sun-dried tomatoes in savory biscuits

sun-dried tomato biscuits: savory buttery love ::::

It’s the weekend. Some people let loose on Friday night, have a few drinks and party into the wee hours of the morning. Apparently, one of my eggs thought the same thing:

It had to be done. I had to mix that egg, butter, and flour up properly.

They relented, knowing the outcome.

Tender and light, these biscuits are perfect for a slow Saturday morning. Make your coffee and tea. Stay in your pajamas. Don’t worry about the snarls in your hair.

The inside texture should be light and soft. If you are a crusty biscuit kind of person, cool them uncovered. A softer crust? Then wrap the hot biscuits in a clean kitchen towel and allow to cool slightly. The onion isn’t overpowering, the sun-dried tomato flavor gives a deep savoriness, and the butter, well, it’s butter. It carries the flavors. Keep a delicate hand when mixing or you’ll end up with tough pucks. My use of hand in that last sentence is deliberate. Don’t use a mixer.

I made these with a 2-inch biscuit cutter for 16 smallish biscuits. You can certainly increase the size for a poached egg-sized biscuit sandwich. Maybe a little prosciutto, too. Or perhaps serve with a little frittata?

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sun-dried tomato savory biscuits

Author: story of a kitchen (from Food & Wine magazine, Feb 1998)

Recipe type: bread

Ingredients

2 cups flour (mine weighed 230 grams)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
1 stick (4 ounces or ½ cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces*
½ cup buttermilk (Unless you already have it on hand, don't buy it. Make it! See recipe below in the Notes section.)
¼ cup finely minced red onion
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons finely chopped oil-packed sun dried tomatoes**

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Use your fingers (or pastry blender) to pinch (or cut) butter into the flour until it resembles small peas.
In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk, onion, egg, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir this mixture into the flour until just incorporated. Transfer dough onto a well-floured surface and knead 2 or 3 times.
Pat dough into a seven-inch square about ¾ inch thick. I did this right on my silicon mat on which I was going to bake the biscuits. I used a 2-inch biscuit cutter (translation: a small glass) to cut into 16 round biscuits. Scraps were gently pressed back together and re-cut. (Don't handle the dough too much or the biscuits will toughen.) Place biscuits at least an inch apart.
Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake on center rack for 15-17 minutes. Serve warm with butter. I also envision a savory balsamic onion jam would be extra impressive, if served using a tiny spoon.

Notes

*Cold butter = good biscuits. Why? The small pea-sized bits of butter layered in the flour give the biscuits a light, flaky texture. If you mix too much, these layers don't form. ** Make sure you chop the sun-dried tomatoes finely. Otherwise, large pieces of the tomato make it difficult to make cleanly cut biscuits with the biscuit cutter. Making your own buttermilk: For every 1 cup of milk, use 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. (Put your vinegar into a measuring cup, then add the milk to make one cup.) Mix together and allow to sit briefly at room temperature to curdle the milk. That's it. Whole milk works best, but 2% was fine for this biscuit recipe for me.

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