Black Pepper Biscuits – Buttermilk Biscuits Beat Bisquick!

Hot, fresh biscuits just make me feel warm and fuzzy!  After having spent a few years in high school working for Bob Evans, not only do I love fresh biscuits, but I love them with sausage gravy!  The hubby is also a huge fan and always orders biscuits and gravy when we go out for breakfast.  For years, I used Bisquick thinking that biscuits were hard to make.  After finally trying out a biscuit recipe, I realized how quick and easy they are.  I’ve made a few versions of Buttermilk Biscuits and when Bobby’s recipe was in the October issue of Food Network, I had to try them!  So far, they are my favorite!  And, they go great with my Dad’s recipe for Sausage Gravy.  Try these biscuits and you’ll never make Bisquick biscuits again!

Adapted from Bobby Flay, FoodNetwork.com 

• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus 4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick), melted
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, chilled
• 1/2 cup heavy cream – this is not a required ingredient
• Freshly ground pepper – black pepper and I don’t get along, so I omit it

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  No parchment?  Spray your baking sheet with pan spray.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the cold butter using your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and mix gently until the mixture just begins to come together.

Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured counter. Pat into a 10-by-12-inch rectangle, about 3/4 inch thick.  I like big, fluffy biscuits, so I rolled mine out to about an inch thick.  Use a 2-inch round cutter to cut out biscuits. Press together the scraps and repeat.

Place the biscuits 2 inches apart on the baking sheet – I like soft edges, so I place the biscuits next to each other; brush the tops with the cream or butter and sprinkle with pepper (use 2 teaspoons total). Bake until light golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Brush the biscuits with the melted butter and transfer them to a wire rack to cool at least slightly.

PREP: 10 minutes   COOK: 15 minutes   SERVINGS: 4

These biscuits were quick and easy to make plus they were light and fluffy, even without having a pastry cutter.  These are restaurant quality biscuits – you will love them, I promise!  So, save that bisquick for…umm, okay just toss it, you don’t need it anymore!

LEVEL: Easy   TIME: 25 minutes   GRADE: A