Bacon & Cheddar Biscuits with Maple Chipotle Butter

About every other month, my husband and I make a point of dining at a more ~~expensive~~ "upscale" restaurant that is new to us. I usual check reviews on both Yelp and Trip Advisor to get a feel for what people rave about. I made reservations and we got dressed up for Date Night on the town.

The restaurant's signature Bacon and Cheddar Biscuits with Maple Chipotle Butter received a lot of rave reviews. So we split an order at the price of $6.00 for two biscuits. Biscuits don't typically rock my world, but I have to say-- these biscuits were served piping hot, and they were tender. The Maple Chipotle butter was the crowning glory. Wow! I thought to myself, "I really want to see if I can replicate these, at home."

I think that I've had a lackluster love for biscuits, because I was raised with canned biscuits. Bleccch. The only other biscuit recipe I've made, from scratch, are Cathead Biscuits, which have become one of my most popular blog recipes. My men love them, and I think they're okay. I got to thinking that I might adapt that recipe. Then again, I thought, I'd see what kind of recipes my trusty King Arthur Flour website would have for biscuits. I have a bag of their new unbleached self-rising flour (and I love it) and there it was-- Easy Self-Rising Biscuits. I was ready for the challenge!

First, I wanted to replicate the butter. Pure Maple Syrup is a staple at home. Yes, I do keep Chipotle Chili Powder on hand. It was 1-2-3 easy to do. One stick of butter, softened. I settled on 4 Tablespoons of maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon of Chipotle Chili Powder.

I rolled half of the butter in plastic wrap and into a log, and stuck it in the freezer for another use. The other half was kept soft for the biscuits.

I keep strips of bacon in the freezer, so I can easily cut it into lardon (strips). I used about 6 strips of bacon, cooked till almost crispy and then drained on a paper towel.

I used Sharp Cheddar Cheese, but you can use whatever you like. I used butter for the biscuits, instead of shortening. TIP: I use frozen butter and grate it into the flour. I think this is much easier than using a pastry cutter.

The grated butter helps me to easily work the butter into the self-rising flour with my hands, without warming it too much. Cold butter = tender biscuits. I then added the cheese and bacon.

I am convinced that using buttermilk makes a very tender biscuit. Once the dough comes together as "shaggy", I dump it onto a floured surface. We're not going to be kneading the dough, or I'll get some tough biscuits. Instead, with floured hands, we'll fold press the dough together and then fold it over itself a few times.

We're building some layers of dough, for a tender biscuit. I chose to pat and shape the dough into a large rectangle, using a bench scraper.

Using a sharp knife, I cut the rectangle into eight biscuits, and baked them until golden brown-- about
12 minutes. The self-rising flour gives a lot of "lift" to my biscuits.

TASTING NOTES: The restaurant served these in the cutest single serving rectangle cast iron dishes. I'd love to get my hands on those. Other than that, I do believe I captured the flavor of the biscuits. I might cut back just a wee bit on the cheddar cheese, though it wasn't a bad thing with lots of melted cheesy goodness. The bacon ratio was perfect. I love the butter! With each tender biscuit bite, I could taste buttery goodness, salty bacon, sharp cheddar and the sweetness of the maple and a slight heat of the chipotle chili. This has made me appreciate what a good biscuit is all about.

NOTE: I can't find King Arthur Flour Self-Rising flour at my grocery store, but I intend to order more online. I've made great self-rising scones with this flour, and a cake recipe that I have yet to post. This is a great product, and it makes baking so simple to do.

I am not sponsored by King Arthur Flour, nor am I paid to promote their products. I simply love them!