Bacon Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

By TNTPayne

Good snack for a Saturday brunch or a side item for breakfast, lunch or dinner

Ingredients

• 6 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
• 1 tablespoon bacon fat (after frying above bacon)
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup buttermilk (cold)
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick, 4 oz) frozen unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons melted butter (or bacon fat) for brushing biscuits
• 1 cup (4 oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Details

Servings 10
Preparation time 45mins
Cooking time 60mins

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and adjust oven rack to middle position.

2. Fry bacon in cast-iron skillet transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate and cool to room temperature. Pour off all but one tablespoon of the bacon fat into a heat-proof bowl and reserve.

2. Whisk flour, pepper, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, cooled bacon, and salt in large bowl.

3. Quickly cut the frozen butter into small chunks with a sharp knife and add to dry ingredients and mix well.

4. Add cheese to the dry ingredients and mix well.

4. Add the buttermilk all at once. Using a spatula or fork, gently mix until you see no more dry flour.

5. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter and dump the dough on top. Sprinkle a little more flour on top and use your hands to quickly pat the dough into a circle about 1/2 - 1 inch thick, depending on how thick you like your biscuits. Use a biscuit cutter, circular cookie cutter, or the rim of a glass to cut out biscuit shapes. Transfer to the skillet used to cook the bacon. Reform the dough and cut more biscuits until the dough has all been used.

6. Brush the tops of the biscuits with reserved bacon fat (or melted butter) and bake for 18-20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

7. Let the biscuits cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack until dinner time. Store leftovers in a sealed container for several days. These make an excellent snack on the go.