How to make Southern cheddar biscuits

Kate Elliott

Contributing Writer

Southern Cheddar cheese biscuits. They're perfect, whether you're smothering them in gravy or dunking them in a hot bowl of chili. And of course, if you just want to slather them in butter, that's perfectly okay too, particularly if they're still hot from the oven. They taste so good, everyone around your table will think that you spent hours in the kitchen making them. But as the recipe below shows, they can be very, very simple.
If you really want to go old-school, you could cut the butter into the flour with two knives, your hands, or a pastry cutter. But, while I love old-school taste, I really love modern technology. And that's why I make my Southern Cheddar biscuits in a food processor. It cuts down prep time to just a few minutes, so you can enjoy your biscuits even sooner.

Cooktop Cove

Southern Cheddar Biscuits

16 biscuits

10 minutes

25 minutes

35 minutes

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup cold butter, cut into 1" pieces

1/4 cup shortening

1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda into a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse a few times to ensure the dry ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.

Add in the butter and pulse several times to incorporate it throughout the dry ingredients. Continue pulsing until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the cheese and then, while running the food processor, add the buttermilk all at once. Stop running the processor as soon as the mixture comes together.

Dump the contents of the food processor onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough by gently folding it in half, pressing down, and then turning the dough and repeating the same motion. Do this 4 to 6 times, until the dough completely holds together and is smooth.

Pat or roll the dough into a 12-inch square. Using a knife, cut the dough into 3" squares, or use a cookie cutter to form the biscuits.

Arrange the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until they are golden.

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