Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

Regular readers might have read my previous posts and its no secret that I like Italian food. Most Italian restaurants serve fresh baked bread as an appetizer. Our favorite are these garlic and parsley flavored Cheddar Cheese Biscuits popularly known as Cheddar Bay Biscuits. I find these easy as compared to the yeast breads.

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour/Maida - 1 cup
Cheddar Cheese (Sharp) - 3/4 cup
Unsalted Butter - 5 tbsp
Milk - about 1/2 cup
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp
Garlic Powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp
Dry Parsley - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 1/4 tsp
Salt

How to bake Cheddar Bay Biscuits:

• Preheat the oven at 400 degrees F.  
• Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and lightly grease it with butter.
• In a small mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients - all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, fresh ground black pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, salt and sugar. Mix well.
• In a big microwave safe bowl, add 4 tbsp butter and microwave for 20 seconds, just enough to soften it. Add oil and grated cheddar cheese. To this, add the dry ingredients. Add milk little at a time, to form a soft dough.

• In a small pan, melt 1 tbsp butter. Add 1/2 tsp garlic and dry parsley. Use this melted butter for brushing the baked biscuits. You can add more butter as well.
• Divide the dough into 12 balls and place them a few inches apart on the greased tray. Bake for 10 minutes.
• Brush the half baked biscuits with the melted butter and bake for another 5 minutes or so. 

Enjoy soft, flaky Cheddar Cheese Biscuits as an appetizer. We enjoyed these with Minestrone Soup.