Guinness Cheddar Biscuits

Why You Might Love This Cheddar Biscuit Recipe

These are not just any ordinary cheddar biscuits. They are to be made when you feel indulgent and want to satisfy a craving for a rich, comforting, carbs filled, buttery and cheesy treat. They are pure gustatory bliss and you should only make them and/or eat them when you feel at peace with enjoying life to the fullest, without any dietary guilt trips.

Our cheddar biscuit recipe works because:

• it is easy to follow, no special skills are required;
• the biscuits rise tall and bake flaky;
• the ingredients are calibrated to deliver exceptional taste - using Guinness stout enriches the dough with roasty and malty notes; adding spices to the dry mix supports the flavors of the cheddar and using creamy Irish butter adds decadence;
• you can make them in a short time for various Irish themed gatherings such as Saint Patrick's Day and say "I made Guinness cheddar biscuits from scratch"

Ingredients

Flour. You can make this recipe with all purpose flour and the biscuits will turn out really good. If you have cake flour on hand, which is lower in gluten forming proteins, the biscuits will be even lighter.

Other dry ingredients. Baking powder - the leavening agent of choice for quick breads including beer bread and biscuits. Sugar - to help the balance of the dough and also tame the roasted barley of the Guinness. Garlic powder and paprika - to amplify the cheddar's flavors.

Butter. You can use regular butter, but Irish butter is extra rich and creamy and makes a notable difference in both the texture and the flavor of the biscuits. We like to use salted butter and not add any salt to the flour, but if you are sensitive to the amount of salt typically included in salted butter use unsalted butter and decide if you want to add a pinch of salt to the dough instead. Remember that the cheddar is salty as well so taste it beforehand and make your decision.

Cheddar. Aged, strong flavored cheddar works best (sharp cheddar). If buying shredded cheddar go for the largest size, if prepping your own use a cold block of the cheese and grate it on the largest setting of your box grater.

Guinness. Use the Guinness original extra stout versus the nitrogenated version because it has better carbonation and richer flavor profile.

Melted butter. While you do not need to brush the cheddar biscuits with melted Irish butter, they do become that much more decadent if you do. We say - if you will be indulging in two of them - make them as rich as possible.

Process

To learn how to make cheddar biscuits with Guinness follow the steps illustrated below or watch the instructional video in the Recipe Card at the end of the post, then consider the written instructions.

Before you begin it is helpful to prep your ingredients and pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut a stick of butter into small cubes and place them in the freezer so the butter can be extra cold as you begin to use it. Measure out 1 cup of cold Guinness extra stout.

Mix. Begin by whisking together the flour, sugar, baking powder, garlic salt and paprika. Add the cold cubes of butter and work them in with your hands (very satisfying) or use a pastry cutter. They need to end up about the size of green peas. Add the grated cheddar cheese and mix it in evenly. Create a well in the middle of the mixture. To that well add the cold Guinness stout.

Shape. Very gently and in clockwise direction (helps with good luck), mix to combine the flour, butter and cheese mixture with the stout. When all the liquid is absorbed, turn out the shaggy dough onto a floured surface. With your hands gather it in and flatten it to a rectangle of about ¾ inch thickness. Next, fold the rectangle into thirds - first one third in towards the middle and then the other third on top of that. Turn around 90 degrees, flatten aggain and repeat twice. This helps create layers.

Cut. To cut use a 2.75 inch or so (2.5 to 3 inch) round cookie cutter. Place the cut biscuits in a greased 10 inch skillet with the side that was facing the surface up (smoother side). If you do not, they will still rise just fine but the crinkles on top will cause them to spread out some (see below, I left a couple turned the opposite way for demonstration and you can note how they baked differently (not texture wise, they still turn out fluffy).

Bake. Just before you place the skillet with the biscuits in the pre-heated 425 F oven, brush them with melted butter. After 20 to 24 minutes the biscuits should have risen and be golden on top. Monitor them once they get close to 20 minutes in the oven. Additionally, after about 12 minutes in the oven, quickly turn the skillet around 180 degrees which helps with even baking.

Once you Guinness cheddar biscuits have been baked take out the skillet and brush them again with melted butter (totally optional and very decadent).

Tips on Making Guinness Cheddar Biscuits

• Be sure to place the cubed butter in the freezer for about 10 minutes before you add it to the flour. Cold butter is essential for flaky biscuits.

• Do your best to flatten then fold the dough in three at least twice, three times is ideal (before you begin cutting). This creates separate layers.

• Cut the biscuits pressing straight down and do not twist the cutter - twisting prevents the biscuits from rising as it sort of seals the sides.

• If you are using a lined sheet pan instead of a 10 inch skillet to bake the biscuits be sure to place them close together. When they snuggle togehter they will rise taller than if you spread them out.

• And as already noted, place them with the side that was facing the floured surface when you cut them, UP. This will ensure smooth tops and the tops will not open up and out.

Storage and Reheating

Our Guinness cheddar biscuits are at their most fantastic shortly after you pull them out of the oven and are best eaten while still warm. Because one recipe makes only 8 to 10 biscuits, depending on the size of the cutter you used, we have only ever had leftovers once - a single biscuit, which was eaten the very next morning.

In the event that you do have leftover biscuits, store them in an airtight container after they have cooled down completely. For food safety reasons store them in the refrigerator.

To reheat, a short 7 to 10 seconds stint in the microwave oven should be sufficient, possibly an extra couple of seconds, depending on the calibration of your microwave and how many biscuits you are reheating.

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