cream cheese and chives biscuits

i had some leftover buttermilk from last weekend, so i decided to make these biscuits. i don't normally eat cream cheese, but i do love chives. plus, they were roll and fold biscuits, which i was curious about.

i made them last night and they are dee-lish! i much prefer the taste to the regular biskies i made last time. these are creamy, but not as dense, and buttery tasting, even though it has less butter. plus the chives, ymm. i definitely recommend making these! we enjoyed them with a morning breakfast, but i could also see them going well with a hearty stew at dinner, or a pot pie.

although, at a glance, the recipe seems more difficult with the rolling and folding, i was surprised at how easy the dough worked. however, my biscuits weren't as layer-y as the photo in the book. the texture was very airy and light, like sponge, but still like a biscuit cake. whereas, the photo showed it layered distinctly, almost like a pastry dough. which begs the question ... did i roll my dough too strongly or did martha do a lot of photoshopping? ;)

cream cheese and chives biscuits: makes 1 dozen
from martha's baking handbook (2005, p. 33)
2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tb sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped chives
1 stick butter, cold, cut into small pieces
4 oz cream cheese, cold, cut into pieces
1 1/4 cup buttermilk

1. line baking sheet with parchment and set aside. in large bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and chives. cut in butter and cream cheese until mix resembles coarse crumbs with a couple of larger pieces.

2. pour in buttermilk. using fork, mix in buttermilk until incorporated and dough comes just together. it will be sticky; do not overmix.

folding dough
3. turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. with floured fingers, gently knead about 4 times until all crumbs are incorporated and dough is smooth. gently roll out dough to 11 x 8 rectangle, about 1 inch thick. using scraper to lift ends, fold rectangle into thirds (like a business letter). give dough a quarter turn. roll out dough again, to same dimensions, and repeat folding process. wrap with plastic, refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4. return dough to work surface. roll out as before and repeat folding process. give dough another quarter turn. roll out dough one more time, same size. using sharp knife, trim and discard 1/4 inch from all sides. divide rectangle into 12 equal squares/rectangles. place on prepared baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart. refrigerate for 1 hour.

5. preheat oven to 425F. bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until biscuits are golden and flecked with brown spots, 15-18 minutes. transfer to wire rack and cool. best eaten the day of!

cream cheese and chives biscuits