Cheese and Chive Biscuits for a Crowd

The best biscuit in the world is served up in Savannah at the Back in Time Bakery, run by a great couple, Cheryl and Griffith Day, who are often there working away out front or in the kitchen,  They penned a great cook-book that I highly recommend and in addition to their biscuit recipe they have easy to use instructions to make a lot more of their delicious treats.

That said, I like a more simple approach to a moist biscuit and do you really want to be using lard, as they do, every time you make these light and flaky treats.  I also like to use a mixer as well so take some different step to ensure the butter is distributed evenly throughout the dough by freezing the butter then grating it in a food processor, then put it back in the freezer for a bit so when you mix it in it is ice cold.  A biscuit is a bit like puff pastry where you want the butter evenly layered.

Ingredients 

• 7 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons of baking powder (make sure the container was opened  within the last 5 months)
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
• 4 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter that have been frozen, grated in a food processor and put back in the freezer for 30 minutes
• 3 extra large eggs
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 16 ounces of sour cream (one container)
• 1/2 pound extra sharp yellow cheese, grated in the food processor 
• 1/2 cup chives, finely chopped

Making It

• Before you cook, turn the oven to 375 degrees
• In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment put the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and pepper with it set on a medium speed until it mixes all of the dried ingredients.  Add the frozen grated butter at the same speed until fully incorporated and not a second longer
• In a separate bowl whisk together the milk, eggs, sour cream, cheese, and chives and add to the mixture along with the cheese and chives.  Again, you do not want to mix any longer than you have to
• Pour the dough out of the bowl onto a floured service and let rest for 10 minutes
• Take a floured rolling pin and flatten to 1 1/2 inch thick, fold the dough and do so again, take a three inch square cutter and put the biscuits on a parchment lined small baking sheet that can fit in your freezer.  Stack them with a parchment paper then plastic wrap and put in freezer for 90 minutes
• Remove from freezer and place, three inches apart, on two parchment lined half baking sheet, then bake on the middle  and upper racks for 15 minutes, switch the sheets and then bake for another 15-20 minutes.  Brush with butter and sprinkle chives on top