Bacon and Cheddar Biscuits with Maple Chipotle Butter
I wanted to replicate an incredibly delicious biscuit that I tasted at a local restaurant-- and I think I did it! To the biscuits, I added cooked bacon and sharp cheddar cheese. A slathering of Maple Chipotle Butter is the perfect finish to this "gourmet" biscuit. One bite is a tender, buttery biscuit with the salt of the bacon, a tang of cheese, the sweet of maple syrup and the subtle heat of the Chipotle Chili butter. It went perfectly with fried chicken!
Servings 12 biscuits
Ingredients
For the butter:
- 1 stick butter softened
- 4 Tablespoons pure maple syrup (about 1/4 cup) NOTE: Do not use pancake syrup!
- 1/2 teaspoon Chipotle Chili Powder increase if you like more spice
For the biscuits:
- 2 cups Unbleached Self-Rising Flour I used King Arthur brand
- 1/4 cup cold butter cut into pats, or shortening (I used all butter)
- 2/3 to 3/4 cup cold milk or buttermilk I recommend buttermilk
- 6 strips of bacon sliced into thin strips (lardons)
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese or cheddar of your choice
Instructions
To make the butter:
- With a mixer, whip the butter until creamy.
- Add the maple syrup and chipotle chili and whip until blended.
- Taste, and adjust the maple syrup to chili ratio to your liking. We like just enough chipotle powder where you taste a subtle heat in the back of your throat, but we don't want to breathe fire!
- TIP: You can spread the butter into a strip of plastic write then roll into a log, then chill. You can slice what you want, or even freeze it for later.
For the biscuits:
- Preheat the oven to 425°.
- Slice the bacon into thin "lardons" and cook until just crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel and cool. Once cool, chop into small pieces.
- Shred the cheese and set aside.
- Place the flour in a bowl. Work in the butter or shortening just until crumbs are the size of large peas.
- TIP: I prefer to use frozen butter (or chilled) and to grate the butter. This make blending the butter into the flour, very easy to do.
- Add 2/3 cup of the milk or buttermilk, and gently stir until the mixture holds together and leaves the sides of the bowl, adding more milk or buttermilk if needed.
- Scoop the dough onto a well-floured surface, and fold it over on itself several times, using more flour as needed to prevent sticking.
- NOTE: Don't knead the dough, just fold it over on itself to create tender layers.
- Roll or pat the dough into a 5" x 8 1/2" rectangle about 1/2" to 3/4" thick.
- Cut biscuits with a sharp, round 2" cutter; dipping the cutter into flour between cuts to reduce sticking. Or cut the rectangle into 12 small rectangular biscuits, with a sharp knife, which will allow you to skip the step of re-rolling and cutting scraps.
- If you've used a round cutter, pat the scraps together, and cut additional biscuits.
- Place the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet (I place mine on parchment paper), leaving about 1" between them for crisp biscuits. Arrange biscuits so they're barely touching for soft-side biscuits. For higher-rising soft-side biscuits, place biscuits in an 8" round pan.
- Bake the biscuits for 10 to 14 minutes, or until they're a light golden brown.
- Remove them from the oven, and serve hot.
- Cool leftovers completely, wrap airtight, and store at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage. To refresh room-temperature biscuits, place on a baking sheet, tent lightly with foil, and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 10 to 13 minutes, until heated through.
- Yield: about 1 dozen 2" biscuits.
Notes
Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.com