Making the perfect biscuit has never been an easy task for me. Even my attempts to make what some might call and “edible” biscuit has been a challenge. My “competition biscuits” are those made by my mother; the ones that have satisfied my palate all of my life. Quite honestly, her biscuits are made from a scratch recipe, passed down from her mother, or by following the recipe on the yellow box. I have tried both, and despite following her recipes exactly, my biscuits could only be substituted for hockey pucks. Seriously. I am not kidding. Ask my daughter.
This might seem trivial to many, but making the perfect biscuit has stumped me for decades. And I believe has irritated my daughter who loves my mom’s homemade biscuits. Oh sure, the “crack-open-the-tube-and-bake” ones are nice substitutes, but they are not “Gram’s biscuits.” However, I have just recently found a recipe from Ina Garten’s (The Barefoot Contessa) recipe box that proved to be a prefect and easy to make biscuit. In fact, my mother was visiting with me and agrees that these biscuits, made by me, were heavenly! What follows is this recipe. I’m only happy to share a successful biscuit with my friends and family. Be warned, this recipe is not for those on any diet plan. The butter alone can knock any diet plan out of the park!
Cheddar-Dill Biscuits
4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup cold heavy cream
1/2 pound extra-sharp yellow Cheddar, small-diced
1 cup minced fresh dill
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water or milk, for egg wash
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Combine 4 cups of flour, the baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Mix the eggs and heavy cream and quickly add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Combine until just blended. Toss together the Cheddar, dill, and 1 tablespoon of flour and add them to the dough. Mix until they are almost incorporated.
Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it for 1 minute, until the Cheddar and dill are well distributed. Roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. Cut into 4-inch squares and then in half diagonally to make triangles. Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 20 to 25 minutes, until the outside is crusty and the inside is fully baked.
This might seem trivial to many, but making the perfect biscuit has stumped me for decades. And I believe has irritated my daughter who loves my mom’s homemade biscuits. Oh sure, the “crack-open-the-tube-and-bake” ones are nice substitutes, but they are not “Gram’s biscuits.” However, I have just recently found a recipe from Ina Garten’s (The Barefoot Contessa) recipe box that proved to be a prefect and easy to make biscuit. In fact, my mother was visiting with me and agrees that these biscuits, made by me, were heavenly! What follows is this recipe. I’m only happy to share a successful biscuit with my friends and family. Be warned, this recipe is not for those on any diet plan. The butter alone can knock any diet plan out of the park!
Cheddar-Dill Biscuits
4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup cold heavy cream
1/2 pound extra-sharp yellow Cheddar, small-diced
1 cup minced fresh dill
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water or milk, for egg wash
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Combine 4 cups of flour, the baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Mix the eggs and heavy cream and quickly add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Combine until just blended. Toss together the Cheddar, dill, and 1 tablespoon of flour and add them to the dough. Mix until they are almost incorporated.
Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it for 1 minute, until the Cheddar and dill are well distributed. Roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. Cut into 4-inch squares and then in half diagonally to make triangles. Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 20 to 25 minutes, until the outside is crusty and the inside is fully baked.
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