Does Anybunny Like Biscuits...

Biscuits were one of my favorite quick breads that my mom made; fluffy and just waiting to be loaded up with butter and/or jam.  My hubby had requested that I make the Amish Breakfast Casserole again this morning and instead of toast, I decided to make biscuits to go along with it.

A biscuit is a baked, floured-based product that has it's origins in Europe, but has a totally different form.  The biscuits, found here in North America, are flaky and have more of a connection to a scone rather than the British version, which we would call a cookie.

My mother always made biscuits with buttermilk, which I also use, but I've changed and use butter rather than the shortening she would cut into the flour and I mix in two cups of grated cheese.  Also, I brush my biscuit tops with a beaten egg and she usually brushed hers with melted butter.  Finally, I leave space between my biscuits because I love that the sides brown too; typically biscuits are set side-by-side in a pan.

This recipe is easy to mix up (less than 15 minutes) and bakes in a hot oven in 13 to 15 minutes, so having a warm bread for breakfast is very do-able!

Cheesy Buttermilk Biscuits
3 1/2 + 1 T King Arthur all-purpose flour
2 T baking powder
1 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
9 T cold unsalted butter (preferably European for a higher fat content), cut into small pieces
2 cups grated cheese
2 T chives, minced (optional)
1 3/4 buttermilk

1 egg, beaten to brush on top

Preheat oven to 425F-degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix the dry ingredients together. Add the chives, if using.  While the mixer is running, add the small pieces of butter and mix until incorporated.  You may have small pieces still visible.   Add the cheese and then, while the mixer is running, slowly pour the buttermilk in.  Mix only until incorporated!

 Transfer the dough to a lightly floured bread board--it will look "shaggy."

Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour and knead just until the mixture comes together.

Lightly dust the top again, and roll dough to about 1-inch in thickness.

Now, the trick that my mother taught me and it is what makes beautiful, high biscuits...Lightly flour a biscuit cutter and press into the dough--DO NOT TWIST to release, but rather press and pull-up! I think of it as more a move Jack LaLaine would have done and not Chubby Checker:-D

Yes, that's the secret to high biscuits.  If you twist, it "closes" the dough and keeps it from rising as high as it should!

Place biscuits onto the prepared sheet and brush tops with a beaten egg.  Bake in the preheated oven 13 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.

I add space between my biscuits!

Hmmm, warm flaky biscuits...does anybunny want some? Enjoy!
 

Cheesey Herb Biscuits

Of all the memories I have of baking with my mother, one of the best was making biscuits.  A lot of times, biscuits were an impromptu decision because she either didn't have any bread or didn't have enough to feed all of us, so she whipped up biscuits.  Which, by the way, I loved almost as much as scones.  Now, I could have made bread, bagels, or English muffins when I got up at 4:30 a.m., but I chose to play with my cat, start a load of wash, and catch up on emails.  So, when my husband said he wanted poached eggs for breakfast, when he got up, I needed to "whip" up something quick to satisfy his hunger.  The memory of biscuits popped into my head!

Biscuits, here in America, refer to a leavened bread item, however in European countries, the term biscuits is associated with a somewhat sweeter treat that was baked, cooled, then, kept warm in the oven until eaten.  This is where the term biscotti (twice baked) came from.  However, it's cold outside and we had our second snowfall a few days ago (not as bad as the east coast, though) and baking something quick would do the trick.

My daffodils had started to come up, but got a reality-check that Spring is still a few months away!

Warm biscuits, like Mom made, came to mind to support poached eggs or smear with jam as I did.  They're easy to make and in a hot oven (450F-degrees) bake in 8 minutes.  That would calm any hungry body in your house.  In addition, I made up some grits to go with my biscuit-breakfast.  If you've never had grits, you're missing out on something really satisfying.

I was born in Tennessee and grits have always been a staple in our home.  When I would visit Kelly in Kentucky, our breakfast selection always included grits.  She got hooked on them when she attended the North Carolina School of Performing Arts/Summer 1990.  So much so, that when she attended school in New England, my Dad would send her care packages with Instant Grits in it so she could just microwave a bowl before classes (although, I think she also made them for dinner too!)  Ari is no different from his mama and he started to "share" my bowl of grits when he was just over a year old.

Cheesy Herb Biscuits
1 3/4 cups All-purpose flour (I use King Arthur)
1 T granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 T dried Chives (if you have fresh, you 1/4 cup--mine are under snow!)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
3/4 cup cold buttermilk
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese (you can also use gruyere, provolone, or your favorite hard cheese)

Heat oven to 500F-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, measure out all the dry ingredients and whisk them to incorporate.  Cut the butter into 1-inch cubes and add to the flour mixture, coating the cubes well.  Using a pastry cutter, blend in the butter.

The mixture should resemble coarse "sand" when it's incorporated.  Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk.  I switched to my dough whisk to mix the dough--only mixing enough to bring the dough together.  Place dough on a lightly floured board and kneading slightly, bring it together.  Using your hands, pat the dough into a 3/4-inch rectangle.  Sprinkle the surface with the grated cheese and fold the right side to the middle, then the left side over the right. 

Using a rolling pin, roll dough to about 1/2-inch thick.  Use a floured round cutter to cut biscuits.  Place on the parchment lined baking sheet.  Melt an additional 2 tablespoons of butter and brush the tops.  Lower the oven to 450F-degrees and Bake 8 minutes.

The biscuits come out nicely golden on top with some of the cheese oozing out--yum, yum.  The combination of the HOT oven and the cold butter (and buttermilk) makes these biscuits so flaky, that you can just lift the top off.

Whether it's out of necessity or a craving, biscuits make an excellent choice for cold mornings...and brings back some fond memories as we come to a close of another year.  From my kitchen to yours, Happy New Year and Happy Baking.  Enjoy!

I have to add another photo that Erin took this morning after making Maddie Cheesey Biscuits--she's actually saying, "Cheese!"