Savory Sea Salt and Pepper Biscuits

Bill and I were reminiscing about these fluffy warm crisp biscuits for a couple of days after eating them.  That’s how good they are!

I’ve made many a biscuit over the years, and this is definitely one of the best! 

It’s an Ina Garten recipe from her Make it Ahead cookbook.  In her words, “Lee Bailey was a great cookbook author and host.  He often served baking powder biscuits with dinner but I also love them for breakfast with scrambled eggs.  This is a twist on Lee’s original recipe; I’ve added flaked sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper.”

Most of the time, I follow the recipe exactly ~ but, when I don’t have half-and-half on hand, I swap one-third cup light sour cream plus 7-8 tablespoons of low-fat milk for the half-and-half, making a lighter biscuit.

I’ve found that sour cream is a great binder when making cornbread or biscuits as it minimizes crumbly baked goods.  Plus, the sour cream imparts richness and a slight tang.

Flaked sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper sprinkled over the top sends these biscuits over the edge…

I can see them sandwiching a fried egg for breakfast!

Salt & Pepper Biscuits

Ingredients: 

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) cold butter, diced
2/3 cup cold half-and-half
1 extra-large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon half-and-half, for egg wash
Maldon flaked sea salt
Coarsely ground black pepper 

Method:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Place four, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse to combine.
Add butter, breaking up the pieces as you put them in.
Pulse mixer about 10 times, until butter is size of large peas.
With the mixer running, pour the half-and-half down the feed tube and pulse just until mixture starts to come together.
Dump dough onto floured board and quickly knead into a ball.
Roll dough out ½” thick with a floured rolling pin.  (You should see bits of butter in the dough.)
Cut out biscuits with a 2½” round biscuit cutter and place on baking sheet.
Brush top with egg wash, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, until biscuits are browned and baked through.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes 8 to 10 biscuits

ENJOY!