I love this black pepper and cheese biscuit recipe
This light and fluffy cheese biscuit recipe comes from a wonderful southwestern cookbook called The Texas Cowboy Kitchen
by Grady Spears.
Gray has spent years as a cowboy chef in Texas, creating mouth watering food for hard working cowboys. His food is hearty, fairly simple and quite delicious.
This is real down home biscuit recipe. Grady’s biscuits are tender, light and flaky. He uses butter in his biscuits but says that you can substitute shortening if that’s what you prefer.
The addition of buttermilk in these biscuits makes them super tender and black pepper adds a little extra zest.
Of course, you can’t forget the cheese in a cheese biscuit and these have just enough to make them amazing. I like the sharp tang of an old cheddar so that is what I would use, but you can use whatever you prefer.
You can even use a mix of cheeses. How about strong cheddar and asiago, a tasty Italian cheese? Or cheddar and Parmesan cheese? Another good combination.
Remember though that the cheese needs to be a fairly strong flavor to come through in the biscuit, so a mild cheddar or another really mild cheese probably won’t taste as good.
Grady Spears' Black Pepper and Cheese Biscuit Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, or shortening
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Line a baking sheet or a cake pan with parchment paper or lightly butter the surface with 1 teaspoon of the melted butter. The choice of the pan will determine the outcome of the biscuit. For a crispy exterior, set the biscuits about 1/2 inch apart on a baking sheet. If you want moister, fluffier biscuits, place them close together in a cake pan. Select the pan of your choice and have it ready for the biscuits.
- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add the shortening and cut it into the dry ingredients using 2 knives, a pastry blender or your hands. Work the shortening in well, until it is reduced to pea-size pieces. Add the buttermilk and mix briefly, just to incorporate it. It is very important not to overwork the dough, or the biscuits will not be delicate and light.
- Gently mix in the cheddar and black pepper. The dough will be fairly sticky. Place the dough on a smooth, well-floured surface and pat with your hands to about 3/4 inch thick. Cut out the biscuits, using a 2 inch round glass or cookie cutter. Dip the cutter into flour between cuts to keep from sticking. Place the biscuits on or in the prepared pan. The remaining dough may be gently gathered together and rolled out again for more biscuits. Brush the tops with the remaining melted butter.
- Place the biscuits in the oven and bake at 450°F for about 10 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm.
- Makes 12-16 biscuits.
Nutrition
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You will find another light and fluffy cheese biscuit recipe here.
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