I’m on a holiday roll, and there’s no turning back! These Pecorino Sage Buttermilk Biscuits may steal the show on your big festive table! They’re super flaky and buttery, and have a sharp, salty nuttiness from the Pecorino Romano cheese. I added in flecks of crispy sage that’s earthy and warm, then top them off with freshly cracked black pepper. Can you even??
I’ve actually been thinking about this biscuit recipe for a while. Like wayyy before the holiday season, and I had a strong intuition that it would be delicious, and by Gd, it is! As I’m writing this post, I’m actually curled up by a fire with a warm cup of tea, and it is charming and cozy, I will admit. Usually, I’m very anti-Fall and Winter, but the peak coziness is addictive. I’ve said it before, but living out here in the country seems to put me more in tune with natural biorhythms, and I already feel like I’m going into hibernation mode. After such a busy summer, some down time and quiet time is just perfect.
So, these biscuits! What is the trick to getting super flaky biscuits? I have a few tricks that will significantly UP your biscuit game, you ready?
- First, do not overmix the dough. Stir the dough JUST until it comes together, then use your hands to gently press any loose flour into, and shore up the sides.
- Next, you need to be folding the dough! Once you pat it out the first time, fold it on itself like a letter, then pat it flat again. Repeat once more, and boom, you’ve created layers!
- Third, when you’re ready to cut up the biscuits, DO NOT TWIST the cutter. This prevents the layers from rising and separating. Press the cutter straight down, preserving all those gorgeous layers!
- Grate a block of Pecorino Romano cheese, the real stuff, non of that pre-grated noise.
- NOTE: the recipe doesn’t call for any additional salt, bc the Pecorino is salty AF and the butter is salted as well! Trust me, its plenty.
I didn’t grow up in the South, but I’ve taken a lot of notes on real-deal southern biscuits and I hope any Southeners out there will accept my buttery, flaky biscuits as a tribute to the simpler, more delicious things in life, that the South is known and loved for. Guys, have a great Thanksgiving! Don’t sweat the small stuff, stay positive, enjoy your friends and family, and wear your stretchy pants so you can eat ALL the food!
xoxo L
Pecorino Sage Buttermilk Biscuits
Super flaky buttery biscuits studded with crispy sage and sharp, salty Pecorino Romano cheese
Ingredients
- 8 Tbsp (1 stick) Salted butter, very cold
- 2 c unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 c freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 6-7 sage leaves
- 1 Tbsp salted butter
- freshly ground black pepper for topping
- 3/4 buttermilk, cold
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
In a small frying pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the sage leaves, cook for about 2 minutes until slightly crispy and browned. Remove from the pan, and chop the leaves finely. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, whisk to combine. Add the 8 tablespoons of cold butter to the bowl, and using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour, until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the grated Pecorino cheese and the chopped crispy sage to bowl, and gently stir to incorporate. Add the buttermilk, and use a spoon to gently stir the mixture until a dough just forms.
Pour the dough out onto a floured surface. Use your hands to gently bring the dough and any loose flour together. Pat the dough into roughly a 6"x9" rectangle. Fold up one end of dough to the center, then fold the other end on top, like a letter. Use your floured hand to gently pat down the dough into another 6x9 rectangle, and repeat the fold and pat. Use a 2-inch round cutter. Press the cutter straight down to, DO NOT TWIST. This preserves the layers. Press the scrap back together, and cut more biscuits!
Place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with 1 tablespoon of buttermilk, and sprinkle freshly cracked black pepper on top. Bake for 12-14 minutes at 450 degrees F or until puffy and golden brown. Serve right away, OR reheat in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes right before serving 🙂