Irish Cheddar and Stout Biscuits
These buttery and flaky Irish cheddar + stout biscuits are incredibly flavorful and so easy to prepare. They can be made from start to finish in under 45 minutes and are wonderful served with soups and stews or even for breakfast. They're tender, rich and perfect for St. Patrick's Day!
Servings: 9 large biscuits
Calories: 318kcal
Ingredients
- 2½ cups flour
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 cup Irish stout (8 oz), such as Guiness or other dark beer, cold
- 8 tablespoons unsalted Irish butter (1 stick), FROZEN, plus 2 tablespoons, melted
- 7 oz aged Irish cheddar or extra sharp cheddar cheese grated
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the Dijon mustard and Irish stout. Place in the refrigerator or freezer until needed.
- Using a box grater, grate the frozen butter, then quickly transfer it to the flour mixture and toss to coat all the butter pieces with flour.
- Add the grated cheese and mix to combine, being sure to coat all pieces with flour.
- Make a well in the center and pour the beer mixture in the center.
- Carefully mix until it forms a shaggy mass. There should still be loose bits of butter, cheese and flour.
- Dump the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface, then roll out into a long strip.
- Fold one side half way up, adding in any loose bits, then fold the other side over top, like a letter.
- Rotate 90 degrees, roll out and repeat the fold two more times.
- Roll the dough into 7" - 8" square, then cut into 9 even squares (or 16 for smaller biscuits).
- Place the biscuits on a sheet pan, then place them in the freezer. Preheat the oven to 425℉.
- When the oven is preheated, remove the biscuits from the freezer, then brush with melted butter, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and put them immediately into the the oven.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until they're puffed up and golden brown.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- Keep everything cold during the mixing process - warmth is biscuit dough kryptonite! If your ingredients start to get warm, place everything in the freezer for a few minutes before proceeding.
- Use a box grater to grate frozen butter into long, thin strips, then fold them into the dry ingredients so each piece is thoroughly coated with flour. This keeps the butter nice and cold while mixing and the thin strips help create flaky layers.
- Do not use a mixer or food processor, you must mix these by hand. You can use a rubber spatula, or my preference, a Danish dough whisk.
- Don't over-mix the dough. It will be quite shaggy and chunky and not cohesive when you roll it out - this is what you want! Don't let it scare you.
- A few strategic folds help to incorporate the ingredients while creating flaky layers. Use a bench scraper to help scrape the dough off of your surface.
- Keep raw biscuits in the freezer until just before baking. Placing cold biscuits into the oven ensures maximum rise and flakiness!
- Brush the biscuits with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt right before baking to give them a nice crunchy top and added flavor.
- Don't open the oven while they bake! It lowers the oven temperature and will result in biscuits that don't rise as high.
- These biscuits are best right out of the oven. If you'd like to make them ahead, cut the dough into squares, then freeze and bake right before serving for best results.
- If baking from frozen, reduce the oven temperature to 400°F and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 318kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 680mg | Potassium: 60mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 533IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 231mg | Iron: 2mg
