I absolutely adore a good buttermilk biscuit. And I’ve gotten pretty good at making them. It may be the thing I am asked to cook for friends and family the most. I make them in bulk and keep them in the freezer. At a holiday brunch, I am famous for my biscuit bars – several types of biscuits, homemade jams, flavored butters and gravies in chafing dishes. I make biscuits with summer squash and gruyere, curry biscuits for pork tenderloin sandwiches, carrot and dill biscuits, strawberry biscuits, blueberry biscuits and fresh corn biscuits(a favorite of mine). In short, I love biscuits in all forms. But this one is over the top. A tender buttermilk biscuit flavored with green onions that opens to a melting cheddar cheese center.
As always, I recommend a soft Southern wheat flour like White Lily and whole buttermilk, the best you can find. I use one block of cheddar, grating some for the dough, then cubing the rest for the center. Shape the biscuits as you normally would, the cut a slit in the dough and stuff in the cheese. Pinch it closed then reshape it so you can’t see any kind of seam. Freezing the biscuits before baking gives the dough a chance to relax but also firms everything up so you get the tender biscuit and molten middle. Serve these warm from the oven and your dinners will be delighted by the surprise center.
Ingredients
2 cup self-rising soft wheat flour, like White Lily
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 green onions, minced
½ stick cold butter
4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
¾ cup cold buttermilk
6 (½ inch) cubes cheddar cheese
Directions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the flour, salt, pepper and green onions together in a large bowl. Grate over the cold butter and toss to coat with flour. Use your hands to rub the flour and butter together until it is crumbly, but some pieces of butter are visible. Grate over the cheddar cheese (not the cubes) and rub it in as you did the butter. Pour in about ½ cup of the buttermilk and stir to combine, then knead the dough lightly with your fingers until it just comes together. You may need to add more buttermilk. Don’t overwork the dough, just bring it together in a cohesive mass.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and pat it out to a circle about 1-inch thick. Cut four biscuits from the dough, then gather the scraps and lightly pat back into a 1-inch thick piece and cut two more biscuits. With each biscuit, hold it between your fingers and thumb and use a sharp, thin bladed knife to cut a slit in the biscuit about half-way through, a little pocket for the cheese. Stuff one cheese cube in each biscuit, then pinch the opening closed with your fingers. Re-shape the biscuit between your thumb and index finger until it looks like it was never opened at all. Place on the baking sheet. Place the biscuits almost touching with the side you opened next to the closest biscuit. Freeze the biscuits for at least half an hour, but overnight is fine (if leaving them overnight, cover with plastic wrap after they are frozen solid.
- Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Brush the tops of the biscuits lightly with buttermilk and bake for 20 – 22 minutes until browned and firm. Serve warm fresh from the oven.
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