Flaky cheddar herb biscuits
Tall, flaky, super herbaceous and cheesy cheddar herb biscuits will be your new favorite thing to bring to the potluck or holiday gathering. Everyone always craves a nice, butterfly savory biscuit and I'll teach you exactly how to make them!
I've been working on perfecting my biscuit recipe for years. My results always yielded a biscuit that was either not raised enough, or too brown on the bottom and underdone in the center.
But I had a full day to test the recipe before bringing them to a farewell event for some lovely ladies. I knew I wanted to bring a savory breakfast dish to balance out all of the sweets. And buttermilk biscuits were on my mind, so I decided to give it a go.
The first attempt yielded biscuits that spread too much thanks to all of the extra fat (from the cheddar cheese) even though the dough was chilled before popping them into the oven. So I decided to try them in a well buttered muffin tin, and to my surprise - they came out perfectly. Super tall, super flaky and super soft and tender on the inside.
Ingredients:
- All-purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Cold unsalted butter - Making perfect biscuits requires cold butter. As little pieces melt during baking, they release steam and create pockets where air can get trapped inside- this creates fluffy lightness with crispy exteriors!
- Cold Buttermilk - Buttermilk creates the most tender biscuit and gives biscuits that classic tang that you love!
- Matured cheddar cheese, mild works fine too - but the flavor will really pop more with an aged cheddar.
- Honey - Honey balances out the salt and adds just a tiny hint of sweetness.
- Fresh herbs of choice (we used sage, rosemary and basil)
- Garlic
Step by step let's make it:
- Add and combine all of your dry ingredients, all purpose flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.
- Step two: Grate your cold butter and cheddar cheese with a cheese grater and add to your dry ingredients, and use your fingers or a dough cutter to cut your butter into your flour mixture, until coarse crumbs form. If you do not have a cheese grater, just cut your butter into small cubes. Note: You can also do this in a food processor, we just find it just as effective to use our hands, and have one less thing to clean up in the end. If you use a food processor, pour your crumbs into a large bowl. Set aside.
- Mince your garlic and herbs and add them into a small bowl, pour your honey into the bowl and mix.
- Make a little well in the center of your butter/flour mixture and add your garlic herb honey and buttermilk into the center.
- Combine all ingredients into a dough using your hands, it should be crumbly and easy to work with
- Place dough on a floured surface and shape into a thick rectangle. Fold sides into each other creating a thick 2" dough.
- Cut biscuits out and place in a lined muffin tin. Brush the tops with a little buttermilk.
- Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until biscuits are golden brown on top.
don't have buttermilk? no problem! substitute with this:
In a pinch, you can make DIY buttermilk using regular milk and lemon juice. I always use and recommend real, full fat buttermilk for the best, tangy, pancakes.
1. Use milk: Pour 1 cup of whole or 2% milk into a liquid measuring cup. For vegan buttermilk, you can use a vegan milk of your choice with perfect results.
2. Add an acid: For every 1 cup of milk, stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes. You can scale the recipe up or down depending on how much you need. That's it!
Frequently asked questions
can i make this recipe vegan?
You use vegan butter and sub buttermilk for the DIY version above with a non dairy milk, however in testing they did not rise as much and they did not taste as rich. However, if necessary - yes, the recipe does work veganized!
How long do these scones last?
Fresh scones are best enjoyed within 3 days of being baked.
Can I freeze these scones?
Baked scones freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator, then warm up to your liking before serving. Scone dough can be frozen for up to one month.
tips for the best biscuits:
- While it's tempting to mix your dough until it becomes one solid mass, this will result in tough biscuits. To get a light and airy texture for not only tastier but also easier-to-eat baked goods, keep mixing just until ingredients are combined into small clumps - do NOT overdo the arm work! I love using my hands because you can feel how much moisture is left within each piece of flour or butter without having any worries
- Don't twist the cutter when cutting sheets of dough with a glass or biscuit-cutter. Press it down firmly until you hear it suction, and then remove to prevent seal edges from getting stuck together.
- Brush the tops with a little buttermilk before you bake to achieve a crispy, golden brown top.
the recipe
Flaky cheddar herb biscuits
Ingredients
- 5 cups 626g all-purpose flour, plus extra for hands and work surface
- 2 Tablespoons aluminum free baking powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup 2 sticks; 230g unsalted butter, cubed and very cold
- 2 cups 540ml cold buttermilk, plus a little extra for brushing on top of your biscuits
- 4 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F (218°C).
- Add and combine all of your dry ingredients, all purpose flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.
Step two: Grate your cold butter and cheddar cheese with a cheese grater and add to your dry ingredients, and use your fingers or a dough cutter to cut your butter into your flour mixture, until coarse crumbs form. If you do not have a cheese grater, just cut your butter into small cubes. Note: You can also do this in a food processor, we just find it just as effective to use our hands, and have one less thing to clean up in the end. If you use a food processor, pour your crumbs into a large bowl. Set aside. - Mince your garlic and herbs and add them into a small bowl, pour your honey into the bowl and mix.
- Make a little well in the center of your butter/flour mixture and add your garlic herb honey and buttermilk into the center.
- Combine all ingredients into a dough using your hands, it should be crumbly and easy to work with
- Place dough on a floured surface and shape into a thick rectangle. Fold sides into each other creating a thick 2" dough.
- Cut biscuits out and place in a lined muffin tin. Brush the tops with a little buttermilk.
- Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until biscuits are golden brown on top.
Notes
Fresh biscuits are best enjoyed within 3 days of being baked. Can I freeze these biscuits?
Baked biscuits freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator, then warm up to your liking before serving. Scone dough can be frozen for up to one month. Can I make these gluten free or vegan? Yes and yes. Replace all purpose flour with gluten free or 1:1 paleo flour and use dairy free milk, cheese and butter alternatives. I've tested them this way and they did yield a nice flaky biscuit, but they were not as flavorful.
