Cheddar-Bacon Biscuits
Enriched with diced bacon plus two kinds of cheeses, these savory biscuits are baked in a fry pan that’s brushed with a bit of bacon fat to further enhance the flavor.
Ingredients
- 6 oz. bacon, diced
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbs. baking powder
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 3/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
- 8 Tbs. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces, plus 2 Tbs. melted butter
- 3/4 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. buttermilk
Directions
Preheat an oven to 425°F.
In an 11-inch fry pan over medium-high heat, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Discard all but 1 Tbs. of the fat in the pan. Using a pastry brush, spread the fat evenly over the pan bottom. Finely chop the bacon. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and pepper. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the cold butter until pea-size crumbs form, then use your fingers to pinch the crumbs into flat disks. Stir in the cheddar and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses and the bacon. Stir in the buttermilk until the dough just comes together.
Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and roll out into a 9 1/2-by-11-inch rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds, rotate 90 degrees and roll out into the same-size rectangle. Fold into thirds again, rotate 90 degrees and roll out into a 7-by-9 1/2-inch rectangle about 1⁄2 inch (12mm) thick. Using a floured 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out biscuits and place in the fry pan. Gather up the scraps, reroll the dough and cut out more biscuits. You should have 9 biscuits around the circumference of the pan and 3 in the center. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the melted butter.
Bake the biscuits until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 12 biscuits.