Sometimes what I have made for dinner doesn’t feel like it is quite enough. Maybe I made a big pot of delicious soup but something seems to be missing. Maybe we are having an omelet and green salad – one of my favorite desperation dinners — but I’m still craving carbs. That is when I turn to biscuits. Homemade bread may take hours of preparation, but a batch of biscuits can be on the table in under thirty minutes.
I’m not Southern, but I love me some biscuits. I love biscuits so much that sometimes, in law school, my roommates and I would make a batch of Bisquick biscuits and eat them with strawberry jam for dinner. These days, I am a food blogger and I can’t be caught with Bisquick in my kitchen. (Come on over and do an inspection. I’m clean.) But the good news is: biscuits from scratch hardly take any more time.
People think making flaky biscuits is difficult, but it’s really not. All you need to know are a few tricks. Use cold butter. When you cut the butter into the dry ingredients, don’t mix it in too well. Leave some visible pieces of butter in the dough. After you stir in the liquid, don’t knead the dough too much. As soon as it comes together, turn the dough out onto a cutting board and pat it into a rectangle. Use a straight-sided metal biscuit cutter. You don’t even need a Southern grandmother to teach you how, although I’m sure that is nice.
One of the best things about making biscuits at home is the ability to mix in different ingredients to change the flavor profile. Go savory by adding cheese, fresh herbs, small pieces of bacon or ham, or minced jalapeños. Or go sweet by adding sugar and cinnamon.
I was inspired to make these biscuits after bringing home some chives from the last Chicago Food Swap. (Thanks Christina!) I love chives but never quite know what to do with them. This recipe assured that no homegrown chives would to waste. I also added some of the new Cabot Creamery’s Farmers Legacy Collection Farmhouse Cheddar because I sensed that its sharp taste would cut through the richness of the biscuits. And cheddar chive biscuits? That sounded like something I needed in my life.
These biscuits were sublime with just a pat of butter, but I couldn’t help thinking how well their savory flavor would pair with ham or smoked turkey. Indeed, you could easily make a slightly smaller version of these biscuits, cut them in half and fill with ham or smoked turkey for a delicious party hors d’oeuvre.
I always make buttermilk biscuits because I love buttermilk’s tang. I realize, however, that not everyone has buttermilk in their fridge at all times, so you can make these biscuits with milk instead. Just omit the baking soda and increase the baking powder to 2 1/2 teaspoons.
- 10 oz (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp salt
- 3 oz cold, unsalted butter cut into small cubes
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup minced chives
- 3 oz. high-quality sharp cheddar cheese, such as Cabot Creamery Farmhouse Reserve, grated
- Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat.
- Mix dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl.
- Add the butter and toss it to coat with flour. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs but pea-sized piece of butter are still visible.
- Add the grated cheese and chives.
- Add the buttermilk and stir mixture with a fork just until it comes together.
- Gather the dough into a ball and knead it against the sides of the bowl, picking up any crumbs at the bottom of the bowl.
- When you have incorporated all of the flour into the dough, turn it out onto a lightly floured board and pat the dough into a rectangle ½ to ¾ inch thick.
- Using a metal biscuit cutter, cut out as many biscuits as you can. Gather up the scraps and gently pat together and cut into more biscuits if possible. (The biscuits made from the scraps will never rise as much as the first batch.)
- Place the biscuits close together on the baking sheet and, if desired, brush the tops with milk.
- Bake the biscuits until risen and golden brown, 10-12 minutes.
- Serve warm.
Full disclosure time: This post has not been sponsored in any way. As a member of the Cabot Creamery Cheese Board, I receive periodic shipments of Cabot products at no charge, including the Farmers Legacy Collection Cheddars. As always, all opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.
I adore biscuits, just about any time. These look completely delicious…an inspired use of Farmhouse Reserve!