Bake up Herbal Breads for the Smell of Home

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Makes about 1 dozen biscuits cut with a 2 1/2-inch cutter

Buttery-rich and full of sprightly garlic flavor, these biscuits don’t need any extra butter. Serve them just as they are with soups and stews, and for a nice sweet-savory twist, with preserves and/or thin slices of cheese at breakfast or brunch. At our house, we like to split them and spoon on a pile of soft-scrambled eggs. This recipe is adapted from The Onion Book by Carolyn Dille and Susan Belsinger (now out of print). You can substitute 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour in place of the same amount of unbleached flour for a heartier biscuit.

2 cups unbleached flour
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Dash cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
Generous 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup nonfat or 11/2 percent buttermilk, or 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice added
Generous 1/2 cup snipped chives

Heat oven to 400°F.

In large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cayenne, paprika and Parmesan and blend thoroughly. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.

In small bowl, combine buttermilk with chives. Add liquid to dry ingredients and stir to form soft dough.

Turn dough onto floured pastry marble or board, knead gently until it just comes together, and roll out to not quite 1/2-inch thickness. Cut dough into 21/2-inch rounds and place on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake biscuits for 18 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove to baking rack to cool slightly before serving. The biscuits are best served warm and right after baking. If you want to prepare them in advance, cool them completely and store them in an airtight container. Wrap them in foil and gently reheat at 325° for 10 to 15 minutes. /G

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