A warm, soft biscuit is a lovely thing. A warm, soft biscuit, sliced in half with a slice of cheese melting slightly in the center — mmmm. Next step on the evolutionary scale: Bake the biscuit and the cheese together.
Carol Shimokawa wrote in search of the biscuit she enjoyed during lunch at Kapiolani Community College. "It was buttery, flaky and a little sweet. It also had a little cheese mixed in."
Dan Wetter, pastry chef for lunch service at KCC’s Ka ‘Ikena Laua‘e and an instructor at the school, provided the recipe.
The biscuits are of the big, beautiful buttermilk variety, with sweetness from a combination of regular and powdered sugars. Shredded cheddar is sprinkled between layers. The recipe produces a dozen, but you could easily cut them in half to make 24 smaller pieces.
Because of their size, if your oven temperature is at all unreliable, you might find the insides remain a little doughy even after the biscuits seem done. To guard against this, take one biscuit out of the oven and cut it in half. If the center is too soft, bake another 3 to 5 minutes. Put the test biscuit back, too. That one can always be yours.
CHEESE BISCUITS
4 cups flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1-3/4 sticks (14 tablespoons) cold butter, cut in pieces
1 cup milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg, beaten
Sift flour, baking powder, sugars and salt into mixing bowl. Rub butter into dry ingredients by hand until butter is the size of peas. Pour milk and buttermilk into bowl all at once and stir until dough holds together.
Turn dough onto a well-floured work surface. Fold dough in half, then in half again. Sprinkle with half of the cheese; fold again. Repeat, using up cheese.
Roll into a 12-by-8-inch rectangle. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and freeze until firm (but not frozen), about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut dough into 12 squares. Beat 1 teaspoon water into egg and brush over tops of biscuits. Reduce oven heat to 375 and bake biscuits 16 to 18 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per biscuit: 350 calories, 16 g fat, 10 g saturated fat, 60 mg cholesterol, 650 mg sodium, 44 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 12 g sugar, 8 g protein
Smaller option: Biscuit squares could be cut in half diagonally to form 24 triangles.
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Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S. Write "By Request," Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813; or email requests to bshimabukuro@staradvertiser.com.
