Bacon-Scallion Biscuits with Sorghum Butter

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"The perfect biscuit dough just barely comes together," says Hugh Acheson. "After it's lightly rolled out, the biscuits puff up when you bake them." He tops these flavorful bacon-and-scallion ones with butter that's mixed with sorghum syrup, a traditional Southern sweetener. For people who don't eat meat, these biscuits are also delicious without the bacon. More Ideas for Cooking with Bacon

Bacon-Scallion Biscuits with Sorghum Butter
Photo: © Fredrika Stjärne
Active Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
1 hr
Yield:
18 biscuits
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Ingredients

Biscuits

  • 1/2 pound sliced bacon

  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

  • 2 tablespoons baking powder

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Sorghum Butter

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

  • 2 tablespoons sorghum syrup (see Note) or pure maple syrup

  • Salt

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp, about 7 minutes. Drain the bacon on paper towels and finely chop it.

  2. In a large bowl, whisk the 4 1/2 cups of flour with the baking powder, sugar, kosher salt and baking soda. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the butter until it is the size of small peas. Stir in the buttermilk, scallions and chopped bacon just until incorporated. Scrape the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead it gently just until it comes together.

  3. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the biscuit dough out to a 1/2-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch round biscuit cutter, stamp out 16 rounds of dough. Gently gather the scraps to form 2 or 3 more biscuits. Place the biscuits on the baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, until they are well-risen and golden brown; turn the baking sheet once halfway through baking.

  4. In a small bowl, thoroughly blend the unsalted butter with the sorghum syrup and season with salt.

  5. Serve the bacon-scallion biscuits warm with the sorghum butter.

Make Ahead

The cooked chopped bacon and sorghum butter can be refrigerated separately for up to 2 days.

Notes

Sorghum syrup, sometimes referred to as sorghum molasses, is available online at zingermans.com.

Originally appeared: November 2011

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