Cheddar and pepper biscuits

Who doesn’t love biscuits? I’m a southern girl… and biscuits were a staple at suppers growing up. I remember my mom placing them in small wicker baskets lined with crisp white linen napkins, with a small plate of softened butter and butter knife alongside. I tended to get into the butter before the biscuits were out of the oven, and once they were out, I remember drowning them in a creamy mixture of butter and orange blossom honey…they were like sweet fluffy clouds.

Nowadays, it seems like nobody makes biscuits anymore. Is it because of the convenience of the canned variety? Or, is it because so many people have failed to get the proper fluffiness in the attempt at homemade?

I have to admit, once I became “domesticated” I had a hard time perfecting the biscuit. I had my grandmother’s recipe… I had my mama’s recipe, but no matter what I did, it seemed I could only make hokey puck biscuits. After years of trying…I finally figured out what not to do.

Sometimes in life, it takes figuring out what not to do to get it right.

The main points to remember in biscuit making are:

1) Don’t over work the dough. You don’t knead it like bread.

2) Don’t twist your cutter into the dough. Just press it straight down.

3) Don’t use old baking powder.

Once you follow those rukes, your biscuits should be just as tasty as a biscuit baked by granny herself.

One of the best parts about these biscuits is the fact that there is not only cheddar cheese on top, but also inside. So, even the next day they remain tender and soft… and cheesy.