Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits

I'm not much of a baker, but ever now and again I try my best when I have a craving. The biggest challenge for me is not burning it! This morning I woke up craving biscuits. After searching a few recipes I stubbled upon cheddar buttermilk biscuits from Ina Garden, aka the Barefoot Contessa.

I ate these with 2 simple fried eggs and strawberry jam. Next time I make these however, I may add a few chopped chives and whip of some sausage gravy. My mouth is watering just thinking about that combination. Just think of everything you could add to these! Bacon. Chives. Green chilis.

Shopping List:

2 cups flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (very cold)

1/2 cup buttermilk (cold)

1 egg (cold)

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

flake salt

beaten egg for egg wash

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Mix the dry ingredients together. I used a kitchenaid mixer but you can also use a food processor or simly a regular bowl. Cut the butter into cubes and mix it into the dry ingredients. Use a slow speed otherwise you'll make a mess! If you don't have a mixer or food processor you can cut the butter into the dry ingredients with two knifes or a pastry cutter. It should resemble small pebbles. The moisture in the butter is what creates the flakiness in the biscuits when they are baking.

3. Whisk the buttermilk and egg together in a seperate glass or bowl. If you don't have buttermilk there are many substitutions. I didn't want to buy an entire container of buttermilk so I added 1/2 tbsp of white vinegar to 1/2 cup of milk. Add in the wet mixture and beat on medium-low speed. Add the cheese. Mix until everything comes together.

4. Dump the mixture onto your counter (make sure you floured the counter first). Kneed for a minute. Roll out to about 1/2 an inch thick. Either cut using any shape you'd like or simply cut into squares using a knife. Place on a baking sheet (spray or butter your sheet first) and brush with egg wash. Sprinkle a pinch of flake salt on each biscuit.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!