It started when I saw this photo that Rachel posted on Flickr the other day. It took me right back to our two weeks at Grandma's cabin in Cannon Beach and to the delicious destination at the end of our morning wanderings, Waves of Grain Bakery. Each morning, one or some of us would walk or ride bikes to the bakery down the road and stand in the long line for our breakfast (my delusions of making breakfast every day quickly disappeared after the first taste of this place). We'd bring home our jammers, our scones, our muffins and our Tillamook cheese biscuits, we'd cut everything in halves and put them on the old melamine plates and snack away at them all morning. Luckily for me, the kids were so enamoured of the sweet baked goods that they never noticed the cheese biscuit and I would have it all to myself. Unless my brother was there. Then we'd have to buy two. Those biscuits were amazing - flaky and savory and peppery. Studded with cheese and scallions. They were everything a biscuit could be. And until I saw Rachel's cheese biscuits, it never occurred to me to try and make them myself.
This morning, I set out to recreate them and I was pleased with the results. Here is my recipe for Tillamook cheese biscuits. The basic biscuit recipe is adapted from the New Basic biscuits in the New Basics cookbook. Obviously, you can substitute whatever cheddar cheese suits your fancy.
Cannon Beach Cheese Biscuits
makes 6 large or 8 medium size biscuits
2 c all purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 t sugar
1/2 t kosher salt
5 T unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
4 oz. cheddar cheese (approximately - we used a block of cheese that was about 3" x 1" by 1") cut into 1/4" cubes
4 scallions, sliced thinly - both white and green parts
1 t freshly ground black pepper, or more if you like it good and peppery like the originals. I scaled back for the kids but would use more next time
3/4 c buttermilk
Preheat oven to 450.
Stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the cheese cubes, scallions and the pepper and stir in until they are evenly distributed. Add the buttermilk and stir gently until the dough comes together. It will still be slightly crumbly. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and press into a 3/4" to 1" thick rectangle. Cut out biscuits, gently reform dough and cut until the dough is used up. I got 6 biscuits using a 3" biscuit cutter.
Arrange biscuits 1" apart on a baking sheet. I used parchment paper because of the potential for cheese sticking. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Remove to a wire rack and let cool.
Sit on the back patio and eat them with scrambled eggs and coffee while you listen to the neighbor across the street yell about a restraining order (!!!!). Or skip that last part. Eat them in the comfort of your warm kitchen if it's too cold outside, unlike here where it is 95 again. Tell the kids that they're gross so they don't eat them. Because today, Annika discovered how good they really are and now I have to share.
I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.
