Snow Day Garlic White Cheddar Biscuits
We got a LOT of snow last weekend. A LOT. Luckily, I had nowhere to go, a ton of time on my hands, and a hankering for some cheesy biscuits.
Let me preface this post by saying: I belong to a biscuit family. We are biscuit people. We love them so much that there is an active, unspoken rivalry over who makes the best biscuits (spoiler: it's my grandmother. But the battle is contentious for the number two spot). It's brutal. I have to say though: as much as we love a good biscuit, my entire family is guilty of whipping up the same plain jane (but totally buttery, utterly delicious) ones every time. We're very much "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" people. But listen, after 20+ years on this here planet Earth, I needed to venture out. Be my own woman. Put cheese in a biscuit. You know, real "take charge" kind of stuff. And what better time to spin a classic than when the snow outside is ankle-deep and mocking you for all of your cancelled plans?
Coming from a land where dairy is a mandatory diet requirement, I have never been one to shy away from all things butter and cheese. Luckily, these biscuits are skimping on neither. From their crispy tops and bottoms, to their pillowy-soft and cheesy centers, dairy is very well represented. But what takes these biscuits to the next level (and what prevents them from being otherwise one-dimensional) is the addition of heaping 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder. And by "heaping" I mean: don't you dare level the mound of garlic powder scooped up with your measuring spoon. Let it flow, let it go. What you get is the crispyness of the sharp white chedder cheese (made even better by a slight darkening in the oven) mixed with the aromatic presence of garlic. Both flavors are big fans of one another, and let each other share the spotlight. These biscuits are so good that I didn't even need to use butter. They were THAT good on their own.
Oh, and if you've got a biscuit cutter on the smaller side (hi, you're not alone) and end up with the number of biscuits more suitable for a party rather than 1-2 people, just put these bad boys in an airtight container and store on the counter top for about a week. When you're ready to chow down, these spring beautifully back to life in the oven. Set it to 350 F and pop them in for 5-10 minutes. Good as new, and buttery-garlicky-cheesy as ever. Snowy/Rainy/Any day approved.
GARLIC WHITE CHEDDAR BISCUITS
What You'll Need:
- 2 3/4 cups AP flour
- 1/2 teaspoon fine kosher salt
- 1/2 (heaping) teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, VERY cold and cut into cubes
- 3 additional tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted (for brushing on top of the biscuits)
- 1 cup grated white cheddar cheese
- 1 cup whole milk
DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, garlic powder, and baking powder together until well incorporated.
Using a fork, pastry blender, or your fingers, cut in the very cold unsalted butter cubes into the flour mixture until all the butter has been cut in, and the mixture has pea-sized pieces throughout.
Next, stir in the white cheddar cheese until well incorporated. Create a well in the middle of the flour mixture, and pour in the milk. Gently stir until a shaggy dough has formed. Use your hands to finish bringing the dough together, making sure to incorporate the dry bits of dough. Be very gentle and work quickly.
On a clean, lightly floured surface turn out the dough and gently fold it in on itself a couple times just to make sure that the dough is solidly together. Be careful not to over-knead.
Once you are confident that the dough has come together, gently pat it out into a disk that is roughly 1/2-inch thick.
Flour your biscuit cutter, then cut out your biscuits and place them on the parchment-lined baking sheets. GENTLY re-roll the scraps and repeat the process until you have run out of dough.
Using a pastry brush, brush the three tablespoons of melted butter evenly over all of your biscuits.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden. If you have a hotter oven, make sure to check at the 10-minute mark because these biscuits bake quickly!
When your biscuits have baked, let them cool on their baking sheets for at least ten minutes, then serve.
To store: Biscuits will last for about a week if kept in an airtight container. Just before serving, pop them in a 350 degree F oven for 5-10 minutes. This will revive them.
SOURCE: Adapted from Food52
