Buttermilk biscuits with cheddar and parsley

Herby, cheese-enriched biscuits. Based on a recipe from Mark Bittman, but using only buttermilk and incorporating a little sugar to help balance out slightly bitter baking powder, and the addition of herbs and cheddar.

Ingredients

Dough

• 2 cups (120 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3–5 tbsp. butter
• Buttermilk (roughly a cup)

You can replace perhaps half of the all-purpose flour with pastry flour (1 cup, 113 g), and the recipe will still work with a little whole wheat. Yogurt or regular milk will also work instead of buttermilk. Chilled or even frozen butter provides the best results.

For flavoring

• Chopped parsley (or other herbs)
• Chopped cheddar cheese
• Other options: dried herbs, red pepper

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Chop the herbs and cheddar.
3. Combine the dry ingredients.
4. Cut in the butter til the mixture takes on the consistency of coarse cornmeal. (I use a food processor.) Some pea-sized pieces of butter are fine or even desirable.
5. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add milk, stirring gently with a spoon, until the dough takes on a dry but slightly shaggy consistency. Dough should stick together but leave the sides of the bowl clean. Add more flour, carefully, if you let the dough get too wet.
6. Fold in the herbs and cheddar.
7. Roll out the dough on a well-floured surface, pressing gently. Fold the dough back over itself. Repeat this process of rolling and folding 2–4 times. (The rolling and folding helps to create layers. You can skip this step if you are in a hurry.)
8. The dough is now rolled out into a flat, wide form. Cut the dough into small squares. Place the biscuits on a lightly-oiled baking sheet. (Putting the biscuits close to each other will help the ensemble to rise more.)
9. Bake for 10–15 minutes. The biscuits will be done when the surfaces are a golden brown.