Wonderfulcheesebiscuits Recipes

ALMOST-FAMOUS CHEDDAR BISCUITS

Steps:

• Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Lightly mist a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
• Make the biscuits: Pulse the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the shortening and pulse until combined. Add the butter; pulse 4 or 5 times, or until the butter is in pea-size pieces. Add the cheese and pulse 2 or 3 times. Pour in the milk and pulse just until the mixture is moistened and forms a shaggy dough. Turn out onto a clean surface and gently knead until the dough comes together. Do not overwork the dough or the biscuits will be tough.
• Drop the dough onto the baking sheet in scant 1/4-cup portions, 2 inches apart, and bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the garlic butter: Melt the butter with the garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. Brush the biscuits with the garlic butter and serve warm.

FROM SCRATCH CHEDDAR CHEESE BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Add the flour, powdered milk, cream cheese, butter, sugar, baking powder and salt to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until the flour resembles coarse cornmeal. With the mixer running, slowly add the buttermilk and mix until a dough forms. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough starts to stick to the sides of the mixing bowl. Stop the mixer.
• Add the Cheddar and mix on low speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds. (You don't want to break up the cheese.)
• Place the dough on a floured rolling surface and knead it 25 times, until the dough is soft and doesn't stick to your hands or the board. Roll out the dough to 3/4-inch thickness and cut out 36 biscuits with a biscuit cutter, transferring the biscuits to the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake the biscuits, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve with butter and jam.

BEST CHEESE BISCUITS

Steps:

• Measure first 4 ingredients into bowl.
• Add grated cheese.
• Stir.
• Add cooking oil and milk.
• Stir to form a soft ball of dough.
• Add more milk if needed to make dough soft.
• Turn out on lightly floured board and knead gently 8-10 times.
• Roll to 3/4 to 1 inch thick.
• Cut with biscuit cutter.
• Place on ungreased cookie sheet close together for moist sides or 1 inch apart for crisp sides.
• Bake in 425 degree oven for 15 minutes or until nicely browned.
• Serve plain or with butter.

CHEDDAR BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet, or line with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, combine baking mix, Cheddar cheese, and garlic powder. Stir in milk. Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Brush biscuits with melted margarine, and sprinkle with parsley and garlic salt. Bake for 5 more minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom.

CHEESE GARLIC BISCUITS II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Add the milk and cheddar cheese; stir to combine. Drop batter by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. While biscuits are baking mix melted butter and minced garlic. Brush garlic butter over hot baked biscuits.

EASY CHEESY BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cream of tartar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cheese, garlic and pepper flakes. Add milk; stir just until moistened., Drop dough by heaping 1/4 cupfuls 2 in. apart onto a greased baking sheet. Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

CHEESE BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray 9-inch round baking pan with cooking spray; set aside. Mix 2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt and baking soda in large bowl. Cut in shortening with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cheese and buttermilk just until blended. Let stand 3 min.
• Place remaining 1/4 cup flour in small bowl. Divide dough into 10 equal portions. (Dough will be sticky.) Add dough, 1 portion at a time, to flour; toss until evenly coated. Shake off excess flour. Shape into ball. Place in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough. (Pan will be full with balls touching each other.) Brush with butter.
• Bake 15 to 18 min. or until golden brown. Cool in pan 3 min. Remove to wire rack. Separate biscuits. Serve warm.

FLUFFY CHEDDAR BISCUITS

Steps:

• Arrange the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, garlic powder, salt and paprika to combine. Add the 1/2 cup cubed butter and toss until each piece is coated completely in flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or your hands to rub the butter into the flour, continuing to work the mixture until the butter is almost fully blended into the dough. There can still be a few larger pieces of butter, but none should be larger than a pea. If the butter feels soft or melty at any point, refrigerate the mixture in the bowl for 15 minutes before continuing.
• Stir in 1 1/2 cups/170 grams of the cheese into the flour mixture. Make a well in the center of the bowl. In a liquid measuring cup or in a small bowl with a spout, whisk the buttermilk and egg until well combined. Pour the mixture into the medium bowl and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the mixture is combined. Near the end, you may have to fold it over itself a few times in the bowl to make sure it's uniformly combined. (Resist the urge to use your hands so that the mixture doesn't get too soft or compressed.)
• Scoop the dough into 12 even portions (about 1/2 cup/80 grams each) onto the prepared sheet pan. Stagger the biscuits on the baking sheets. (You should have 6 biscuits per sheet pan.)
• Brush each biscuit with the melted butter (you won't use it all) and divide the remaining shredded cheese among the tops of the biscuits (about 2 teaspoons per biscuit).
• Transfer to the oven and bake the biscuits for 15 minutes, then brush each biscuit with butter again, and rotate the pans between the oven racks. Continue to bake until the biscuits are light golden and the cheese on top is deeply golden, 5 to 10 minutes more. The biscuits should spring back gently when touched in the center.
• Brush the finished biscuits generously with the remaining butter. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving warm (or cool completely and serve at room temperature).

BUTTERMILK-CHEESE BISCUITS

Steps:

• At least 30 minutes or up to 2 1/2 hours before serving: in a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Stir in cheese and buttermilk just until dry ingredients are moistened.
• Place on a lightly floured surface.
• Gently knead ten to twelve times.
• Roll or pat to 1/2-inch thickness.
• Cut with a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter dipped in flour.
• Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet.
• If making ahead, cover and refrigerate up to 2 hours.
• About 25 minutes before serving: Preheat oven to 425-degrees for 10 minutes.
• Bake biscuits for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.

THE BEST BISCUITS EVER

Steps:

• Do ahead
• Stir the vinegar into the cream to acidify it, then refrigerate it to keep it cold. Place the butter in the freezer, for at least 30 minutes, to harden.
• Whisk the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a mixing bowl.
• Place a cheese grater in or over the bowl of dry ingredients. Remove the butter from the freezer, unwrap it, and grate it through the large holes into the dry ingredients, tossing the butter threads in the flour mixture as you grate to distribute them. (An alternative method is to place the butter on a cutting board, and dust it and the work surface with flour. Cut the butter into 1/4-inch slices. Dust the slices with flour, stack a few of them up, and cut them into 1/4-inch strips, then rotate the stack a quarter turn and cut the strips into 1/4-inch cubes. It's okay if the butter is smaller, such as pea-size. Toss the floured butter bits into the dry ingredients and continue cutting all of the butter in the same manner and adding it to the flour mixture. You can see why I like the grater method better.)
• Use your fingertips to separate and distribute the butter pieces evenly, breaking up any clumps but not working the butter so much that it disappears or melts into the flour. Add the cream mixture and stir with a large spoon until all of the flour is hydrated and the dough forms a coarse ball. Add a tiny bit more cream if necessary to bring the dough together.
• Transfer the dough to a generously floured work surface, then dust the top of the dough with flour. Working with floured hands, use your palms to press the dough into a rectangle or square about 3/4 inch thick. Use a metal pastry scraper to lift the dough and dust more flour underneath. Dust the top of the dough with flour as well, then roll it out into a rectangle or square about 1/2 inch thick. Then, using the pastry scraper to help lift the dough, fold it over on itself in three sections as if folding a letter.
• Rotate the dough 90 degrees, then once again lift the dough and dust more flour underneath. Dust the top with flour as well, then once again roll it out into a square or rectangle about 1/2 inch thick and fold into thirds. Give the dough another quarter turn and repeat this procedure again. Then, repeat one final time (four roll-outs in all).
• After the fourth folding, dust under and on top of the dough one final time, then roll the dough out to just under 1/2 inch thick, in either a rectangle (for triangle- or diamond-shaped biscuits) or an oval (for round biscuits). Use just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface.
• Cut the biscuits with a floured metal pastry scraper or pizza cutter, or with a floured biscuit cutter for rounds; a 2-inch biscuit cutter will yield 20 to 24 small biscuits. Transfer the biscuits to an ungreased sheet pan (lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat if you like), placing them about 1/2 inch apart.
• Let the cut biscuits rest for 15 to 30 minutes before baking to relax the gluten; this will create a more even rise (even better, if you have room, place the pan of biscuits in the refrigerator to chill). If you'd like to bake the biscuits later, see the sidebar for make-ahead options.
• To bake
• About 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C).
• Transfer the biscuits to the oven and lower the oven temperature to 450°F (232°C), or 425°F (218°C) for a convection oven. Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 6 to 10 minutes, until both the tops and the bottoms of the biscuits are a rich golden brown; the baking time will be shorter in a convection oven. The biscuits should rise about 1 1/2 times in height.
• Place the pan on a wire rack, leaving the biscuits to cool on the hot pan for at least 3 minutes before serving. The biscuits will stay warm for about 20 minutes.
• Variations
• These biscuits are perfect without the addition of other ingredients, but it can be fun to enhance them with sweet or savory flavors. Here are four variations. Feel free to create your own versions, using these as examples.
• To make cheese biscuits, grate 8 ounces (227 g) of Cheddar or any medium-soft cheese you like, such as Gruyère, Gouda, or Provolone. This will yield about 2 cups of cheese. Each time you fold the dough, sprinkle one-fourth of the cheese over the surface before folding it. This may look like a lot of cheese, but it will melt and almost disappear into the biscuits when you bake them.
• To make savory biscuits, layer caramelized onions into the biscuits when you fold them. You'll need to cook the onions well in advance, because it's important that they be cool when you layer them; otherwise, they'll cause the butter in the dough to melt, which will damage the texture of the baked biscuit. To make the onions, slice 2 large white or yellow onions into thin strips. Sauté them over medium heat in 1 tablespoon (0.5 oz / 14 g) of vegetable oil until very soft and translucent. Add 2 tablespoons (1 oz / 28.5 g) of sugar and, optionally, 1 tablespoon (0.5 oz / 14 g) of balsamic vinegar, and continue cooking and stirring until the pan juices thicken into a honeylike syrup and the onions have the consistency of marmalade. This will take 15 to 20 minutes altogether.
• To make other savory variations, read on. Seasoned biscuits make a nice accompaniment to eggs, especially if made with fresh herbs. You can use any combination of fresh basil, parsley, dill, chervil, cilantro, or whatever herbs you like. Use about 3/4 cup of fresh herbs, either minced or cut into thin strips. Be careful when using strong herbs or spices, such as rosemary, oregano, sage, anise, fennel, cumin, chili powder, and the like, as they can easily overpower the biscuits. Use these stronger seasonings in moderation and in combination with milder herbs like parsley. Ground pepper is always an option; just 1/4 teaspoon will provide a surprisingly strong kick. Dried herbs will also work, but don't use more than 1/4 cup; and again, use primarily mild herbs like parsley, chervil, and basil.
• To make sweet variations, keep in mind that there is very little difference between a biscuit and a scone, so consider sweet biscuits to be flaky, tender scones and try adding dried fruits such as currants, raisins, cranberries, cherries, pineapple, apricots, or blueberries, as well as candied ginger (in moderation). Cut larger dried fruit into small bits. Add 1 cup (6 oz) of dried fruit (or more, if you like) in any combination, when you add the cream. Just don't use fresh fruit or berries, as they would make the biscuits soggy and destroy the flakiness.
• Keys to a Successful Flaky Biscuit
• The single most important technique is to use very cold butter and liquid. Some biscuit makers go so far as to chill the flour, but this isn't necessary if the butter and cream are cold. Using cold ingredients ensures that the butter stays in bits and pieces, which shortens the gluten strands (thus the term shortening, used to describe all solid fats, including butter and margarine). Using bits of cold butter creates weak points in the dough that flake off when you take a bite.
• Work quickly to keep the dough cold, but don't overwork the dough. Gluten is what makes dough tough, and the more you mix the dough, the more organized the gluten strands become. As a general rule of thumb, mix only as long as needed to get the job done. As every great biscuit maker will attest, it's all in the touch.
• The folding technique described in the recipe is similar to the lamination method known as blitz. It creates many thin layers of dough and fat, causing the biscuits to puff up and open like an accordion, creating maximum flakiness.
• The oven must be hot in order to trap the butter inside the biscuit and increase the puffing quality. In a cooler oven, below 450°F (232°C), some of the butter might run out onto the pan, so preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C), then lower the heat to 450°F (232°C) as soon as you put the biscuits in to bake. (If you preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C), it will drop to below 400°F (204°C) when you open the door.)
• Chilling the biscuits before baking them not only relaxes the gluten, it also minimizes the amount of butter that may run out of the biscuits as they bake.
• Make-Ahead Tips
• The best way to make biscuits is to bake them 15 to 30 minutes after the dough is cut, placed on the pan, and briefly chilled. However, when this isn't always practical, it's better to bake the biscuits when you plan to eat them rather than bake them in advance and try to warm them up later. So here are three make-ahead options:
• Freeze: Cut and pan the biscuits but don't bake them. Instead, completely wrap the pan (under and around the pan) in plastic wrap or use a food-grade plastic bag. If you wrap it well, you can freeze the pan of unbaked biscuits for up to 1 month. Remove the pan from the freezer at least 3 hours before you plan to bake the biscuits so they can thaw. Don't bake them while they're still frozen or they won't rise or bake evenly. If freezer space is an issue, you can also wrap individual biscuits in plastic wrap, stack them up, and freeze them.
• Refrigerate: Wrap the pan or individual biscuits as described above, but instead of freezing, refrigerate them. This is especially practical if you plan to bake the biscuits within 3 days. For even baking, remove the biscuits from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking to remove some of the chill.
• Parbake: Bake the biscuits as described in the recipe, but only until slightly golden on the tops and bottoms-4 to 5 minutes less than the full baking time. Remove the pan from the oven and cool the biscuits thoroughly before wrapping them individually or wrapping the entire pan and freezing. When you want to finish baking them, preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C) and place the frozen biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the tops and bottoms of the biscuits are golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before serving; this allows the heat to reach the center, warming but not drying out the biscuit.