Fluffy Cheddar and Herb Biscuits
The other day, I was working on a beer battered catfish recipe and thought it might be a nice touch to add some cheesy herb-filled biscuits to enjoy alongside it. When it comes to cooking meals, I tend to go all out with the fixings, as you might call them. The other day, I was chatting with my mom about having others over to visit this year and she said, “You’ll have just had a baby, don’t go all out.” My only reply was, “When do I not go all out?”
In my line of work, which is simply sharing the from scratch meals that I make for my family (although not altogether simple at all!), going all out is kind of my thing. I think a meal should have all of the bells and whistles that pair well together. When you have beer battered fish, you should probably enjoy a cheddar and herb biscuit slathered in butter, coleslaw, and perhaps even some home canned pickles with it. Don’t you think? The truth about cooking biscuits is that they are entirely simple, in comparison to arriving an hour before supper is to be served and you realize that you don’t have any bread to serve with the meal. Even quick yeasted breads take around 2 to 3 hours to have baked and ready to serve, whereas biscuits take literally 30 minutes from start to finish! At least, once you become familiar with making them.
Ingredients & Recipe:
makes about 12 biscuits
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup minced fresh herbs such as parsley, dill, thyme, rosemary, etc
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
directions:
Preheat the oven to 425° F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.
With a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter until the mixture forms coarse crumbs about the size of a large pea. Stir in the cheddar cheese and fresh herbs.
Pour the buttermilk over the entire mixture and mix together with a wooden spoon or fork until a solid piece of dough forms. Finish kneading with your hands until there are no longer any dry bits in the bowl.
Roll the dough out to about 1/2-inch thick. Cut straight down through the dough with a biscuit cutter, kneading the dough back together as it is used up, until all of the dough has been cut.
Place on the parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Brush with melted butter.
These biscuits are a simple play on my Big Fluffy Favorite Biscuits, where you can read my secret tip on getting that amazing height to your next batch. In particular, I simply added some cheese and herbs to this dish, and you can alter those additions as much as you like and make it your own. For this set pictured, I used dill, parsley, and thyme to flavor my biscuits. The dill really paired well with fish, though I think that these biscuits would go wonderfully with any type of meat or main dish that you are serving. They are not quite up to par with a cheddar bay biscuit, but it is something similar and much more earthy/herbal. Enjoy!
xoxo Kayla
