I can never resist savoury baking. If I’m out for coffee or buying lunch and there is a savoury scone or loaf on offer, I will always indulge. I love bread with cheese and/or olives and/or jalapeños and/or bacon.
There’s this great bakery in Calgary called Sidewalk Citizen that supplies baked goods to a few of my favourite coffee shops. Every day, they have a unique sweet scone and a savoury scone, each more creative and scrumptious than the last. The savoury scones are loaded with varying combinations of herbs, cheese (such as feta and cheddar), spices, and things like sweet potato chunks or roasted peppers.
I love the surprise factor, never being sure what will be on offer that day. They are also enormous and filling, and can be my entire lunch if I choose.
The drop biscuits I’m sharing today are slightly more modestly sized, but definitely take their inspiration from Sidewalk’s delightful savoury scone selections. Crumbled bacon, shredded sharp cheddar cheese and freshly chopped chives are folded into an exceptionally simple buttermilk biscuit batter and dropped onto baking sheets. Less than 10 minutes later, you can enjoy hot, bacony, cheesy, flaky biscuits straight from the oven.
As I mentioned, the dough is very simple to pull together. I like this version because there is no kneading/rolling required. You must just be careful not to over-mix your batter, or else your biscuits will be tough and dense. Just stir gently with a fork until all of the moisture is incorporated (it’s okay to have a few dry, floury spots) and scoop right into your baking sheet.
I like to chop the bacon up quite small, because I prefer having an overall bacon-infused flavour in every bite rather than a few large bacon chunks. I also recommend using a sharp, strong cheddar, because otherwise the flavour of the cheese won’t come through. If you prefer, feta or goat cheese would also work really well here.
These are pretty fantastic on their own, with a smear of fresh butter, but they could also be the vehicle for a really great BLT, or even eggs benedict. I also like dunking them in soup or stew, or serving alongside a salad for a light lunch. Bon appetit!
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
- 4 slices bacon, cooked and chopped finely
- ¾ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup buttermilk
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add cold butter cubes, and rub together with your fingers until the butter is incorporated and the mixture is crumbly. Stir in chives, bacon, and cheese. Pour in buttermilk and stir gently with a fork just until the moisture is incorporated. Do not over mix! A few dry spots are okay.
- Scoop batter onto prepared sheets ¼ cup at a time. Bake in preheated oven 8-10 minutes, until biscuits are puffed and golden brown. Serve immediately.
- Leftovers will keep covered at room temperature for 1 day; I suggest reheating before eating them.
