Cheddar Bacon Biscuits

I was browsing through the latest Williams Sonoma catalogue this week, dog-earing nearly every page with accompanying "Oooo I need that" or Mr. O's favorite, "I don't need that but its sooooo pretty."

I find each of their catalogues inspirational but there's just something extra special about this time of year that makes me want to bake and decorate... all the time. So, with that in mind when I mentioned how tasty the Cheddar Bacon Biscuits looked featured in the latest Williams Sonoma catalogue Mr. O jumped on it, suggesting I try them out.

This morning I made a batch and while I do have a few changes and suggestions, make no mistake. 

They. Are. Win.

I'm linking you to the Williams Sonoma recipe here but also detailing it below with my notes and suggestions. 

These are perfect for chilly fall weekend mornings. If you make a batch, by all means please let me know what you think!

Cheddar Bacon Biscuits

12-15 biscuits

6 oz. Bacon, diced (4 slices of thick cut bacon)

2 C 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 small pieces, plus 2 TBS melted butter

3/4 C Extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 C Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

1 C  Buttermilk

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees

Cook the bacon till crisp then tear into pea sized pieces and set aside. Pour 1-2 TBS of bacon grease into a biscuit baking pan and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and pepper. Cut in the cold butter until pea size crumbs form. A pastry blender would be perfect but I didn't have that so I used a potato masher for a minute or two. Then use your fingers to pinch the crumbs with the butter till it's fully incorporated. 

Stir in the bacon, cheddar and parmesan cheese. Slowly stir in the buttermilk until the dough just comes together. (NOTE: I didn't have buttermilk so I made some by adding 1 TBS of white vinegar to 1 cup of skim milk and letting it sit for 5+ minutes.)

Transfer the dough to a floured surface and gently need the dough by folding over, turning and folding over again. You can also use a roller but I prefer a more rustic look. Once dough is ready flatten to about 1/3 inch thickness and cut using a biscuit cutter. I actually use a mini wine glass I received at a wine tasting nearly 10 years ago. Its the perfect size and the base of the glass fits perfectly in my hand.

Lightly roll each biscuits in the bacon grease as you add it to the baking dish. If you run out of grease baste the remaining biscuits with the melted butter. I only had to use a little bit of the butter for the last two biscuits.

Bake for 25 minutes and let cool for a few minutes before serving with butter, naturally! 

Note: I mentioned to Mr. O that I thought the biscuits were a little dense and heavy to which he reminded me they had both bacon AND cheese. *rolling my eyes* Thanks a lot Captain Obvious! So my thought is next time I make a mini version using a 1 in. or 1 1/2 in. cutter. Of course to accomplish this I'll need to purchase actual biscuit cutters.  Oh well, lookey here... Williams Sonoma has a set of five for $16. I wonder what else I'll find that we "need."

Happy Baking!

Cheers, 
Ouiser