CHEDDAR DROP BISCUITS

I have a big cup of buttermilk from butter making (Home Made Cultured Butter), so I have to find some recipe to use them. Easy, cheesy and delicious, this is the biscuit that you can use to accompany your dinner (the salty taste of the biscuit will lighten your meal). I like cheese (you may know about it now), so a lot of cheese in this biscuit is not too much. This drop biscuit is too soft to hold its shape, so using the muffin tin is better but you must butter the tin generously to prevent sticking.

CHEDDAR DROP BISCUITS

Makes 20 muffins

625 g	unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for sprinkling
4 teaspoons	baking powder
1 teaspoon	baking soda
1½ teaspoons	salt
185 g	cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus extra for greasing
250 g	coarsely shredded medium- sharp Cheddar cheese
1	large egg
430 ml	cold buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease 20 of the cups of two 12-cup muffin pans, and fill any unused cups with water to prevent warping.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter to the flour mixture. With a pastry blender cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the cheese and stir just to combine.

Add the egg and all but 2 tablespoons of the buttermilk. Mix gently just until the dough forms a sticky mass. Stir a little harder for about 10 seconds; the mass will form a moist, sticky clump on the spoon and will start to pull away from the bowl sides. Drizzle the remaining buttermilk into the bottom of the mixing bowl to moisten the dry mixture that collects at the bottom; mix just to combine this into the dough. The dough should be very soft.

Using a rubber spatula, scrape the dough from the paddle and the sides and bottom of the bowl onto a lightly floured board. With floured fingers, fold the dough over and gently knead 6-8 strokes, leaving the dough very soft and as sticky as possible. Cut the dough in half, then divide each half into 10 equal portions; don’t worry if they are lumpy and uneven. Place each in a prepared muffin cup.

Bake until golden brown and firm to the touch, 25-30 minutes. Turn out onto racks and let cool slightly, then serve warm.

Recipe From: The Williams-Sonoma Collection: Bread