Salt & Pepper Biscuits

Baked in a cast iron skillet, pull-apart salt & pepper biscuits are flaky and buttery with a definite kick. They’re best eaten warm from the oven.

It’s safe to assume we all can agree that 2020 has been a weird year.

Time has managed to go fast and slow simultaneously.

With more moments at home, you would assume the days would be dragging on, but believe it or not, Thanksgiving is 2 weeks away.

It is my favorite food holiday from turkey to sides. There is a little bite of something for everyone.

Even though celebrations will be smaller and involve Face Timing our loved ones at the table, I am still looking forward to the big meal.

In terms of scale, we are planning to make a dry-rubbed turkey breast instead of the entire bird.

There will be no doubling of recipes for sides, which you don’t need anyway even during normal years.

When you have enough variety at a holiday dinner, people usually take a bit of this and that and not the normal portion size if there were less options on offer.

Even though it’s not exactly a side, I think dinner rolls or some sort of homemade bread is worth the effort.

These salt & pepper biscuits are pretty easy. No yeast is required, so you don’t need to wait for them to rise.

I recommend making the biscuits the day you’re going to eat them, but they are good to have for leftovers the next day.

How To Make Salt & Pepper Biscuits

First, I preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Then in a large bowl I combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, black pepper and salt.

They are salt & pepper biscuits for a reason. The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of black pepper.

No, that’s not a typo.

With a fork, I cut cold cubed butter into the flour mixture until the butter is the size of pebbles.

After that, I slowly stir in buttermilk creating a shaggy dough.

Next I pat the dough together on a lightly floured work surface, so it is about 1 inch thick.

With a 2-inch diameter cutter, I cut out biscuits and arrange them in a cast-iron skillet.

Before baking the biscuits, I brush the tops with melted butter.

They turn golden brown in the oven in 40-45 minutes.

It’s best to serve the biscuits on the day they are baked.

Leftover Biscuits?

You can revive the biscuits by warming them in a 300-degree F oven for 10 minutes.

They are really good for a breakfast egg sandwich.

Two days after you have baked them, the biscuits will probably turn a little dry. I like to tear them into pieces and toast them in the oven.

Try these biscuit croutons in a salad.

Salt & Pepper Biscuits

• Author: Paige Adams
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 40-45 minutes
• Total Time: 55-60 minutes
• Yield: 14 biscuits 1x

Baked in a cast iron skillet, pull-apart salt & pepper biscuits are flaky and buttery with a definite kick. They’re best eaten warm from the oven.

Ingredients

• 2–1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting work surface
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 10 tablespoons butter, cold, cut into cubes plus 1 tablespoon melted butter for brushing pan and biscuits
• 1–1/4 cups buttermilk

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, black pepper and salt. Using a pastry blender or a fork, cut the cold cubed butter into the dry ingredients until it is the size of pebbles. Stir in the buttermilk.
3. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and pat 1 inch thick. Using a 2-inch cutter, cut out the biscuits and place them in a buttered 12-inch cast-iron skillet, so they are just touching.
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes until light golden brown.
5. The biscuits are best served warm.
6. To revive the biscuits the day after they are baked, warm them in a 300-degree oven for 10 minutes.

Notes

Adapted from Food & Wine November 2015