Biscuits are the best! I love making all sorts of variations of them. These ones happen to be a favourite of ours. if you like rosemary you are going to love these! Warm out of the oven, eaten as is or with butter, served with a stew or a steaming bowl of soup, or how about a slices of leftover roast beef, roast chicken or roast pork sandwiched between the halved biscuits? Why not?
Make the Biscuits:
2 cups unbleached flour or ½ cup wholewheat flour and 1 ½ cups unbleached flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
½ cup cold butter, cut into cubes
1 cup buttermilk + a bit more if necessary
1 egg, lightly beaten (for glazing the biscuits)
Garnish:
1 Tbsp. yellow cornmeal
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 425 F.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with baking parchment; set aside until ready to use.
In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, rosemary, salt, baking soda and pepper. (If using the processor don’t add the rosemary now). Cut in the butter until it’s in tiny bits. If you have done this in the processor, place the mixture into a large bowl; then stir in the rosemary. Pour in the buttermilk and stirring with a fork , stir until mixture comes together into a mass; adding a tiny bit of buttermilk if all the flour is not moistened (perhaps a tablespoon or so more). Gather the dough and form into a ball; pat out on a floured work surface to a thickness of 1”.
Cut into 12 squares or diamond shapes; place on the prepared baking sheet. Brush with a little of the beaten egg; then sprinkle with the combined 1 Tbsp. cornmeal and black pepper.
Place in the oven, bake for 15 – 20 minutes until browned and cooked through.
Helpful tip: The biscuits freeze well. Simply thaw and place on a baking sheet, reheat at 350 F. until warmed through, approximately 8 minutes.
