Flaky and fluffy Cheese Biscuits, speckled with chives, are the perfect side dish for all of your holiday meals. Serve them at Easter, Thanksgiving, or serve them at Sunday brunch.
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Sift flour, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder into a medium mixing bowl, add kosher salt and mix with a whisk to combine.
Add the cold cubed butter to the flour mixture and work it into the flour with the tip of your fingers until about pea size and larger. You want the butter pieces to be different sizes and more flat than round.
Add 1 cup of shredded cheese and the chive, toss to distribute evenly.
Whisk together sour cream and milk in a bowl or measuring cup. Reserve 1 - 2 tablespoons to use as wash before baking.
Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the cold milk mixture. Fold with a spatula or wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board, pat the dough out to about 1/2” thick and fold it over itself. Do this two to three times and then shape the dough into a rectangle.
With a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a rectangle about 6”x14”. Fold in three like a letter. Roll the folded rectangle out one more time, and fold it again. This will create distinct layers when baked. Then if needed pat it down to about 1” thick or a rectangle about 4”x 8”. Cut into 8 squares.
Alternately, if you want to cut your biscuit into rounds, use a biscuits cutter, flour it well and push it straight down to cut without twisting. Cut as many as you can, and reshape the leftover per the above instructions and cut again until all gone.
Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, close together, brush the top and sides with additional milk, and top off with the remaining cheese. Bake for 15 - 16 minutes until golden brown.
Notes
You can substitute the sour cream and milk mixture with 1 cup buttermilk. Or substitute the sour cream with yogurt.
Replace chives or add different kinds of herbs to your liking: parsley, thyme, oregano, sage, fresh or roasted garlic will all be great additions.
I used a mixed cheese (cheddar and jack cheese), feel free to experiment with your favorites. Salted butter can be used in place of unsalted butter. Just note that if you don’t reduce the salt called for separately, your biscuits will be a little saltier.
Freezing the cut biscuits briefly before baking will help them rise higher and keep their shape better.