Kathryn Johnson, a Nashville food blogger at ladysmokey.com, cohosts occasional Sunday afternoon potlucks with live music. For these soirées, she often makes these biscuits. They’re a hit for their bits of apple and cheese, and for being crispy on the outside and moist inside.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose soft wheat flour (Kathryn uses White Lily unbleached bread flour)
- 1 cup (120 g) whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch (12-mm) pieces, chilled
- 1 cup (181 g) peeled and grated apple
- 1 cup (120 g) shredded extra-sharp white cheddar
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
- In a medium bowl, mix together both flours, the baking powder, and salt. Add the butter, working it into the flour with your fingertips until the pieces are a little larger than an English pea but not larger than a lima bean. Work quickly, but gently, so that the heat of your hands doesn’t melt the butter.
- Add the grated apple and cheese. Then pour in all of the buttermilk and, using light pressure, fold the mixture a few times until it holds together. Don’t overmix. In order to make light biscuits, it is important to work the dough as little as possible.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured board and fold it quickly and gently four to six times, just enough to get all the ingredients mixed.
- Sprinkle a little flour under the dough and lightly dust the top of the dough so that it won’t stick. Roll the dough out to about ½ inch (12 mm) thickness. Cut the dough into 2-inch (5-cm) rounds. Place them on an ungreased baking sheet so that they are touching, and bake the biscuits for about 12 minutes. They will be light in color on top with the bits of cheese turning brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.
