Make Ahead

Sour Cream Biscuits with Horseradish, Chives and Bacon

March 29, 2011
3.8
4 Ratings
  • Makes 8 Biscuits
Author Notes

When my younger son was home from college on spring break a few weeks ago, it rained hard, just about every day. That meant a lot of soups, stews and “things over toast” dinners. We were running low on bread one evening, so I made some biscuits instead. I’d been playing with using ricotta whey in baked goods that week, so the original version of this was made with heavy cream, ricotta whey and Greek yogurt. Realizing that not everyone has whey on hand (or cares to make ricotta, to get it), I started experimenting with other combinations of cultured and sweet milk products. This is a variation on one of them. They were all inspired by Merrill’s version of the Fannie Farmer Cream Biscuits recipe. If you don’t have barley flour, you can substitute all-purpose for it. These are terrific warm, slathered with organic cultured cream cheese. Enjoy!! ;o) - AntoniaJames —AntoniaJames

Test Kitchen Notes

These tender, delicate biscuits are a wonderful combination of bacon, chives and horseradish. I recommend using the full four tablespoons of horseradish for a nice kick. The combination of flours adds a wonderful nutty dimension, but if you don't have them all on hand, follow AntoniaJames's suggestion and substitute all-purpose flour. - biffbourgeois —Stephanie Bourgeois

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Ingredients
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup barley flour
  • 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • ¼ cup toasted wheat germ
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder (aluminum free)
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 3 slices natural bacon, cooked until crisp and cut into ½ -inch squares
  • 3 tablespoons sliced chives
  • 3 - 4 tablespoons nice bottled horseradish (I use Bubbie’s.)
  • 1 tablespoon of melted butter for brushing the biscuits
  • ¾ cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients; add the bacon pieces and chives and stir to combine.
  3. Drain the horseradish by putting it in a fine sieve over a small bowl, and pressing down gently. Mix about two teaspoons of the reserved liquid into the melted butter.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the drained horseradish, sour cream and heavy cream.
  5. Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir to combine, then turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead about ten quarter-turns. Flour your hands well if the dough seems sticky.
  6. Put the dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Shape it into a 7” disk, then cut the disk into eight wedges. Pull them apart, leaving at least an inch between each piece.
  7. Brush with the horseradish-flavored melted butter.
  8. Bake for 15 minutes or until a rich golden brown around the edges. (If you like them lighter, they should be done after about 13 minutes.)
  9. Enjoy!! ;o)

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Recipe by: AntoniaJames

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19 Reviews

Table9 April 5, 2011
Brilliant idea!
gingerroot March 31, 2011
Oh AJ, I bet these taste amazing!!
Bevi March 30, 2011
This is my kind of biscuit, although I know at this point that's not an original thought!
AntoniaJames March 30, 2011
Thanks, Bevi! I'm glad you like them.
fiveandspice March 30, 2011
Wow! These look awesome. Can't wait till I have some time to try them!
AntoniaJames March 30, 2011
Thanks so much, FAS. I do hope you get to try them. ;o)
kmartinelli March 30, 2011
This definitely sounds like my kind of biscuit! And I always seem to have sour cream on hand and am looking for good uses for it.
AntoniaJames March 30, 2011
Thank you, kmartinelli. I often have leftover sour cream on hand as well, which is precisely why I started experimenting with it in biscuits. Plus, I really like any cultured product in baked goods like this. So it was a natural. ;o)
MyCommunalTable March 29, 2011
These are my kind of biscuits. Yum.
AntoniaJames March 30, 2011
Thanks, MCT. Mine, too. Bet they'd be tasty with some of that Heritage spread on them. Double yummmm. ;o)
TheWimpyVegetarian March 29, 2011
We're definitely on the same wavelength - I was wanting to make some horseradishy rolls this week (gougere-like) and generally experiment with baking with horseradish, but don't think I'll have time to do them this week :-( Your recipe looks really good (as usual!) - I'm definitely going to try them once I get a little more breathing space. Thanks for posting this!
AntoniaJames March 30, 2011
Thanks, CS! Yes, I hear you about needing a little more breathing space. I could use a some myself, these days. ;o)
hardlikearmour March 29, 2011
Lovely! Your baking ideas are always way out of my league!
AntoniaJames March 30, 2011
Awww shucks, HLA. The feeling is mutual. Thanks for your kind comment. ;o)
inpatskitchen March 29, 2011
I want these now!!
AntoniaJames March 30, 2011
Thanks, IPK. So glad you find them appealing. ;o)
drbabs March 29, 2011
Great minds! I made bread, too! These biscuits sound amazing.
AntoniaJames March 29, 2011
Thanks! I finally found some fresh horseradish during my lunch break, so I may give these a go using fresh. Trying to close two deals this week, so who knows . . . . . ;o)
drbabs March 29, 2011
Fresh is really amazing when you bake it. You get these little nuggets of flavor and a tiny bit of heat. When you grate it, you can barely open the food processor for the fumes. (I can't imagine hand grating it.)