After months and months of cold weather and short days in Montana, I am always ready for the thaw and the warmer days of spring and summer. We’ve earned those nice sunny days after the long and sometimes brutal winter. I think we all have different ways of celebrating those most perfect Big Sky Country days.
For our family, it’s monthly trips to my parents’ cabin south of Big Timber along the Boulder River. The cabin is so close to the water you can almost fly-fish right from the patio. The towering mountains on either side of the valley shelter you from the hustle of everyday life. Thankfully, it’s out of cell phone service, too.
It’s far enough south of Big Timber that we have to pack our food in thoughtfully to avoid long trips back to town. There’s only so much we can fit in our small SUV, so we try to bring ingredients that have multiple uses and aim for simple dishes.
Out of this framework was born a favorite of ours that gets baked nearly every time we visit. I’ve dubbed them “cabin biscuits.” They’re crisp on the outside, fluffy and flaky on the inside. And their buttermilk goodness is complemented by some savory cameos, courtesy of other ingredients that make the cabin cupboard cut: bacon, cheddar cheese and scallion. They make a perfect pairing for other savory partners, like breakfast sandwich fixings or biscuits and gravy. But they can also fly solo. Their buttery goodness needs no assistance.
Watching the light reflect off the river’s ripples, listening to the newly returned birds, or taking a walk in the peak-cresting morning sun — these are all moments of bliss that can be magnified with a warm cabin biscuit in hand. As we head back to the Boulder Valley in April, I can’t wait to fill the little cabin with the smell of freshly baked biscuits. But I have a feeling you’ll enjoy this recipe in just about any kitchen you find yourself in.
A few helpful tips for the best biscuits: First, try to always keep your ingredients as cold as possible before they go into the oven. Second, you want your ingredients to be incorporated well, but you shouldn’t knead biscuit dough like normal bread dough. Third, the biscuits get their lift mostly from baking powder, which can quickly expire once it’s opened. If your baking powder was opened more than six months ago, I urge you to pick up some new stuff (no matter what the expiration date says).
Lastly, biscuits are best enjoyed right out of the oven, or at least the same day they’re baked. I don’t expect you’ll have much difficulty consuming them within that window, as the smell will lure just about anyone from slumber to the stove.
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CABIN BISCUITS RECIPE
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick of butter, plus 1 tbsp for brushing the tops
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
4 strips of bacon
3 scallions
2 ounces cheddar cheese
black pepper
Cook your bacon until crisp and then place it on a plate lined with paper towels to drain the grease. Allow to cool and then chop into 1/4-inch pieces. Dice your cheddar cheese into very small pieces. Run your knife down the center of each scallion, then chop finely across. Place all these ingredients into the refrigerator to chill.
Combine your flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder into a large bowl and stir well. Cube the cold butter into 1/4-inch pieces and place into the dry ingredients. With a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers, smash the butter into the dry ingredients until no large butter pieces remain in the mixture.
Add the bacon, scallion and cheddar to the mixture and incorporate well. Then add the buttermilk and gently incorporate with a fork until the dry ingredients are one mass. Add a bit of bench flour to your countertop, put the biscuit mixture on that flour, and add a bit more bench flour to the top of the dough.
With a rolling pin, flatten the mixture to about 1 1/2 inch high, and then fold in half and roll once again to 1 1/2 inch thick. Repeat 5 to 6 times, adding bench flour as needed to keep it from sticking to your rolling pin and the counter. This process creates the biscuits’ flaky layers.
With a 3-inch biscuit cutter, you should be able to get 6 clean rounds. Press straight down with the biscuit cutter without twisting. You can get another 1 or 2 biscuits by pressing the scraps together. Place the biscuits on a parchment-lined baking tray. Put them in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes while you preheat your oven to 450 F.
Melt the tablespoon of butter and brush the biscuit tops. You can also push a dash of cracked black pepper onto the tops if that’s something you like. Place them into the oven for 16-18 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Brush the tops once again with any remaining melted butter when they come out of the oven.
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