Savoury Biscuits For Cheese Food

SAVORY CHEESE AND HERB BISCUITS

Steps:

• Notes on how to make STELLAR biscuits:.
• 1) Spoon flour into a dry measuring cup and level off with the straight edge of a metal knife. DON'T use a liquid measuring cup or you'll end up with too much flour and rock hard biscuits!
• 2) I find it easier to incorporate room-temperature butter into my dry ingredients but then put the bowl with flour/butter back into the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to chill the mixture. The colder your butter is, the higher your biscuits will end up. If you want to work with cold butter, this step is NOT necessary.
• 3) Shake the carton of buttermilk before measuring and make sure the buttermilk is COLD! It keeps the butter cold, and you have a lighter, fluffier biscuit.
• 4) Dust the work surface with All-Purpose flour when rolling and shaping the dough. (Leavening in Self-Rising flour leaves a bitter taste on the outside of the biscuit.).
• 5) Cut STRAIGHT DOWN with a sharp biscuit cutter! Do NOT twist the cutter or you'll be sealing the edges of the biscuits and reduce the rise of them. Ditto on using a glass to cut out biscuits: both sides of the cutter need to be open to allow air to exit as you press down. The glass ends up sealing the edges of the biscuit.
• Directions:.
• Preheat oven to 450-degrees F.
• In a very large bowl combine all the dry ingredients: Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Sugar, Salt, Black Pepper and Cayenne Pepper. Stir well to evenly distribute the ingredients.
• Drop the cut tablespoons of butter all around the flour mixture. Cut in butter using a pastry cutter until mixture is about the size of peas or very crumbly. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to allow the butter to become hard; this will aid in having a very flaky biscuit.
• Add the cheese chunks and chives to the chilled butter/flour mixture. Stir to coat them well with the flour.
• Stir in buttermilk only until dough holds together very slightly, about 30 seconds. DO NOT OVER STIR! THIS IS THE SECRET TO INCREDIBLY FLUFFY AND LIGHT BISCUITS! The dough should "hold together" but still be very lofty and NOT packed down!
• Turn dough out onto a floured board, kneading dough a few times (about 3-4 times) and then pat into a 5-inch x 9-inch rectangle; Sprinkle top of dough with a small amount of additional flour and fold into thirds like a letter. Repeat entire process 2 more times, beginning with pressing into a 3/4" inch-thick dough rectangle again.
• Press or pat dough into a 1/2 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface; Dip edges of 2.5-inch biscuit cutter into flour and cut out a biscuit.DO NOT TWIST THE CUTTER! JUST PRESS FIRMLY DOWN, ONCE. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, placing biscuits side by side so they touch. Continue with existing dough. With the scraps, very lightly press dough together to form another rectangle and continue cutting out the biscuits. Caution! The MORE you work the dough and manhandle it, the tougher your biscuits will become so work with a very light hand when pushing the dough back together.
• Brush tops of biscuits lightly with cream.
• Bake for 14-16 minutes or until biscuits are lightly browned. Take out of oven by sliding the parchment paper with biscuits attached, onto table or counter top. Allow to sit for ONLY 1 minute, and transfer to a wire rack to cool for only a couple of minutes before serving. Caution! Moisture really builds up on the bottom of these biscuits, which is why they only sit on the parchment paper for 1 minute. Cooling on the rack for 2-3 minutes allows the cheese to set enough that it does NOT burn a person's mouth when eating it!
• VARIATIONS ON BISCUITS:.
• 1) Feta-Oregano or Marjoram: Stir 4-8 ounces of crumbled feta cheese and 1 teaspoon of either oregano or marjoram into the chilled butter/flour mixture before adding the buttermilk. Proceed with recipe as directed.
• 2) Bacon-Cheddar: Stir 6 cooked, drained, cooled and crumbled slices of bacon into the chilled butter/flour mixture along with 1/2 a cup of cubed Cheddar Cheese. Omit chives. Proceed with recipe as directed.
• 3) Gruyere-Rosemary: Stir in 1 cup of cubed Gruyere cheese and 1/2 tablespoon of fresh, snipped rosemary into the chilled butter/flour mixture. Use 1/4 cup of snipped chives and 1/2 tablespoon of freshly ground black peper. Proceed with recipe as directed.
• 4) Havarti-Dill: Stir in 1 cup of cubed Havarti cheese with 1 tablespoon of freshly snipped dill into the chilled butter/flour mixture. Omit chives. Proceed with recipe as directed.
• 5) Pimento Cheese: Stir in 1 cup cubed Sharp Cheddar Cheese with 1-4 ounce jar of DRAINED and patted dry Pimento into the chilled butter/flour mixture. Omit chives. Proceed with recipe as directed.
• 6) The ONE failure that I had was with Pepperjack Cheese. The actual cheese is too mild to taste in the end results and the remaining hot peppers were too much for the biscuit. Avoid this combination!

SAVORY CHEESE AND HERB BISCUITS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425 F.
• Grease a baking sheet and dust with flour or line it with parchment paper.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and dry mustard.
• Work the butter into the dry mixture with fingers or a pastry blender. The mixture should resemble coarse meal.
• Add the shredded cheese, Italian seasoning, chopped parsley, and milk.
• Mix together lightly with a fork, just until moistened.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently a few times, just until smooth. Don't overwork
• Roll out about 3/4-inch thick; cut out rounds or squares and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet.
• If desired, brush the tops with milk.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until browned.

SAVORY CHEESE & HERB BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 F degrees.
• Lightly grease an oven baking sheet with olive oil.
• In a large mixing bowl, add both flours, baking powder, Italian herb seasoning mix, salt, baking soda and pepper.
• Stir with a fork until well mixed.
• Cut in butter using a pastry blender or a fork until pastry resembles coarse crumbs.
• Stir in Parmesan cheese and cheddar cheese.
• Gently fold in buttermilk until well blended.
• Gather dough into a ball.
• On a lightly floured surface, gently knead dough 8 to 10 times.
• Dough will be slightly sticky.
• Roll out dough into a circle about 1/2 inch thick.
• Using a 1 1/2 inch cookie cutter, punch out dough.
• Place on greased cookie sheet about 1/2 inch apart.
• Gather up scraps of dough and re-roll and cut out remaining biscuits.
• Place on prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in preheated 425 F oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
• Serve biscuits hot with butter.
• If you prefer bite-size biscuits, then use a 1 1/4 inch cutter or make your own using the top of a spray can, there are many varieties of sprays to choose from. Just cut part of the top off so that you can clean easier.
• When cutting, dip the cutter into flour each time.

EASY CHEESY BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 170C/fan 150C/gas 5.
• Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl using your hands until a dough is formed.
• Roll out the dough to a thickness of 5mm. Then use a cutter to cut out the biscuits.
• Place the biscuits onto a floured baking tray and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden and crispy.

CHEESY CAYENNE SAVOURY BISCUITS

Steps:

• Mix the flour, mustard powder, cayenne pepper, rosemary and a generous grind of black pepper together until well-combined. Beat in the butter with a wooden spoon until the mixture resembles a smooth paste, then stir in the cheeses and egg yolk until evenly combined.
• Shape the dough into a 30cm log, rolling it back and forth on a clean work surface using the palms of your hands until it is an even thickness. Sprinkle the poppy seeds over a large sheet of baking parchment, put the log on top and roll back and forth until evenly coated. Wrap the log in the parchment, twist the ends and chill in the freezer for 35 mins until firm but not frozen.
• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and line two large baking trays with baking parchment. Unwrap the log, trim the ends and slice it into 1cm rounds. To get ahead, freeze the slices on lined baking trays, then tip into a freezerproof bag and freeze for three months (see tip, below). Place the rounds 3cm apart on the trays and bake for 12-15 mins until golden and slightly mottled on top. Leave to cool completely on the trays. Will keep in an airtight container for up to two weeks. Crisp in a hot oven if needed.

SAVORY CHEDDAR CHIVE BISCUITS

Steps:

• PREHEAT oven to 375°F.
• MIX dry ingredients in bowl. Crumbling butter into mix. Using your hands, work mixture until it resembles cornmeal. Stir in cheese and chives.
• WHISK egg, cream and buttermilk. Pour into the flour mixture and combine until the dough forms a ball.
• LIGHTLY flour a work surface and roll out dough anywhere from 1/2-inch to 1-inch thickness. Using a cutter, cut biscuits from dough.
• ARRANGE on parchment lined baking tray. Bake in oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

SAVORY MEDITERRANEAN BISCUITS

Steps:

• In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the first five ingredients (flour through salt). Using a pastry blender, cut in butter or margarine until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Next, stir in the cheese, chopped olives, and tomatoes.
• Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and quickly pour 3/4 cup light cream or half and half over it. Stir with a fork until just moistened.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Quickly knead by gently folding and pressing the dough until it's almost smooth. This should take about 10-12 strokes. Be careful not to over-knead as the biscuits will get tough. The dough will still be pretty soft.
• Lightly roll out dough into a 10-inch by 8-inch rectangle, about half an inch in thickness. Cut the dough into 2-inch squares.
• Arrange biscuits 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. In a small bowl, beat egg yolk with the tablespoon of light cream or half and half, then brush the top of each biscuit with this mixture.
• Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until biscuits are golden. Remove from baking sheet and serve warm with whole Kalamata olives, if you like.

HERB & CHEESE BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375F & line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl; stir in herbs & 1 cup of the cheese.
• Whisk egg & milk together in a small bowl; pour over the dry ingredients & stir until just combined.
• Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface; pat into a square that is approximately 8" and 2" thick.
• Slice into 8 rectangular pieces about 4" x 2" & transfer to the baking sheet.
• Brush with a little milk & sprinkle with remaining cheese; bake in oven until golden brown, approximately 18 to 20 minutes.
• Although you can serve these at room temperature, I prefer them warm!

CHEESE WHEATMEAL BISCUITS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the flours and oatmeal into a bowl and rub in the butter. Stir in the cheese. Add the egg yolk and mix in using a fork. When the mixture starts to clump together, use your hands to knead to a smooth dough.
• Place the dough between two sheets of baking parchment and roll out thinly to about 1/2cm. Cut out desired shapes and lift them using a palette knife onto a non-stick baking sheet. Reroll any trimmings and cut out more shapes. Bake in the oven for 12-14 mins until golden brown. Leave on the tray for a few minutes to firm up before removing to a cooling rack.
• Alternatively, take walnut-sized pieces of dough, roll into balls and place on the baking tray. Flatten slightly with a fork and bake as before.

CHEESE & ROSEMARY BISCUITS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Put the flours in a bowl and rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the cheese and rosemary, then add the yolk and mix in using a fork. When the mix starts to clump together, use your hands to knead to a smooth dough.
• Take walnut-sized pieces of dough, roll into balls and place on one or two lined baking trays. Flatten slightly with a fork, then bake for 12-14 mins. Alternatively, roll out between sheets of baking parchment and cut into shapes, then bake as before. Cool on the baking sheet for a few mins before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.