American Biscuits (Savoury Flakey Scones)

Flavour & Texture: THE FLAKIEST, melt in your mouth goodness that you need in your life. Buttery, cheesy and just good on their own or loaded with butter, cream cheese or even make into a breakfast sandwich.

Difficulty & Time: 2/5: They are a little extra work if you roll the dough out rather than scoop but gosh, they are so simple! Less than 40 minutes! Perfect as a quick breakfast or snack.

Versatility: You can make them savoury with cheese & chive, sundried tomatoes or even a sweet variation with spices chopped fruit. Be mindful of adding extra moisture as it may change the texture.

Plain flour: Nothing fancy here, just your good ole all purpose/plain flour. You don’t want to add bread flour as it contains more protein which will develop more gluten. Plain flour allows the dough to be airy, light and flakey when combined with the butter. If you want to make it healthy-ish, you can try out a wholemeal/wheat flour too! Be aware that different flour blends may create different results therefor you may need to tweak the recipe.

Baking powder: The classic leavener you’ll need when it comes to most cakes, cupcakes and muffins.

Salted Butter: A good butter brand is best, one that has a higher fat content. I use a lightly salted grass-fed butter therefore only add a small amount of salt in this recipe. Yes you can use unsalted but add 1/4-1/2 tsp extra salt.

Heavy whipping cream: Cream provides rich butterfat that creates a flakey, tender crumb and gives a wonderful flavour. The liquid also helps to create moisture within the biscuits.

Salt: A huge part of bread baking but really, all cooking needs SALT! While enhancing the flavour of all ingredients in the recipe and giving the ‘bready’ flavour we all love, it helps to tighten the gluten structure. That strengthening allows the dough to trap and hold more carbon dioxide more efficiently.

Cheddar cheese and variations: This part is optional but boy is it recommended! Cheese in these biscuits take them up a notch. Extra flavour, extra crunch is always a good thing. Cheddar is just the start though, go forth and try numerous types of cheese but also herbs and maybe sundried tomatoes or olives.

Egg Wash: For purely aesthetic reasons, whisked egg is used to give a brown, shiny appearance on baked goods. Egg wash just makes you feel all professional and takes your baked goods to another level.