It’s the day before Thanksgiving and while the family celebration will not be in our home this year, we still find ourselves in the kitchen baking; I guess some habits are hard to break. My family is spread out all over the United States from one coast to the other and a few States in between so we aren’t together for holidays; The Professor’s family is anchored in Indiana with a brother in close proximity in the Cincinnati area – it’s nice to share a meal with the family and to visit with the nieces and nephew who are out conquering the world.
If you’re looking for a fluffly, buttery biscuit to add to your holiday table, these are the biscuits to make; the best part about this recipe is that they’re not only gluten-free, they’re also make-ahead so you can pull the recipe together today, pop in the freezer and bake off about 30-minutes before you’re ready to sit down at the table. In fact, we make a batch of these, bake off two, freeze the rest on a parchment-lined baking sheet; once completely frozen, I place the biscuits in zipped pastic baggies. You can bake them off straight from the freezer, no need to thaw – just add another 5-minutes or so to the baking time.
And honestly? Don’t save these just for the holidays. Sunday Brunch or even a weekday supper with a soft scrambled egg – you won’t be disappointed, pinky-swear!
I’ve mentioned Fork in the Road before so it’s no secret how much I love this company and I’ve used their Black Forest Ham in this recipe – a hint of smokiness with the perfect blend of spice, this Black Forest Ham is the best I’ve ever had. All Fork in the Road products are made using heritage meat raised on small farms whose farmers believe in treating their animals humanely – vegetarian diets and never confined in crates or given antibiotics, growth enhancers or added hormones and no nitrates. Fork in the Road is definitely worth seeking out if they’re offered in your area.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE – wishing you a season of kind words, tolerance, grace and above all, love; we are so very thankful you are here!
NOTE: This is our ‘go-to’ biscuit or scone recipe (I add a bit of sugar for scones) and adapt the ingredients to whatever flavor profile we’d like; want a vegetarian option? Omit the ham. Substitute cooked bacon lardons for the ham; add herbs, etc. Additionally, the technique is critical for the success of any biscuit or scone. Always start with cold ingredients, grating the butter allows the butter to be distributed evenly throughout the dough, gently folding the dough into thirds allows you to layer the ham and scallions – again a more even distribution and press the dough with your hands versus rolling it out with a rolling pin. Your rectangle should measure 8-inches long by 4-inches wide by 2-inches high. And finally, you’ll note that even though these are gluten-free biscuits, there is no xanthan or ground psyllium – it’s not needed with this flour blend and the added protein of eggs and cream.
GLUTEN-FREE HAM, CHEESE AND SCALLION BISCUITS
Makes 8 Biscuits
INGREDIENTS:
- 48 grams buckwheat flour
- 48 grams brown rice flour
- 72 grams potato starch (NOT potato flour)
- 72 grams tapioca starch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 Tablespoons (1 stick or 4 ounces) butter, frozen
- 4-ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (or enough to make 1 cup of liquid when added to the eggs)
- 4-ounces Fork In The Road Black Forest Ham, finely diced
- 2 Tablespoons finely chopped scallion (green onion); can substitute chives
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream for brushing biscuit tops
METHOD:
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Whisk flours, starches, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside
- Grate the stick of butter and cheddar cheese using a food processor
- Add the flours, baking powder and salt; pulse food processor 5-7 times to coat butter and cheese
- Lightly whip the two eggs and cream and add to the flour-butter mixture; pulse food processor until dough starts to come together and a ball forms
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly-floured surface and knead gently to gather the dough – less than one minute
- Pat dough out to a 1-inch thickness and sprinkle with half the ham and scallions; fold the dough over in three sections (like folding a piece of paper) to cover ham and green onion. Pat dough again into a 1-inch thickness and sprinkle with the remaining ham and cheese
- Fold into thirds again but this time press into a rectangle measuring 8-inches long by 4-inches wide by 2-inches thick; cut into 8 equal squares about 2 inches high
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for at least 20-minutes; overnight is optimal
- Brush the scones with 2 Tablespoons heavy cream and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet
- Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown
Disclosure: I am not being compensated for this post; however, Fork in the Road sent me free product. As always, all opinions are my own.
What a fabulous biscuit. Filled with all the yumminess I want with dinner or as a stand-on-its-own snack. Great tip about baking them frozen!
Thanks for posting this today, Deb … your biscuits totally rock (ask Rod how many I ate in PA — on second thought, don’t ask). You saved me the trouble of digging out the recipe myself. Happy Thanksgiving to both of you, with hugs from the California Smiths 🙂
I do hope these biscuits make it to your table – if not for Thanksgiving, sometime soon! And a very Happy Thanksgiving to you and our W Coast Smith’s as well Victoria! (((hugs)))