Savory mushroom and cheese biscuits

I had a biscuit like this a few weeks ago at Albina Press, a coffee shop here in Portland, Ore., and was instantly in love. Mushrooms? Cheese? In a biscuit!? Yes, please! I knew I had to recreate it. I really didn’t do anything fancy – I just made buttermilk biscuit dough, flattened it into a big rectangle (like we’re making cinnamon rolls!), put some cooked mushrooms on it, rolled it up, sliced it, and topped it all with cheese! Had I more cheese on hand, I absolutely would have put some cheese in the biscuits. Like, rolled up with the mushrooms. Or even in the dough! I’m mostly a firm believer in “there can never be enough cheese” … so follow your cheese-loving instinct on this one.

The cheese will melt. The biscuits get flakey and delicious. The mushrooms are soft little pockets of flavor – it's hard to eat just one these biscuits and they are best eaten immediately. I kid you not, these were so good within a few hours of baking, but after 12 hours they were noticeably drier. So, don’t make these ahead of time. Fortunately, they’re so easy to make, you don’t need to!

I used crimini mushrooms, since I had some, but if you’re lucky enough to be out hunting chanterelles or whatever… use ’em! Going mushroom hunting is on my shortlist for activities to do in the next few weeks, so maybe I'll share a few chanterelle recipes soon.

Mushroom and Manchego Buttermilk Biscuits
Serves 8

1 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
3/4 cup buttermilk, cold

1 cup grated manchego cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Spread the mushroom slices in a single layer in a large skillet over medium heat. Do not stir for the first 4 minutes, then stir occasionally for the next 5 minutes. Mushrooms should be softened and slightly caramelized on one side. Remove from the heat when they seem evenly cooked. Set aside.

3. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients (I pulse it all in my food processor), then add the buttermilk. Mix until the dough mostly comes together.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold over itself 5 times, making layers as the dough comes together. Press the dough into a rectangle ¾-inch thick, and about 12- x8-inches. Spread the mushrooms evenly across the surface, then roll from one long end to the other, and gently seal the seam.

5. Cut the log into 1-1/2-inch biscuits, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and top generously with the grated cheese.

6. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the tops are golden. Eat the same day you make them!

Related post on The Kitchen Paper: Almond cherry scones