buttermilk also help the coloring. If you’re out of it, you can DIY a quick buttermilk substitute by adding 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of milk, let it sit 5–10 min.
- Chili Oil with Garlic Crunch - There are so many options for chili oil. I use Japanese chili crunch. Choose the ones loaded with fried garlic.
- Sesame Seed - Roasted sesame seeds for final touch.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Chili Crunch Biscuit?
Cube the cold butter and keep it chilled until ready to use. Cut the feta cheese block into small cubes, no larger than half an inch. Place the feta cubes on a double layer of kitchen towel to absorb any excess moisture.
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a big bowl.
Use a pastry cutter, bench scraper, or your fingers to roughly cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients, leaving some larger chunks.
Add feta cheese cubes in. Gently coat the feta cheese with the dry mixture.
Add the buttermilk in thirds, gently mixing after each addition. Let the buttermilk soak into the dry ingredients before adding more.
Use a quarter sheet pan to help shape the dough, then cover it tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest in the freezer for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 370°F.
Take the dough out of the freezer and spread the chili crunch over two-thirds of the surface.
Fold one-third of the dough from the plain side over the center (chili crunch). Then, fold the other side with chili crunch over the newly folded section, like folding a letter.
Rotate the dough 90 degrees. Roll the dough out into a long rectangle. Spread the second layer of chili crunch over two-thirds of the dough and repeat the single fold process again. Let the dough rest in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Take the dough out of the freezer. Gently shape it into a 1.5-inch thick slab, trim the edges, and cut it into eight equal pieces.
Place the biscuits on a baking sheet. Brush the tops with buttermilk, then sprinkle with sesame seeds and sea salt flakes.
Bake at 360°F for 25 minutes or until they turned golden.
Equipment
I like to use pastry cutter when working with doughs like pie crust and biscuit. It is a lifesaver to mix the butter in without directly touching and heating the butter.
Storage
Like most of the pastry and bread, freezing is the best way to extend the life of biscuits. Place them in an airtight container and freeze for up to one month. When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw them overnight in the fridge, then toast in the oven at 370°F for about 7 minutes until warmed through.
Recipe Tips for Flaky Biscuits
Butter chunks are the key! The big, visible chunks of butter will melt during baking, leaving little pockets of air between the layers of dough—that’s what creates those flaky layers in a biscuit. So don’t try to mix all the butter into the flour.
Fold the dough like you’re folding a letter! Just like with the Easy Pie Crust, a few simple folds help laminate the butter, evenly distribute any mix-ins, and shape the dough for tall, flaky biscuits.
Cutting the edges helps expose the biscuit layers! It might seem like an unnecessary step, but it’s actually the key to baking tall, beautiful biscuits. By trimming the sides of the dough, you allow the biscuits to rise upward instead of growing sideways.
Recipe FAQ
Yes. Don’t worry if you see a pool of melted butter on the baking tray—it’s totally normal! I’ve tested this recipe multiple times, and every single batch turned out perfectly flaky, even with all that butter sizzling around the edges.
There are two reasons I incorporate the chili crunch during the lamination instead of mixing it straight into the dough. First, I love seeing the full layer of chili crunch when I split the biscuit open. Second, chili oil is very red, so it can turn the whole thing bright orange if you simply mix it into the dough.
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe Card
Chili Crunch Biscuit
Equipment
Ingredients
- 226 g unsalted butter (cold)
- 125 g feta cheese (block)
- 500 g all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 300 g buttermilk
- 4 tablespoon chili oil with garlic crunch
- extra buttermilk (for brushing)
- sesame seed
- Maldon sea salt
Instructions
- Prep: Cube the cold butter and keep it chilled until ready to use. Cut the feta cheese block into small cubes, no larger than half an inch. Place the feta cubes on a double layer of kitchen towel to absorb any excess moisture.
- Mix: Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a big bowl.
- Cut: Use a pastry cutter, bench scraper, or your fingers to roughly cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients, leaving some larger chunks.
- Add: Add feta cheese cubes in. Gently coat the feta cheese with the dry mixture.
- Add: Add the buttermilk in thirds, gently mixing after each addition. Let the buttermilk soak into the dry ingredients before adding more.
- Chill: Use a quarter sheet pan to help shape the dough, then cover it tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest in the freezer for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 370°F.
- Spread: Take the dough out of the freezer and spread the chili crunch over two-thirds of the surface.
- Fold: Fold one-third of the dough from the plain side over the center (chili crunch). Then, fold the other side with chili crunch over the newly folded section, like folding a letter. Rotate the dough 90 degrees. Roll the dough out into a long rectangle. Spread the second layer of chili crunch over two-thirds of the dough and repeat the single fold process again. Let the dough rest in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Divide: Take the dough out of the freezer. Gently shape it into a 1.5-inch thick slab, trim the edges, and cut it into eight equal pieces.
- Top: Place the biscuits on a baking sheet. Brush the tops with buttermilk, then sprinkle with sesame seeds and sea salt flakes.
- Bake: Bake at 360°F for 25 minutes or until they turned golden.
Comments
No Comments