Irish Cheddar Spring Onion Biscuits

By layering and folding the cheese into the dough, à la puff pastry, Chef John gets all the cheesy flavor without making the biscuit too dense.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 40 mins
• Calories: 318 Calories

Ingredients

• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups self-rising flour, plus more for kneading
• 7 tablespoons very cold butter, cut into pieces
• ¾ cup buttermilk, plus additional for brushing
• ½ cup shredded Irish Cheddar cheese, divided, plus more for topping
• ¼ cup sliced green onions, divided

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2

Whisk self-rising flour and baking soda together in a mixing bowl. Add cold butter and cut it into flour with a pastry blender until texture resembles coarse crumbs, 5 to 7 minutes. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Stir with a fork just until mixture starts to come together to form a shaggy dough.

Step 3

Transfer dough to a floured work surface. Press into a roughly shaped rectangle. Fold into thirds using a bench scraper. Press again into a rectangle. Flour surface if the dough seems sticky. Roll dough with a rolling pin to 1/2-inch thickness. Sprinkle with half of the shredded cheese and half of the green onions. Fold dough into thirds. Dust with flour, if necessary, and roll out again to about 1/2-inch thickness. Top with remaining cheese and green onions. Fold into thirds and roll out again to about 1/2 inch thickness. Cut biscuits with a 2- or 3-inch biscuit cutter.

Step 4

Transfer biscuits to prepared baking sheet. Brush lightly with buttermilk. Sprinkle tops with about a teaspoon of grated cheese.

Step 5

Bake in preheated oven until cooked through and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.