Looking to use kimchi more often? The fermented Korean staple has some surprising gut-health benefits when eaten alongside a main meal, but don't limit yourself to consuming it raw all of the time. The spicy cabbage dish can also provide much-needed pizzazz to lots of dishes, including baked breakfast classics. Yes, you heard that correctly: Recipe developer and cookbook author Farideh Sadeghin advises putting kimchi in biscuits.
Sadeghin's new cookbook, Cheesy, delves into why the pickled veggies work perfectly in this format. "Adding cheese to biscuits is kind of a no-brainer," Sadeghin writes. "They add pockets of melty gooeyness in between the crumbly, buttery bites, and what’s not to love about that? I use Asiago here, which adds its nutty flavor as well as a creamy texture. Paired with the sharp, almost bubbly taste of kimchi that cuts through the richness, these biscuits sing."
Want to go big at home? Sadeghin suggests that you, "try topping the biscuits with some fried Spam, an egg, and a melted slice of American cheese to make one of the best breakfast sandwiches of your life."
Not in the mood to use this recipe to its spiciest, most extreme potential? You don't have to — her biscuit recipe works just as well when you go the traditional route. "If you’re craving a more muted flavor," she explains, "skip the kimchi and compound butter and just serve these with regular softened butter and [jam]."
Asiago and Kimchi Biscuits with Gochujang Butter
Author: Farideh Sadeghin
Prep Time: 28 min
Cook Time: 24 min
Calories: 515 calories per serving
Servings: 12
Ingredients
Gochujang butter
- ½ cup [113 g] unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 tsp gochujang
- 1 small green onion, minced
- Kosher salt
Biscuits
- 5 cups [700 g] all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 2½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 cup [226 g] butter, frozen, plus melted butter for brushing
- 2 cups [475 ml] buttermilk
- 8 oz [230 g] grated Asiago
- ½ cup [130 g] finely chopped kimchi
- Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
Directions
To make the gochujang butter:
- In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, gochujang, and green onion until thoroughly combined. Season with salt. Transfer to a small serving bowl or roll in plastic wrap to form a log. Set aside. The gochujang butter can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Remove it from the refrigerator about 1 hour before serving.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
To make the biscuits:
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, kosher salt, and baking soda. Using a box grater, grate the frozen butter into the flour mixture. Using your fingers, toss the butter with the flour mixture until pea-size crumbles form. Add the buttermilk, Asiago, and kimchi and mix until just combined, taking care not to overmix.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Pat the dough into a rectangle ¾ in [2 cm] thick, then fold the dough in half. Repeat five more times, then pat out the dough again into a 12 in [30.5 cm] square about ¾ in [2 cm] thick. Using a floured metal dough scraper, cut the biscuits into 3 in [7.5 cm] squares, making sure to cut straight down and up instead of dragging the cutter as you are pulling it out of the dough. (If you drag the cutter, it seals the edges of the dough, which will prevent the layers of the biscuit from rising as high.)
- Transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet and freeze for at least 4 hours or up to 3 months. (If storing the biscuits for more than a day, transfer the frozen biscuits to a sealable plastic bag until ready to use.)
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425°F [220°C].
- Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter and lightly sprinkle with sea salt. Bake until golden, 22 to 25 minutes. Serve with the gochujang butter alongside.
From Cheesy by Farideh Sadeghin, © 2026. Published by Chronicle Books. Photography © 2026 by Justin Walker.
