Bacon, Cheese and Green Onion Buttermilk Biscuits

The idea of creating a savoury flavoured scone that I could portion up and freeze for early starts sounded great. I love something different for my breakfasts and tend to mix it up with toast, eggs, pancakes or cereal.  When I’m on the early shift at work it comes down to what is easily pre-prepared and portioned into the freezer that I can grab and go without thinking about it too much.

These American style biscuits (scones for us) are perfect for what I had in mind.  I followed the recipe to the letter the first time round but have shared a slightly adapted version which I think is better. My change is actually to omit the extra salt. Whilst I loved the buttery, flakey texture of these biscuits, I found them overly salty.  With cheese and bacon already in the mix you might like to add in a pinch but I think 2 teaspoons was excessive.

These are best eaten warm from the oven, but will work well frozen and reheated for a few minutes.  An indulgence I wouldn’t make every week, but definitely fun and tasty for something different.  I think they would be great to share if you were having friends around for brunch, shared with coffee and perhaps some spicy bloody mary’s and they’d be a complete meal in themselves.

Bacon, Cheese and Green Onion Buttermilk Biscuits

taken from Brown Sugar Kitchen by Tanya Holland

• 440g Plain Flour
• 1 TBL Sp Baking Powder
• 2 tsp salt (optional)
• 1 Tsp Baking Soda
• 280g Unsalted Butter, chilled and cut into cubes
• 360ml Buttermilk
• 55g sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 slices cooked bacon, chopped
• 2 Spring Onions, finely sliced, white part only

Pre-heat your oven to 220c. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking powder.

Using a large mixer bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, if using. Add the butter and combine until the cubes are reduced to small pea sized shapes. I used my electric mixer to do this but I think it would be equally as possible by hand, rubbing the butter into the flour. Drizzle in the buttermilk and mix until just when a dough starts to form.  Divide the dough into thirds.

In a small bowl combine the cheese, bacon and spring onions.

On a lightly floured bench with a floured rolling pin create a rectangle with one piece of dough, measuring approx 28 x 21cm. Sprinkle with half the bacon and cheese mix.   Roll out a second piece of dough to the same size and place on top of the other rectangle, sprinkle with the remaining mixture. Roll the third piece out and place on top of the other two. Place the layers onto the baking sheet and then press out with a rolling pin, or by hand to stretch to a size of approx 30cm x 25cm. At this point I cut the dough into equal squares with a sharp knife and then sprinkled with some extra cheese.  The recipe suggests though getting a cutter of approx 5cm diameter and cutting rounds to place onto the baking tray individually. I didn’t want the waste so was happy to go for a more rustic look.

Place your biscuits into the heated oven and bake until just starting to turn golden brown.  This will take approximately 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray before serving warm.

Shared With Love,

Leah