Garlic Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits

If you are from the South, or if you have ever traveled to the South, you know the Southerners love their biscuits and cornbread.  They eat either one of these all the time, with almost every meal.  There are almost as many different recipes for each as there are people eating them too.  Everyone has their own secret or family tradition for making them, and often times these traditions have been handed down through the family for generations.  Don’t mess with someone’s recipe for either biscuits or cornbread unless you know it can stand the test of time and tradition.   My mother was from Southeast Texas.  She was not a particularly good cook, and could only cook a few things well, but she did know how to make her biscuits.   When my mom and dad first got married, my dad wanted her to make scones.  He was from Australia, and scones were their version of biscuits.  My mom tried and tried to make his scones the way he wanted them, but they just never turned out quite right.  One day, she finally gave up and just made biscuits instead.  My dad was elated, telling her “that’s what he had been asking for all along”.    It just goes to show, one man’s scone is another man’s biscuit.

I made garlic cheddar biscuits and served them with my Cajun Style Spaghetti Squash with Chicken.  Cajun Style Spaghetti Squash with Chicken  The smooth flavors or the biscuits complimented the spiciness of the Cajun Spaghetti Squash very well.  It was almost like they were meant to be paired up with each other.   With a little butter on the biscuits, because we all know everything is much better with butter, we had quite a sumptuous meal.

I HATE regular buttermilk, and I do not use it often enough in recipes to buy the “real” stuff, so I buy the powdered buttermilk and mix it with regular milk (or water) when I need it.  It lasts a lot longer and you use and make just what you need.  Also, I did not use self-rising flour, so I added 1 tsp of baking powder to my regular flour.

I made my biscuit batter just like I made my basic-go-to-dough.  I mixed the flour, and all the dry ingredients with COLD butter cubes in my food processor until everything was crumbled together.  You can also do it by hand with a a pastry cutter, but it is so much faster and easier just to put it all in the food processor.  Then I add my cheese and pulsed it all together again until it was once more very light and crumbly, and everything was all incorporated together.  You can see my Sous Chef, Lucie in the background, seeing how she can help.

Once everything is blended together, dump it all into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.  Add the buttermilk into the center of the well, and then start mixing it in with the dry ingredients.  Only mix until everything is just mixed in.  DO NOT over mix or your biscuits will turn our very tough.

Once everything is mixed together, use a 4 oz ice cream scoop and scoop the batter into your baking pan to make your biscuits.  You can put them all in a cast iron skillet that is oven safe or you can use a muffin pan like I did.  Either way is fine, just a little different presentation.  The taste is just the same either way.  Right before baking, melt some butter and add chopped parsley and garlic powder.  I normally do not use garlic powder, however, I made an exception here, since I was using it as a spread.

 

Garlic Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits

3 cups flour

1 tsp garlic powder (I used garlic herb powder)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp dried minced onion or onion powder

1/2 cup or 1 stick of COLD butter, cubed + 3 TBSP melted butter

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp chopped parsley

1/4 tsp garlic powder

 

Preheat the oven t 425* F

Use butter or cooking spray on the bottom of your baking pan or skillet.

Mix together all the dry ingredients and COLD butter together until crumbly, then add your cheese and continue to mix again.  Once everything is mixed together well, pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center of the mix.  Add the buttermilk, and incorporate it into the mixture.   Mix just until everything is incorporated.  Do not over mix the batter.  it will make your biscuits turn out tough.

Once everything is mixed together, scoop the batter into your baking pan to make your biscuits.  You can put them all in a cast iron skillet that is oven safe or you can use a muffin pan like I did.   Melt the remaining butter and mix with the parsley and remaining garlic powder.  Brush over the tops of the biscuits and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until light and fluffy and lightly golden in color.  Serve hot or warm, with  butter.  Delicious!  You’re going to love it.  I gar-un-tee it!