One look at food blogs and food magazines these days will tell you that it's chili season.
And what goes better with chili (with the possible exception of cornbread) than flavorful, cheese-laden biscuits? And since the my-take-on-chili post isn't ready yet, Now it's ready! I'm giving you biscuits first.
These are light, slightly chewy, and perfect for autumn soups, stews and chili (post up next here).
Buttermilk gives them a tang, the Jarlsberg cheese gives them a golden hue (to go with autumn of course), and a heft that can hold up to hot liquid. And they can be prepared in a snap. I swear: 15 minutes to prepare, 15 minutes to bake, and they're ready to eat.
A plus for me is that they are gluten free. Yep, made with my favorite gluten free flour, you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between these and wheat flour biscuits. Of course, if you don't need your biscuits to be gluten free, just substitute an equal measurement of regular all-purpose flour for the gluten free kind and off you go.
Enjoy!
Buttermilk Biscuits with Jarlsberg Cheese
Makes 12
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups gluten free flour, or regular all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon fine kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons cold butter, preferrably salt-free, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 cups grated Jarlsburg cheese
3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400-degrees.
Whisk the dry ingredients togther then cut in the butter using two knives, or a pastry blender, or buzz in your food processor for a few seconds.
Put the flour-butter mixture in a large bowl, add the grated cheese and toss with your fingers until the cheese is well integrated with the flour.
Make a well in the center of the flour and add 3/4 cup of the buttermilk, using a fork and your fingers to incorporate the buttermilk into the flour. Add more buttermilk if needed until it comes together as a dough. Keep a light touch when doing this so your dough doesn't get overworked which can result in a tough biscuit.
Place the dough on a well-floured surface, pat into a disk and gently flatten with your hands (flour them if needed) until 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch thick.
Cutting the biscuits with a 2 1/2-inch diameter round cutter will yield 12 biscuits.
Place the biscuits on a baking sheet and bake in the oven 15 minutes. Watch them carefully so they don't overbake.
When the biscuits are golden brown and give a little when pressed with your fingers, remove from the oven, cool slightly on a rack then serve with a steaming bowl of your favorite chili.
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