Name: Savory Cheese Biscuits
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 282 grams / 1 3/4 cups plain flour, sifted; 12 grams / 3 teaspoons baking powder; 2 grams / 1/4 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon sea salt; 90 grams / 3.17 ounces butter, chilled and cubed; 190 grams / 3/4 cup buttermilk; 45 grams / 1/2 cup broccoli, trimmed and cut finely; 60 grams / 1/2 cup mild cheese (such as cheddar or edam), grated; 1 tablespoon milk

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January is time of a series of thoughts and emotions and this year feels just as difficult as the last one, in different ways so Savory Cheese Biscuits are a way to bring a little comfort whilst also consuming a little vegetables in the form of adding broccoli. Have you ever baked with broccoli? What are your thoughts?

Why you'll love this

Comfort in a bite

Broccoli isn’t often enough used in baking, but pair it with cheese into light buttery biscuits and this feels like a warm blanket on a cold day.

Cheesy goodness

The cheese in the dough becomes golden and crispy on the outside and flavors the inside of your biscuits with it’s cheesy goodness.

Could be made vegan

This might not seem like a great reason to love these, but add in a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast and non dairy milk can easily be made into buttermilk alongside non dairy butter and you can successfully make these tasty bites swiftly.

Ingredients and substitutions for Savory Cheese Biscuits

Flour: Plain or all purpose flour works a charm here because biscuits, though being more a bread type dish, aren’t bread and we don’t want a firm crust or overly activated gluten which is easier to control with a plain flour that has less protein in it.
Baking powder: The key to our biscuits rising is in the quantity of baking powder which doesn’t leave its flavor thanks to being offset with the acidity in that buttermilk.
Buttermilk: Buttermilk is acidic which reacts with the baking powder and activates the baking soda in the biscuits as well giving our biscuits moisture to create a soft and flaky texture.
Broccoli: Fresh broccoli is used here to bring that because frozen would have too much moisture within them.
Cheese: Mild cheese such as cheddar, double Gloucester or even edam or gouda would all work beautifully in these biscuits.

Equipment needed to make this

Mixing bowl: A medium to large mixing bowl will be perfect to make the biscuit dough in.

Pastry cutter or bread knife: A pastry cutter or bread knife works best here to cut the butter into the flour.

Grater: To grate that cheese for these cheesy biscuits.

Bench scraper: A handy bench scraper does a lot of work when making biscuits, they help flatten those layers, but also help you lift the dough up from your bench.

Cookie cutter: If you want round biscuits here, a cookie cutter works a trick with the one I used here 6.5 centermeters or 2.5 inches in diameter. You could substitute with a glass, though this can be a little difficult to press the biscuits out.

Baking tray: A large flat baking tray that fits all the biscuits in one go will make baking these a quick process.

FAQ's for the best Savory Cheese Biscuits

Could I substitute the broccoli in these biscuits?

Yes, absolutely! Finely chopped scallions or spring onions or even a handful of fresh rosemary or thyme would all compliment the cheese flavor in these savory cheese biscuits.

More savory baking you'll enjoy

Laugenbrezel – German Pretzels

Cheesy Cheddar Scones

Irish Brown Bread

How to make:

Preheat the oven to 220C/430F and greaseproof a baking tray.

Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl and stir to combine.

Add in the cubed butter and begin cutting it into the flour with a pastry blender or knife until the pieces of butter are no larger than a pea and the mixture resembles course breadcrumbs.

Make a well in the center, pour in the buttermilk, broccoli and grated cheese and stir to form your shaggy dough.

Press the shaggy dough into the edges of your bowl to form the dough and upturn onto a work surface.

Press firmly together and shape into a rough square with your hands.

Cut the dough in half with a bench scraper and lay one half on top of the other.

Press down firmly and lightly flour the bench scraper, press the edges of the dough to shape into a square.

Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll out into a rectangle that is 1 ½ inches thick.

Cut out your dough with a cookie cutter or into even squares and place onto your baking tray.

Brush the milk over the top of the biscuits.

Place in the oven and bake until truly golden on top, approximately 20 minutes.

Remove and allow to cool.

Serve with a little butter on the side.

Dig in!