Cheddar-Rosemary Buttermilk Biscuits

For the past year or so, I have been perfecting my biscuit making. I was trained in proper Southern drop biscuit tradition, where you make a well in the flour, and dump in your fat and milk, swishing it all together with your fingers. While fun, the problem with this technique is that the ratio can lack precision and sometimes end in dry, crumbly biscuits; perfectly fine if you are making dressing, but not so delicious with Sunday supper. So, having found a buttermilk biscuit recipe that was delicious every time (that I didn't burn it,) I felt I needed to make it just a little more delicious with some cheddar and rosemary. I served these at a Low-Country Boil we had a couple of weeks ago, and the extra deliciousness seemed appreciated! 

Cheddar-Rosemary Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients: 

2 Cups of All-Purpose Flour

1/2 Tablespoon of Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

2 Pinches of Sugar

2 Pinches of Salt

1/2 Cup of Grated Cheddar

1 Teaspoon of Rosemary, Finely Chopped

1 Stick of Butter, Chopped into Small Cubes

1 3/8 Cups of Buttermilk

Cooking:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Sift your dry ingredients together, then stir in your cheddar and rosemary until the flour evenly coats the ingredients. With a pastry cutter, fork or your fingers (I sometimes use all of the above,) mash your butter into your dry ingredients until the butter is crumbled into the flour in very small bits. It should look like fine gravel. Then add in your buttermilk. Fold with a rubber spatula until it just comes together, then turn it out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out to about 1 inch thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter or a knife into desired shapes. Place the biscuits on a Silpat or a greased cookie sheet and bake until the tops are golden brown or about 20 minutes. You can broil them at the end for a minute or 2 for extra color on the top, but this is where I always get into trouble and forget them. I have burned a batch almost every time I've made them! The broiler is my nemesis! So, don't make my mistakes and be sure to put a timer on!