Have you ever showed someone something that is so obvious, and their response is something completely wrong....
Alex thought these were fruitcakes when I was sending him a thread of texts with various photos of my BISCUITS asking" which photo is the best honey" . I was surprised by his response, which was ' What are those, Fruticakes!?' Its not a fruitcake, Alex.. its a ***Cheesy Scallion Biscuit!. But they ARE indeed dynamic looking, a good bite in every crunchy salty corner, pops of green from the scallions and burnt orange chees-y bits.. They hold all the folds and creases and buttery goodness in the world, and I walked miles with them for this photo, pulling out various table cloths and garments and back splashes ,then trying to find the best light- placing them on the coffee table, on the bed, the closet bureau. Can you picture it? An afternoon well spent with ~ My Biscuits.
These are a savory indulgence good on their own, cut in half with a schmear of butter and honey, or to stand by something soupy and sauce-y and pose as your ' soaker'. These were used as my side for a hearty chicken soup - possibly to be discussed in a future blog if I can get to it before the 12" of new snow melts ( because who wants chicken soup once its above 50 degrees). Feel free to leave out the scallions and the cheese and go for an original biscuit, or substitute in other biscuit accessories of your choosing. Also, by the way, the sour cream is not just an accessory and IS a crucial element in creating a light tender biscuit, and can be subbed with a full fat plain greek -yogurt if you do not have sour cream. Don't leave that out.
Happy Biscuit-ing
Ingredients - Makes 8
bunch of scallions chopped and roots trimmed
12 tbsp. chilled Unsalted butter
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp sugar
2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 /14 cup sour cream ( plus more for serving on top of warm biscuits)
1 cup shredded cheddar or cheese of your chosing
Step 1
Place a rack in the middle of your oven and pre-heat to 425. Take our your scallions, wash and trim the roots. Thinly slice crosswise and set aside.
Step 2
Melt 2 tsbp of your 12 tbsp of butter and set aside. In a large bowl, add your salt, pepper, baking powder, baking soda, and flour- whisk to combine. Cut remaining 10 tbsp of your chilled butter into small pieces , about 1/2 " pieces. Add your cold butter pieces to your flour mixture and with your hands, start to massage the butter into the flour mixture until pea sized butter-flour bits begin to form. Add in the scallions and the cheese until just incorporated.
Step 3
Create a well in your flour mixture. Add the sour cream into the center of your well. Using a fork and mixing in circles, start incorporating the sour cream into the flour until shaggy clumps begin to form and you're starting to recognize a dough! Fold the dough over itself a couple if times. It will look not quite come together yet, and thats Okay. It should be crumbly .
Step 4.
Turn your dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead once ,twice, or more, until it comes together. flour your hands if needed. If there are any loose bits still, add them to the center of the dough and knead once more until incorporated.
Step 5
Pat dough into an 8 x 4 rectangle, about 1" thick. Working from a short side, fold the dough into thirds, as you would a letter ( this folding method will create all the little creases and layers we love in a biscuit). Pat dough into another 8 x 4 rectangle and fold into thirds again. Do this in total twice. Then put your dough back into an 8 x 4 rectangle and prepare to cut.
Step 6
Cut rectangle in half length wise and then cut each half cross wise into 4 so you end up with 8 biscuits. Transfer biscuits to a prepared baking sheet, brush your melted butter on top and flake over some sea salt. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the tops are perfectly golden brown. Serve warm with sour cream, honey or more butter... or ALL three!
Comentários