Don’t we all need another great biscuit recipe?
I love biscuits. That day several years ago when I discovered I could just pat the dough together and use a knife or bench scraper to make square biscuits–eliminating the rolling pin and round cutter–is probably the third best day of my life!
Recently, I’ve had quite a few people ask me who my favorite jazz artists are. My absolute favorite instrumentalist is Thelonious Monk. I love the way he weaves seemingly dissonant tones into a beautiful, musical tension that holds on until the last possible moment for a harmonic resolution.
One of my favorite songs of his is “Well, You Needn’t (It’s Over Now).” Take a listen and see if it might become a favorite of yours–while you are savoring these incredibly tasty biscuits!
Ingredients
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup yellow cornmeal
- 4 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried, chopped chives
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 3 tablespoons butter, cold
- ½ + 2 tablespoons cup skim milk (for stiffer biscuits, only add 1 cup + 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, very finely grated
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper, chives, and onion powder.
- Cut butter into chunks. Add to flour mixture and cut the butter in with a pastry blender, two knives or your fingers. You need to work quickly if you are using your hands so that the warmth of your fingers does not soften the butter.
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- Line the bottom of a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add milk and cheddar cheese at the same time. Stir with a fork just until blended.
- On a lightly floured surface, put dough and gently shape into a square about an inch thick.
- Using a metal bench scraper to cut dough into 4 or 9 equal pieces. Place on baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
- Bake for 11-12 minutes until golden.
