Buttermilk Biscuits with Green Onions, Black Pepper and Sea Salt

Kelly Rossiter Photo
Kelly Rossiter

Difficulty Level Easy

Earlier this year when I noticed the price of bread skyrocket, my daughter challenged me to bake all of our bread for an entire month. So starting on the first of May, I managed to bake all of the bread we ate and ended up saving a fair amount of money. Now that we are all watching our pennies, I've decided to start baking bread more often, if not everyday.

I love baking bread. I love the smell of yeast, kneading the dough and the magnificent aroma of bread baking that fills the house. I love the sense of accomplishment that comes when you turn out a loaf and you hear that hollow sound as you tap it, letting you know it's done. So far this week I've baked biscuits and my famous cheddar cheese bread.

This recipe calls for self-rising which I used because I had it on hand for some entirely unknown reason. Making them a second time, I would use regular, unbleached flour and add a teaspoon of baking powder instead.

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup chilled buttermilk
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
2 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper plus additional for sprinkling
1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus 1 tablespoon melted butter
Coarse sea salt
(1 stick)

PREPARATION:

  1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly grease it. Combine buttermilk and green onions in medium bowl. Whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper in large bowl to blend. Add 1/2 cup chilled butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk mixture and stir until moist clumps form.
  2. Gather dough together. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead gently just to combine, about 3 to 4 turns. Roll out to 3/4-inch thickness. Using floured 2-inch cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out rounds. Re-roll scraps and cut out additional rounds. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Brush tops of biscuits with melted butter. Sprinkle each lightly with coarse sea salt and ground black pepper.
  3. Bake biscuits until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
This recipe appears in: Biscuits & Scones