biscuits on the brain

why you should consider making biscuits for breakfast tomorrow:

1.) they are insanely easy (and cute) to assemble.

2.) savory breakfasts are wonderful.

3.) they are terrific next to eggs, hash browns or tucked in a bowl of sautéed mustard greens, mushrooms and onions (or any veggies of your choice).

4.) leftovers will almost certainly accompany your dinner beautifully.

5.) you can double the recipe, flash freeze* most of the dough and have a stash in your freezer, ready to bake off a couple biscuits whenever the mood strikes you.

6.) bring a basket of warm biscuits to any social gathering and everybody loves you.

7.) they're a terrific way to get a ton of fat, refined flour and animal products in your body in a convenient little package.

8.) they're flexible. experiment with different cheeses, herbs and spices, or conversely, make them plain and let all the buttery goodness do the talking.

*to flash freeze dough (biscuit, scone, cookie, gnocchi dough, etc.), place individually formed, uncooked biscuits on a parchment lined baking sheet. freeze until firm, roughly half an hour, and then put biscuits in a ziploc freezer bag, airtight tupperware, etc. this prevents them from forming one doughy mass. when ready to bake, place dough directly from freezer onto a greased baking sheet, brush with egg wash and just add a few extra minutes of baking time. i also found that when biscuit dough has been frozen before baking, biscuits get slightly puffier, which i assume is because the butter is colder and can therefore melt more in the oven, creating more air pockets--which, for biscuits, is a win-win situation. note: the biscuits in these photographs had about 4 tbsps of chopped thyme in them. i've made them previously with no herbs, however, and i will concede that i thought they were better that way, allowing the cheese to stand alone. feel free to experiment, but don't be afraid of leaving these simple--they are plenty flavorful on their own.

other note: i'm sorry it's been butter/flour city around here recently. this will stop soon (i.e. after finals week), i promise.cheddar biscuits
adapted from new york magazine
makes 8 giant biscuits, or roughly a dozen circular biscuits (i like mine smaller, so i get about 15 per batch)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder, ideally aluminum free
• 1 tsp salt
• 8 tbsps (1 stick) cold butter, diced
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 3 eggs
• ¼ lb sharp cheddar cheese, diced

preheat oven to 400°F. combine flour with baking powder and salt. cut in the butter with a pastry blender, fork or two knives, until the butter chunks are pea-sized. do not overmix.

lightly whip two of the eggs and cream and add to the flour-butter mixture. using a wooden spoon, fold mixture until it begins to come together. add the cheese and mix until everything is incorporated.

turn out the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead gently for less than one minute. pat dough out to a ¾ to 1" thickness and either cut into 8 triangles or the shape of your choice with a biscuit cutter. make an egg wash by beating the remaining egg with a tsp of water. brush the biscuits with egg wash and place on a parchment-lined or well-greased baking sheet (your cheese will most likely melt all over the pan, so don't skimp on greasing because it's not easy to get off). bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.