Cheddar Chive Buttermilk Biscuits

Cheddar Chive Buttermilk Biscuits

Light flaky buttermilk biscuits with fragrant chives and melting pockets of cheddar cheese baked right in; terrific served with chili, soups or stews or as the start of delicious breakfast sandwiches.
Course Breakfast/Brunch, Sandwiches/Burgers, Side Dishes
Cuisine North American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 6 to 8 large biscuits
Author Barry C. Parsons


  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • cup very cold salted butter , cut in small cubes
  • 4 tbsp chopped fresh chives
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese , diced small
  • cups buttermilk


  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. In a food processor, blend together the flour, baking powder and baking soda.
  3. Pulse in the cold butter. Do not over incorporate the butter into the flour. Similar to making a flaky pastry, small pieces of butter should be visible in the flour.
  4. Transfer this mixture from the food processor into a large mixing bowl and add the chives and cheese.
  5. Toss together and make a well in the center. Pour in the buttermilk.
  6. Working very quickly with a wooden spoon, fold the dry mixture through the buttermilk, only until the flour disappears, then stop immediately.
  7. Drop the sticky dough onto a well floured counter top or bread board. Sprinkle the top of the dough with additional flour as well as flouring your hands to handle the dough.
  8. After folding it just a few times, I don’t even use a rolling pin for these biscuits, the dough is soft enough to pat it out gently with floured hands to a thickness of about 1 inch.
  9. Using a large sharp biscuit cutter cut the biscuits out an place them well spaced out, on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. I recommend aluminum baking sheets because they tolerate the higher oven temperature without burning the bottom of the biscuits. An alternative to using a biscuit cutter is to form the dough into a round and simply cut it in wedges, like a pie. (as pictured) Brush an egg wash or a little milk on top of the biscuits if you like to aid browning.
  10. Bake in the 425 degree F preheated oven for about 10 minutes before lowering the temperature to 375 degrees F and baking for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits are evenly golden brown. Smaller biscuits will need about 5 minutes less in the oven.