I’ve made Bacon Cheddar Biscuits before. But biscuits, especially Bacon Cheddar Biscuits, deserve to be revisited occasionally. That’s because I tend to make biscuits the same way I was taught and I was taught to use lard.
I like lard biscuits. I like lard because it has an almost imperceptible meatiness. I don’t usually tell people I use lard though. Folks can be downright finicky about lard.
Of course these days a lot of people get finicky about gluten too. It’s hard to fib your way through flour when you serve your guests biscuits. Let’s face it biscuits are fairly elemental. The basic ingredients are, flour, fat and liquid. Most folks know this.
My experience with biscuit making tells me that the fat and the liquid are debatable, but the flour is not. In the South it’s common to find soft wheat flour brands like White Lily (often called cake flour). These low-protein flours will generate less gluten. Making a soft crumbly biscuit. Where I come from there’s no controversy or baggage concerning the flour. It must be White Lily.
But what if I’m wrong? What if a good biscuit can be made with butter and all-purpose flour? The whole idea seems a bit scandalous to me. I’ve made all-butter biscuits before and they had a far less satisfying crumb in my opinion. I strongly believe that lard produces a delicate, silken texture that butter just can’t match. So when I saw a recipe for Bacon Cheddar Biscuits with Maple Chile Butter in the Los Angeles Times recently. I noted that the recipe was made with butter (that’s fine I guess) and all-purpose flour (that’s not). So I rolled my eyes in superiority and nearly turned the page.
That’s when I noticed that the recipe used the folding method of working the dough. Which means you use your hands, a lot. I was taught to touch the dough as little as possible. It’s how you get a biscuit to crumble just right (Isn’t it? Isn’t it?). But what if your goal isn’t a crumbly biscuit with a silken texture, but a flaky biscuit with multiple layers? Would the flour matter in that case (Would it? Would it?)?
Well let me just say, despite the butter, despite the all-purpose flour, and despite me pawing and patting the dough like a 5‑year old with a mud pie– these biscuits were perfect. They didn’t have the same sort of crumble I’m used to, but they were layered in a way I really liked. I guess these Bacon Cheddar Biscuits taught me that you just never know, until you know. GREG
maple
Bacon Cheddar Biscuits with Maple Chile Butter
Print This Recipe Yield 12Source Slightly adapted from the Los Angeles TimesPublished
Ingredients
- 16¼ ounce all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 6 ounce frozen unsalted butter
- 1 pound crispy, cooked bacon (chopped into bits)
- 4 ounce grated Gruyère cheese
- 6 ounce grated cheddar cheese
- 1 cup chilled buttermilk
- 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon water (as egg wash)
- freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1/8 teaspoon arbol chile powder
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup
Directions
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Use a box grater to gate the frozen butter into the mixture. Then use two knives to cut the butter into the flour mixture until a coarse, grainy texture is achieved. Stir the cooked bacon, grated Gruyère and cheddar cheese, slowly add the buttermilk and beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture is just combined, be careful not to overwork the dough.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and use the flats of your hands to press to a thickness of approximately three-fourths of an inch. Fold the dough into thirds and repeat two more times. Gently press the dough into a rectangle shape measuring 8 inches by 6 inches. Cut the rectangle into 12 (2‑inch) square biscuits.
Carefully transfer the biscuits to a rimmed baking sheet, spacing them an inch or so apart
Place the biscuits on the baking sheet in the freezer to chill for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Remove the biscuits from the freezer and brush all exposed sides with egg wash; sprinkle the tops with black pepper. Place the biscuits in the oven and reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the baking sheet and continue baking until the biscuits are set and golden in color, an additional 12 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile make the maple chile butter. In a medium bowl, beat together the room temperature butter, chile powder and maple syrup until the powder and syrup are fully mixed in with the butter. Taste and season as desired with salt. Refrigerate until needed.
Just pulled these beauties out the oven. Didnt have bacon used crispy onions and they are fabulous. Mmmmmm
Yay! GREG
Yep- this is the way I’ve made biscuits for many years now, and this Southern transplant had actually come to prefer these. Gues it harks back to the Frenchy in me before the Southerner.
Im visiting my cousin in Raleigh, NC and she made some last night…I’m printing this recipe for her and making the butter. Really a great recipe and they look so good…there is nothing like a good biscuit and you mastered it.
These biscuits look fantastic, and I’m all for butter. My biscuit recipe (made with butter) is my number one post that generates a positive comment at least weekly and mostly from men. I don’t know why these men are making biscuits but when my site went down last week I got two emergency emails asking for the biscuit recipe, both from men! I’ll be honest though, I use White Lily and not all purpose, although I’m going to experiment with that because white lily is not available everywhere. One guy told me he even ordered White Lily on line just to make my biscuits. So with all the gluten free hoopla, there is still an audience for our baking and can I say “hooray” on that one. xoxo
Oh my. My,my,my. I want to know.
Dude, those look.….nope, can’t use that word.…not that one either.…ummm well hell they look incredible. Seriously, even though that word is overused. I want these now.
I’m drooling. These look amazing!
You totally got this southern boy’s attention with this post, Greg! I have some leaf lard in my fridge as I write and I’m going to have to make some biscuits with it. It’s the only thing my grandma used in her biscuits. Bacon in a biscuit?? Yes, please!
I can’t think of anything better to go with a Sunday mimosa.
Wow, these biscuits look tasty. I usually use butter and AP flour. I guess a prefer a flaky biscuit! Need to try White Lily and lard, and compare textures.
Love this post, Greg! Ad for many reasons. First, it made me laugh (again). Second, I have never even thought of making a biscuit with either lard or While Lily. Tie, to delve into your archives and get a biscuit recipe with them.
I grew up on lard and still say it is the best way. Although I do enjoy making a good old fashion mud pie even if I am way beyond 5 years old.
SO YUMMY!!
Love the look of these savoury biscuits! You can never go wrong with bacon and cheddar together.. I think I will be recreating the recipe and adding some rosemary? or caramelized onions?
This looks a whole lot better than a mud pie to me!
Hmmmm…sort of a combo approach between a traditional biscuit and a laminated dough like you would use to make croissants or puff pastry, I like the sound of it. Never cooked with lard, guess I should huh? I certainly have cooked most other parts of the pig.
This reminds me I need to learn to render my own pork fat to make lard. Because lard is kinda the best. Although I too am a bit scandalized by butter in the biscuits, I really just want an excuse to make and eat these.
I like your attitude — you just never know until you know. I too saw this Rx in the Times and wondered about it. I’m glad you took the plunge. The truth is that there are lots of ways to make a biscuit. I can’t say that every method will produce that special crumble — the equivalent of the biscuit lovers “je ne sais quoi”, but if it tastes good and it’s satisfying, then I’m not going to argue technique. That just takes all the fun out of it. Now, about these biscuits, I say, pass it over to me. I’d love to try one.
Your description of patting the dough made me laugh. The biscuits look super delicious Greg! Well done.