Cheddar Bacon Biscuits

Adding to our starch-fest dinner for Kyle's birthday a couple of weeks ago were these cheddar-bacon biscuits I found on the Williams-Sonoma website. I pulled this recipe from the website a few months back and really hadn't planned on the "right" meal to make these with until Kyle's birthday dinner. What a nice addition these were! I had only made biscuits from scratch once previously - it's just so easy to pop open a can and throw some biscuits on a cookie sheet - but these really were so easy to make! I even prepared and refrigerated the dough about an hour before I planned on baking them for two reasons: 1.) so that I wouldn't be rushing to make them while I cooked everything else, and more importantly, 2.) so that the butter in the dough would remain very cold until I was ready to bake them. They turned out crunchy on the outside, soft and flakey on the inside, and full of flavor. I'll definitely make these again but will half the recipe next time because 10 large biscuits was just too much.

Cheddar-Bacon Biscuits

from the Williams-Sonoma Kitchen

What are the secrets to making tender, flaky biscuits? When cutting the butter into the flour, work quickly so it doesn’t melt too much before you put the biscuits in the oven. And when adding the milk, don’t overmix the dough; stir until the ingredients are just combined.

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 8 Tbs. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
• 1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
• 6 bacon slices, finely chopped and fried until crisp
• 1 1/2 cups milk (I used skim)

1. Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400ºF. Lightly spray a biscuit pan with nonstick cooking spray. (I dropped the dough onto a cookie sheet because I don't have a biscuit pan.)
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the butter until it resembles coarse meal. Add the cheese, chives and bacon; using a fork, stir until evenly distributed. Add the milk; using a rubber spatula, stir until just combined.
3. Divide the dough among the wells of the prepared pan. Bake until the biscuits are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a biscuit comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Invert the pan onto the rack and lift off the pan. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Makes 7 biscuits (see below).

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Yields: 10 large biscuits