Sour Cream and Cheddar Biscuits — A Sunday Bread for a Cooling October

Late October. The temperature dropped Friday night for the first time below freezing. The apartment radiator under the kitchen window came on Saturday morning. The household has officially entered the warm-the-apartment season. Dustin pulled the small space heater out of the closet for the bedroom. I pulled the heavy fleece blanket out of the linen-cabinet for the couch.

Sunday I made sour cream and cheddar biscuits because the apartment had sour cream that needed to move and Dustin had been wanting savory biscuits to go with the chili he had said he would make Monday night (Dustin makes chili about once a month and the chili Monday is on the schedule because the cold weather has arrived).

The biscuits: two cups of all-purpose flour, two teaspoons of baking powder, half a teaspoon of baking soda, half a teaspoon of salt, six tablespoons of cold butter cut in, two ounces of sharp cheddar grated, three-quarters of a cup of sour cream stirred in. Patted to one inch on a floured counter, cut with a juice glass dipped in flour, baked at four-fifty for twelve minutes. Twelve biscuits per pan. I made eighteen total — twelve for Sunday-and-Monday eating, six wrapped and frozen for later. The tang of the sour cream produces a savory depth that buttermilk alone does not deliver.

The recipe is the small Sunday-anchor in a small year of recipe-anchors. The Sunday-publish has been the small constant since I was fourteen and a freshman at Sapulpa High. The constancy is the small discipline. The small discipline is what makes the small kitchen-life sustainable.

The cafe’s small weekday-rhythm continues. Mama runs the small breakfast-and-brunch rotation. Cody runs the small lunch-and-dinner rotation. The small staff is the small extended family the cafe has built across the years.

Sour Cream & Cheddar Biscuits

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 14 min | Total Time: 24 min | Servings: 12 biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 cup full-fat sour cream
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon melted butter, for brushing (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat. Heat your oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
2. Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda until combined.
3. Cut in the butter. Add the cold butter cubes to the flour mixture. Use your fingertips or a pastry cutter to work the butter in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining. Cold butter is key — don’t overwork it.
4. Fold in sour cream and cheese. Add the sour cream and shredded cheddar. Stir with a fork just until a shaggy dough comes together. Do not overmix or the biscuits will be tough.
5. Drop and shape. Scoop heaping 2-tablespoon portions of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. You can leave them rough and rustic or gently pat them into rounds — either way works.
6. Bake. Bake for 12–14 minutes, until the tops are golden and the edges are set. Every oven runs a little different, so start checking at 12 minutes.
7. Brush and serve. If using, brush the warm biscuits with melted butter the moment they come out of the oven. Serve warm alongside soups, beans, or anything that needs something good to soak it up.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 182 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 19g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 274mg