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Cheese Biscuits

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April 26, 2011
19 Comments

Cheese Biscuits

- Merrill

Frequently on Tuesdays, Kristen shows up to our photo shoot bearing an armload of goodies from Bluebird Coffee Shop. All of the baked treats from this tiny gem of a place in the East Village of Manhattan are delicious, but our little cadre has pinpointed a couple of particular favorites: the doughnuts (more on those later this week from Amanda), and the cheese biscuits -- impossibly tender and almost melting within, the subtle bite of cheddar woven throughout.

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The other week, Amanda and I went to visit Adam Baumgart in his pastry kitchen in the basement of Bluebird, and he taught us how to make both of our top picks, sharing his tips and tricks along the way. I will leave the doughnuts for Amanda but now happily present Adam’s recipe for his heavenly biscuits:

Cheese Biscuits

Adapted from Bluebird Coffee Shop

Makes 10 to 12 large biscuits

  • 3½ cups minus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 2½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 9 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cold unsalted butter (use a good brand, like Plugra, with a high butterfat content)
  • 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1¾ cups buttermilk
  • 1 large egg
  •  
 
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A New Way to Dinner, co-authored by Food52's founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, is an indispensable playbook for stress-free meal-planning (hint: cook foundational dishes on the weekend and mix and match ‘em through the week).

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Merrill Stubbs
I'm a native New Yorker, Le Cordon Bleu graduate, former food writer/editor turned entrepreneur, mother of two, and unapologetic lover of cheese.

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19 Comments

Naing L.
Naing L. August 25, 2013
please let me test your technique and then I will be thank you for your kindness and intelligence.Good luck for you.
 
maddiegee
maddiegee July 1, 2011
i have recipes for cheese biscuits too!!

I'm Maddie, I'm an intern at Artisanal Cheese Company with Max McCalman and I write about all cheeses--blue included.

I love your site and I'd love for you to see mine!

http://cheeseandpoetry.webs.com/

 
kellyrossiter
kellyrossiter May 9, 2011
These were the best biscuits I've made, and everybody raved about them. I didn't have a biscuit cutter so I used a sharp knife and cut them into triangles, the advantage being that there was no waste so I didn't have to pat down scraps. My kids gave me some biscuit cutters yesterday for Mother's Day. I believe they are trying to tell me something.
 
AmyNitrate
AmyNitrate May 1, 2011
Would love to get your recipe for biscuits and gravy, too!
 
Merrill S.
Merrill S. May 2, 2011
I'll have to work on that!
 
jmddc
jmddc May 1, 2011
I just learned that the Bluebird Coffee Shop closed last week! Sold to Cafe Madeline. Thanks for sharing this recipe. It will be a nice keepsake.
 
Merrill S.
Merrill S. May 2, 2011
I know, so sad...
 
tweeter10
tweeter10 May 1, 2011
I am eating a cheese biscuit as I write this. They are beautiful and will add a colorful presentation to our next meal. The recipe produced 24 3" biscuits instead of the 10-12 as indicated in the recipe
The recipe was easy - although the dough was very sticky and I added about 1/4 - 1/2 cup flour after remvoving it from the mixer.
Substitutions I made to the recipe:
3/4 sharp and 1/4 extra sharp cheese and (since we live 1/2 hour from a groccery store) I substituted SACO cultured powdered buttermilk) for the real stuff. I also used regular unsalted butter.
My husband is raving about these buscuits but they are too salty for me. I don't know why that is - was it the cheese (inexpensive) or my taste buds?. I will make them again, but add less salt and use real buttermilk.
I would uppload a picture because they look so good - but I can't find out how to on this site;(
 
Merrill S.
Merrill S. May 2, 2011
Interesting. Not sure about the discrepancy in number of biscuits -- did you pat the dough out twice, or more than that? I'm also puzzled about the saltiness, although one other person mentioned that too o the recipe page. We didn't think ours were too salty, but maybe it's a matter of taste? Or perhaps the type of cheese used, as you mentioned. If you head on over to the recipe page, you can click to add a photo right under the photo that's there now.
 
betteirene
betteirene April 26, 2011
Leftover ham (fried), bubble and squeak cooked until golden, ginger-aled carrots and these cheesy biscuits--it was really, really good.
 
Merrill S.
Merrill S. April 26, 2011
What a meal!
 
Literary E.
Literary E. April 26, 2011
This is the only buttermilk biscuit recipe I've ever seen that doesn't require additional baking soda! I can't wait to try this.
 
Merrill S.
Merrill S. April 26, 2011
Hope you like them!
 
fozziebayer
fozziebayer April 26, 2011
I've made biscuit dough in the food processor before--you think that'd work for this recipe, too?
 
Merrill S.
Merrill S. April 26, 2011
Adam told us that using a mixer is actually much gentler on doughs -- it was a first for us!
 
sinclairsupperclub
sinclairsupperclub April 26, 2011
Cheese biscuits take me back to Sunday dinners during summer vacation at my great-grandmother's house in rural (read: middle of nowhere) North Carolina. There are definitely a southern thing. The fact that you found them in the East Village makes me smile! Thanks for the recipe.
 
Merrill S.
Merrill S. April 26, 2011
You're welcome! The genius is all Adam.
 
betteirene
betteirene April 26, 2011
Don't you think that these would be really good, I mean really, really good, with leftover Easter ham for dinner tonight? Yes, I think I will. Thanks, A&M and Kristen and Adam, for sharing.
 
Merrill S.
Merrill S. April 26, 2011
Yes, indeed.