Cheddar Rosemary Biscuits

Cheese is traditional for Shavuot across Jewish traditions. In honor of the upcoming holiday, I want to share a recipe for a baked good I’ve come to make fairly frequently in recent years. These cheddar rosemary scones are based partly on a traditional British scone, and partly on an Amish biscuit recipe. What I appreciate about this family of recipes is that baking soda and baking powder make for an incredibly fluffy final product – one that is very fluffy. One of my favorite sensory joys, too, is watching the baking soda already act and rise when it hits the buttermilk as you mix the dough for these or a soda bread. If you are sighted, I hope you enjoy this too.

You could grate your own cheddar for this recipe, but I make it with the discount shredded sharp cheddar from the supermarket and it is perhaps even more delicious, given that the machine shredder loses less of the cheese than me on a food processor or box grater. Modernist food for the win.

Cheddar Rosemary Scones

Makes 15-18 biscuits

2 cups white flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

¾ teaspoon table salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar (any type of shred is fine)

¼ cup melted butter or vegetable oil (either/or)

1 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 400F/200C. Line one large or two medium cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
3. Add the cheese and rosemary and mix in thoroughly.
4. Add the butter/oil and buttermilk and mix together to form a dough with a spoon.
5. When combined, use two spoons to scoop clumps of dough about 3in/7.5cm wide and place onto the parchment about 2in/5cm apart. These will not be even – do not worry about that! The variety is part of the appeal, and the soda will help them grow.
6. Bake for 13 minutes. The biscuits will expand and turn golden.
7. Remove from the oven and let sit on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before moving and serving. Store in a sealed container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to five days.

Thank you to Yohannes and Camille Bennehoff, Kenny Turscak, Melanie Marino, Scott Michael Robertson, and two people who boldly asked me for scones at the Midlands in DC for conducting User Acceptance Testing on this iteration of the recipe.