Categories: Breakfast
Ingredients
- 6 slices (~5 oz) thick-cut bacon, diced
- 1 cup (6 oz) all purpose flour
- 1 cup (5 oz) cake flour (or 3/4 cup all-purpose flour + 2 Tablespoons cornstarch)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick, 4 oz) frozen unsalted butter
- 1 cup (4 oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup minced chives
- 1 cup (8 oz) buttermilk
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 450°F.
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Place a cast-iron or stainless steel skillet over medium heat and fry the bacon until just crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and allow it to drain on a paper towel. Pour off all but one tablespoon of the bacon fat into a heat-proof bowl and reserve.
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In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Pulse several times to thoroughly combine. Quickly cut the frozen butter into large chunks with a sharp knife and add these to the food processor. Pulse food processor 8-10 times until meal is finely ground (be careful – the flour bounces up at first).
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Pour flour and butter mixture into a medium-sized bowl and stir in the bacon, cheese, and chives. Add the buttermilk all at once. Using a spatula or fork, gently mix until you see no more dry flour.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Additional Directions for Making Biscuits by Hand:
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• Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl. Use a box grater to shred your butter as quickly as possible and then toss this with the dry ingredients. Use a fork or pastry blender to further cut the butter into the flour until the pea-sized crumbs are formed. Continue with the recipe as above.