Cheddar & Herb Biscuits

Savory biscuits flavored with three types of herbs and cheddar cheese

There are many perks to living in Southern California, and not having to deal with a cold winter is one of the best ones. We had beautiful spring-like weather over the weekend, which was a great excuse to host brunch in our backyard with a few friends. I ended up serving a bunch of different foods to cater to guests with different tastes - a mix of sweet and savory, naughty and virtuous, hearty and light. These cheddar herb biscuits (from the Huckleberry cookbook) were eaten by all, either as a sandwich with scrambled eggs and sautéed greens or on their own with butter and honey.

The biscuits are very simple to make and no special tools or ingredients are required, but you have to have a little faith. The dough is quite crumbly and a little tough to come together, but freezing the biscuits before baking helps to keep them intact. Don't over mix and you'll be left with super flakey and light biscuits that can be pulled apart into buttery layers.


Related Recipes:
- Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
- Buttermilk Cornbread
- No-Knead Bread


Cheddar & Herb Biscuits:
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
- 10 tbsp. unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
- 1/3 c. buttermilk, cold
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp. parsley, minced
- 2 tbsp. chives, minced
- 1 tbsp. dill, minced
- 1 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp. whole wheat flour
- 1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- fleur de sel

Recipe

• Combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and stir to combine.
• Add in the butter and quickly work it into the flour with your fingertips until the butter is pea-sized.
• Add in the buttermilk, cheddar, herbs, and parmesan and stir to combine.
• Quickly dump onto a clean surface and use your hands to flatten it out and then mound it together in a ball a couple times only - do not overwork the dough.
• Pat the dough into a 1" thick rectangle and cut out the dough into biscuits. Pat the scraps back together to cut out the remaining biscuits.
• Place the dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for at least two hours.*
• Preheat the oven to 375F. Take the biscuits out of the oven and put on an unlined baking sheet.
• Whisk the egg together with a splash of water (or cream, if you have it) and brush on the top of the biscuits. Immediately sprinkle the tops with fleur de sel.
• Bake the biscuits for 25-30 minutes, or until browned.
• Let cool slightly, then serve.

Makes eight biscuits

*At this point, you can wrap the biscuits tightly in plastic wrap and keep in your freezer for up to one month.