Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

While I'm doing my typing for this post, I'm actually munching a piece of biscuit. And you know what? I just can't stop! Ohhh... *nom~nom~nom~* THIS IS SO YUMMY!!!

I totally have no intention of baking this. Until I found a block of cheddar cheese in my fridge and it's expiring soon. So, I gotta get rid of it fast. I did a quick google and I found this recipe. I'm so so so so glad that I did it!

Before I bake this biscuit, I already started to imagine.... cheddar cheese, garlic, milk, butter. They are all perfect combination! This is probably one of the best cheddar cheese biscuit!

The texture is very similar to those buttermilk biscuit that we had in Texas Chicken. Soft, fluffy and flaky. They go great as a side for any meal!

Ingredients
(Source : Forty Something, with modification)
Yield : a dozen of biscuits, about 55 grams each

For the biscuits

• 250g All Purpose Flour (I used cake flour)
• 3 tbsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Salt (optional)
• 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder (I used 1 tsp finely minced garlic)
• 80g Cold Butter, cut into chunks
• 2 tbsp Corn Oil 
• 150g Cheddar Cheese, grated
• 125ml Fresh Milk

for the butter topping

• 3 tbsp Butter, melted
• 1 tsp Minced Garlic
• some parsley flakes

Note

1. I wanted lighter texture. So, I bravely used cake flour instead. 
2. Kraft cheddar cheese is salty. If you are using Kraft cheddar, I'd highly recommend you to omit the salt. The result of my cheddar cheese biscuit is at the salty side as I follow the recipe blindly. But if you are using better quality cheddar (preferably sharp cheddar), do add some salt in it.
3. The recipe ask for 1/4 tsp garlic powder. I don't have it at home. I substitute it with finely minced garlic. And I like it!
4. Using good butter for this recipe is really important. Cut the butter into chunks. Freeze it. Only take it out when you want to use it.

Method

1. Preheat oven 400 degree. Top and bottom heat, fan ON.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and garlic. Mix well.
3. Add in butter chunks. Using two forks or a pastry cutter, cut and press the butter into flour until it is coarsely binded together.
4. Set aside about 4 tbsp grated cheese for topping. Add the rest of the grated cheese into the flour mixture. Mix well. 
5. Add the 2 tbsp oil to the milk. And then, pour the mixture to the dough. Stir until the dough is moistened and no longer dry and powdery. It shouldn't be sticky. Just moist enough to hold together. Add more milk if dough is dry. 
6. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions (Should be about 55 grams), and drop it freely on the baking pan. Go ahead and make your biscuit smaller if you want. Slightly press it to shape them into the equal size and thickness if needed. There's no strict rules on how to shape the biscuit. I don't shape it. 
7. Bake the biscuit for 15 mins (if your biscuits are small) or 17 mins (if your biscuit is large, like mine, 55 grams)
8. While biscuits are baking, melt 3 tbsp butter in a small bowl, add in minced garlic to let the butter infused with garlic fragrant. 
9. Once the biscuits come out of the oven, use a brush to spread the garlic butter the top of all the biscuits. Use up all the butter. Sprinkle with parsley flakes. Serve warm. 

On its own, room temperature butter won't create the light, airy texture you want from biscuits. So, cold butter is important. The trick of making this biscuit is not to overwork the dough. Just everything together and you are done. No more working on the dough.

Sprinkle some parsley flakes at the end of the process. You could use scallion as substitute.

Look at this. It's indeed yumms! But due to the poor light situation in my kitchen, I failed to capture it's perfect look.

These tender biscuits are best eaten right from the oven. And like me, I can't wait.

This is the first time I made these, and I think I'm hooked! I will definitely buy better cheddar for my cheddar cheese biscuits next time.

This is a very tasty and easy bread to make. It makes great as breakfast, part of lunch and dinner as a side.

Happy Baking!