Buttermilk Biscuits with Pimento Cheese and Bacon
These ultra-flaky, tender biscuits are perfect pulled apart when still warm and topped with a smear of pimento cheese and a few strips of bacon. Freeze unbaked biscuits for up to a month—when ready, bake straight from the freezer until golden brown, about 25 minutes.
Ingredients
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1¼ cups buttermilk chilled, plus more for brushing
- Flaky sea salt for garnish
- Pimento cheese for garnish
- Cooked bacon for garnish
Instructions
- ►Heat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Add cubed butter. Toss to coat and freeze bowl for about 10 minutes.
- ► Use a pastry cutter to cut butter into flour until butter pieces are about the size of large peas. Use your fingers to rub the larger pieces into flat shards, coating them in flour as you go.
- ► Drizzle buttermilk over the flour-butter mixture a little bit at a time and fold it in with a rubber spatula until dough just comes together—it will appear shaggy and dry.
- ► Knead dough a few times, transfer it to a lightly floured surface, and pat into a 1-inch-thick square. Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut dough into quarters. Stack pieces on top of one another, sandwiching any rogue pieces in between them. Use a rolling pin to flatten and shape the dough into another 1-inch-thick square. Use the knife to trim around the edge of the dough to create clean edges. Discard edges. Cut dough into 12 even rectangles.
- ►Carefully transfer biscuits to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly. Freeze for about 15 minutes. Before baking, brush with buttermilk and top with flaky sea salt. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until biscuits have puffed up and are golden brown on the top and bottom.
- ►Cool slightly before topping with pimento cheese and bacon.
Styled by Kendra Smith.
Polina Chesnakova
Polina Chesnkova is a Seattle-based food writer, cooking class instructor, and the author of Hot Cheese: Over 50 Gooey, Oozy, Melty Recipes.
