I totally get that in the heat of summer, we want to keep our cooking simple and use the oven as little as possible. “So why am I sending you a recipe for biscuits that need baking,” you may brilliantly ask? Well, for one thing, you can make these early in the morning, before the heat climbs up to its highest temperature. Plus, they cook in all of 8 minutes.
Last week when i was searching for an easy accompaniment to go along with my grilled fish, I decided we needed a few carbs to supplement it. Easy biscuits to the rescue. When I saw a bunch of green onions in my produce drawer telling me if I didn’t use them up quickly they would decorate my compost, I diced the green tops along with some of the white and threw them into the batter. I added some dried herbs as well, since they are more flavorful than fresh ones in biscuits.
You might be wondering how I got these biscuits to rise so high. Here are my tips.
Handle the dough as little as possible.
Cut in the butter until it is about the the size of small peas. This can be done in a food processor, with a pastry blender or by grating it into the flour on the large holes of a grater. You want to see small pieces of butter in the flour.
Keep all ingredients cold, even the flour if your kitchen is very warm.
Pat dough into a 3/4 to 1-inch circle. Keeping the dough thick gives the biscuit its height.
Press straight down on your cookie cutter. Do not turn it. If necessary, dip lightly into flour between cuts.
About the herbs
The herbs are up for grabs. I didn’t put optional next to them, but they all are. My preferred herbs are chives or green onion tops and dried basil. But I also like to add a small amount of thyme and sage for a little earthy flavor. Although the chives are fresh, the rest are dried because dried herbs contribute more flavor than fresh in biscuits and breads.
As with all biscuits, the texture is best the day they are made. They are still good the next day and can be frozen, but their light, fluffy texture will be diminished.
So get up early and make these biscuits. They elevate whatever entree you are serving, beef, chicken fish, and veggies. And who doesn’t love a biscuit?
Herb Buttermilk Biscuits
2 cups (260 grams) sifted all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons chopped chives or green onion tops
1 tablespoon dried basil
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon dried savory
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces for food processor
3/4 cup cold buttermilk
Melted butter for brushing on top
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
In a food processor or large bowl, process or whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar. Pulse or whisk in chives, basil, thyme, savory and salt.
Pulse or cut in butter until mixture resembles small peas and coarse crumbs. Drizzle buttermilk slowly over flour mixture and pulse or toss lightly with a fork, just until flour mixture is moistened.
Turn dough out onto a floured board; and knead until dough holds together. Pat dough into a 3/4- to 1-inch-thick circle. Cut out 12 biscuits with a 2-inch cookie cutter, re-shaping dough as needed. Place biscuits 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 8 minutes.
Brush tops with melted butter, Serve warm.
Makes 12 biscuits.
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