America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Cream Biscuits with Cheddar Cheese

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 21, 2007

Time

40 minutes

Yield

Makes Eight 2 1/2-Inch Biscuits

Cream Biscuits with Cheddar Cheese

Ingredients

2 cups (10 ounces/284 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour 2 ounces (57 grams) sharp cheddar cheese (½ cup), cut into ¼-inch pieces2 teaspoons granulated sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon table salt 1 ½ cups heavy cream

Before You Begin

Bake the biscuits immediately after cutting them; letting them stand for any length of time can decrease the leavening power and thereby prevent the biscuits from rising properly in the oven.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Whisk together flour, cheddar cheese, sugar, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Add 1 1/4 cups cream and stir with wooden spoon until dough forms, about 30 seconds. Transfer dough from bowl to countertop, leaving all dry, floury bits behind in bowl. In 1 tablespoon increments, add up to 1/4 cup cream to dry bits in bowl, mixing with wooden spoon after each addition, until moistened. Add these moistened bits to rest of dough and knead by hand just until smooth, about 30 seconds.
  3. Shape the dough into a round, 3/4-inch thick. Following illustrations below, cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter or cut into wedges with knife. Place rounds or wedges on parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 18 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking.
Cream Biscuits with Cheddar Cheese

Cream Biscuits with Cheddar Cheese

Headshot of America's Test Kitchen
By America's Test Kitchen
Save

Time

40 minutes

Yield

Makes Eight 2 1/2-Inch Biscuits

Ingredients

2 cups (10 ounces/284 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 ounces (57 grams) sharp cheddar cheese (½ cup), cut into ¼-inch pieces
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
1 ½ cups heavy cream

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 cups (10 ounces/284 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 ounces (57 grams) sharp cheddar cheese (½ cup), cut into ¼-inch pieces
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
1 ½ cups heavy cream

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 cups (10 ounces/284 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 ounces (57 grams) sharp cheddar cheese (½ cup), cut into ¼-inch pieces
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
1 ½ cups heavy cream

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

When we wanted a great biscuit recipe that could be made quickly and easily and that wouldn’t require cutting fat into flour or rolling out dough, we used heavy cream in place of butter, which resulted in a lighter, more tender biscuit. For our easy biscuit recipe, we simply kneaded the dough for 30 seconds until it was smooth and uniform, shaped the biscuits, and then popped them into the oven immediately to keep them from spreading.

Before You Begin

Bake the biscuits immediately after cutting them; letting them stand for any length of time can decrease the leavening power and thereby prevent the biscuits from rising properly in the oven.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Whisk together flour, cheddar cheese, sugar, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Add 1 1/4 cups cream and stir with wooden spoon until dough forms, about 30 seconds. Transfer dough from bowl to countertop, leaving all dry, floury bits behind in bowl. In 1 tablespoon increments, add up to 1/4 cup cream to dry bits in bowl, mixing with wooden spoon after each addition, until moistened. Add these moistened bits to rest of dough and knead by hand just until smooth, about 30 seconds.
  3. Shape the dough into a round, 3/4-inch thick. Following illustrations below, cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter or cut into wedges with knife. Place rounds or wedges on parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 18 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking.

Gift This Recipe

Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.

This is a members' feature.