Biscuits can be glorious, right? Flaky, buttery, soft and crisp at the same time. Essentially; biscuits are little gifts every time you make them. For my holiday festivities this year, I opted for a slam-dunk combination. Great biscuit + rosemary + bacon = ridiculous biscuits.
I always look to Fannie Farmer for my homey baked goods. She never disappoints, and with over 1,100 pages of recipes, the book is pretty comprehensive. The recipe I used here is a combination of two different recipes (Baking Powder Biscuits, p. 764, and Cream Biscuits, p. 765) The first uses shortening and milk, the second, from time spent with culinary icon, James Beard, uses melted butter and cream.
Here’s my hybrid: Yield about 12 2″ biscuits with extra for chefs treats
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 TPSP. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. freshly cracked pepper
- 6 oz. cold butter (small pieces)
- 2 stips bacon (cooked well, small dice)
- 1/2 onion, (small dice, sweated in left over bacon fat)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup heavy cream
For garnish
- 2 TBSP. finely chopped rosemary
- 1 TBS. coarse (kosher or other) salt
If you know how to make biscuits, I won’t bore you. If you have never heard of the ‘Biscuit Method’, check out this link. Here’s the basics for this recipe.
Brown the bacon and onions then cut up the bacon. Reserve those bits on a paper towel to absorb extra fat.
Put all of the dry ingredients together in a big bowl. Whisk that around a bit with a fork (or whisk…).
Take the little pieces of cold butter and incorporate them into the dry mix quickly, using just your fingers with a kind of smooshing / rubbing technique. Stop when all of the butter pieces are no bigger than a small pea.
Use a fork to stir in the bacon and onions, and then to incorporate all of the liquid at once.
Turn out onto a well floured surface and knead slightly to bring together.
Roll to a 1″ thickness, and cut into squares or punch out with cutter.
Brush the tops with cream or buttermilk, then sprinkle the rosemary and coarse salt on top.
Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or so, until the tops are golden and delicious looking. You may need to rotate the pan half-way through depending on your oven.
My friends and I ate these little guys with prime rib on Christmas night, and then again with a little honey for breakfast. Biscuits are a super easy treat to bring together, and the homemade, fresh-baked goodness translates into every bite.
Happy Eating, Happy Living!
-Scott
swfoodworks 