These biscuits are a wonderful alternative to other breads at
breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They’re a snap to make, particularly if
the dry ingredients have been mixed ahead of time. To make them for
gifts, line up the bags you’ll be putting them in and make an assembly
line. Half the cheese goes into the dry mixture; put the remaining
cheese for sprinkling on the biscuits’ tops in a plastic sandwich bag
and knot it.
Gift tag instructions: Preheat the oven to 425°
F. Put the contents of the bag (minus the cheese packet) in a bowl and
stir in 1 c. heavy cream. Stir to form a dough. You may need to add a
tablespoon or two of milk.
Turn out onto a lightly floured
surface and knead lightly about 20 times, but don’t overwork it. Pat
the dough about ½-inch thick. Cut into the desired shapes — rounds,
squares, or triangles — and place on a baking sheet, either greased or
covered with parchment paper. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle
with the remaining cheese. Bake 15–25 minutes, or until cooked through
and lightly browned.
- 1 3/4 c. all-purpose unbleached flour
- 1 T. baking powder.
- 1/2 tsp. kosher or sea salt
- 2 tsp. crumbled (not ground) dried Herbs de Provence, or rosemary, thyme, marjoram, or a combination
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, or to taste
- 1/2 c. grated parmesan, divided (do not use freshly grated if you’re packaging this up for gifts; it has too much moisture and will clump up)
- 1 c. heavy whipping cream
- Approximately 1–2 T. additional milk if necessary
- Melted butter for brushing the biscuits’ tops
Preheat
the oven to 425° F. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and
salt and stir to combine well. Crush the herbs lightly and add to the
flour mixture. Stir in the pepper and ¼ c. of the parmesan.
Mix in the heavy cream and stir to form a dough. You may need to add a tablespoon or two of milk.
Turn
out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly about 20 times,
but don’t overwork it. Pat the dough about ½-inch thick. Cut into the
desired shapes — rounds, squares, or triangles — and place on a baking
sheet, either greased or covered with parchment paper. Brush with
melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake 15-25
minutes, or until cooked through and lightly browned. Makes 6-12
biscuits.
This article appears in Dec 10-16, 2009.
