Honey Bacon Biscuits

If you’re a sucker for sweet and savory foods, you won’t be able to resist these Bacon Biscuits with a hint of honey. 

Guys, it’s November, and it’s also 75 degrees outside. On Halloween, little P wore his lion costume without a winter jacket over it. We went to the park today in short sleeves. I keep putting sweaters on in the morning then having to rip them off halfway through the day because I’m so warm. I honestly can’t remember the last time we’ve had such a lovely, long, golden fall.

It’s both bizarre and wonderful to be jumping in piles of leaves in shorts. I have been loving this season, but it has completely warped my perception of time. Is Thanksgiving really only three weeks away? It feels like Labor Day was yesterday, and you know Christmas will be here tomorrow. If I have to break out my NSYNC Christmas album in 70 degree weather, SO BE IT. The Christmas music waits for no man (and no appropriate seasonal weather pattern).

Despite the warm weather, I have been getting into the fall spirit by making cauldrons of soup, Crock Pot Beer Roast, and apple crisps. (Perhaps my enthusiastic use of the oven could explain the desperate pulling off of sweaters every day). This past week, I made these Honey Bacon Biscuits to accompany a big ol’ pot of Sweet Potato Turkey Chili, and even though the house was 80 degrees, I loved every warm, cozy, flaky bit of it.

I know every family has their own favorite bread to accompany their Thanksgiving feast. I’ve always considered Thanksgiving to be a roll kind of holiday. Would you judge me if I told you my family can get DOWN on some frozen Sister Schubert’s rolls? (C’mon, you know they’re amazing). However, this year I’m giving biscuits another look. (Sorry, Sister).

These Honey Bacon Biscuits could make a convert of just about anyone. They’re everything a good buttermilk biscuit should be–flaky, tall, and buttery–but with the added benefit of crunchy bits of bacon and sweet honey. These do quite well with a smear of butter and a side of soup, but my favorite way to enjoy them is with a few slices of apple, an assertive cheese, and a drizzle of honey. I also think they’d be ridiculously good paired with some apple butter as part of your holiday spread.

I’ve gone into greater detail about how to make fluffy buttermilk biscuits here, but the basics are 1. Keep everything cold, 2. Use White Lily Flour, and 3. Laminate your dough (instructions are in the recipe). Keep those tips in mind, and you’ll have easy, flaky bacon-y biscuits in no time! Just be sure to save one biscuit for a killer egg sandwich the next morning. I’ll have a recipe for one coming up you won’t want to miss!

Honey Bacon Biscuits

Yield: 7

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients

• 5 strips bacon
• 6 ounces (1½ stick, 12 Tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 2 cups White Lily self rising flour, plus more for sprinkling
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons honey
• 1 egg white
• Melted butter for brushing (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the butter into small (1/2 inch) chunks then place it in the freezer while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Fry the bacon until crisped. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Once the grease is soaked up, remove the paper towels and crumble the bacon. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

Place the flour in a mixing bowl. In a measuring cup, whisk together the cold buttermilk and honey.

Take the butter out of the freezer and add it to the flour mixture. Use two knives or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse, pea sized crumbs.

Add the buttermilk mixture, a little at a time, and stir the mixture gently with a wooden spoon until it starts to come together and form a ball. Gently stir in the bacon crumbles.

Sprinkle a flat surface with more flour. Turn the biscuit mixture out onto the flour and use your hands to pat it into a thin rectangle. Fold the left side to the center of the rectangle then fold the right side over the left side (think about folding a brochure). Roll the mixture out then fold again. Roll out a final time to ¾ inch thickness. Use a biscuit cutter or upside down juice glass to cut out the biscuits, making sure not to twist the cutter when you remove the biscuits. Reroll the dough with any scraps until all of it is used. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet and brush with a whisked egg white.

Bake for 13-15 minutes or until puffed and golden brown on top. Serve immediately brushed with melted butter or store wrapped loosely in a kitchen towel for a day. Reheat before serving.