Extra Flaky Maple Bacon Biscuits Recipe

Biscuits are buttery, flaky delights that taste just as good plain as they do all dressed up. This biscuit recipe, brought to us by recipe developer Kate Shungu, throws both maple syrup and bacon into the mix, resulting in a flaky biscuit that includes irresistibly sweet, salty, and savory touches. "These biscuits are a fun spin on the traditional Southern biscuit," Shungu says. Of course, she can't help but highlight the star ingredients of these biscuits, explaining, "The maple syrup adds the perfect amount of sweetness to complement the crispy bacon pieces."

If you've ever made biscuits from scratch before then you know that the secret to ultra-flaky biscuits lies in the method — one that involves rolling out the dough, folding it on top of itself, then repeating the process to create plenty of layers. This process can seem intimidating to a non-baker, but luckily, Shungu lays out the steps to yield nearly foolproof biscuits in just over an hour. Plus, you only need seven ingredients to make the bacon-maple magic happen, so these biscuits are just begging to grace your Saturday morning brunch or breakfast table.

There are a handful of ingredients for this recipe that you'd find in just about any biscuit recipe: unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and buttermilk. Of course, these aren't just any old biscuits, they're maple bacon biscuits, so you'll also need maple syrup and fully cooked (and cooled), crumbled bacon.

Place butter in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.

Grate the cold butter on the large holes of a box grater.

Add grated butter to the flour mixture. Mix gently with your hands to combine.

Stir in buttermilk, maple syrup, and crumbled bacon just until combined.

Flip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

Pat into a rectangle about 2 inches high.

Fold the dough in half, then use a rolling pin to roll it into another 2-inch high rectangle.

Repeat the folding and rolling process 2 more times to create flaky layers in the biscuits.

Pat the dough into a 1-inch high rectangle.

Use a sharp knife to slice the dough into 10 biscuits.

Place the biscuits on a sheet pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 F.

Bake the chilled biscuits for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom.

Let cool slightly, and serve.

Nobody likes a biscuit that's too dense, and on the other hand, no one likes a biscuit that's too light or chewy. What truly sets a biscuit apart from other baked goods are those flaky layers, and Shungu has laid out some steps to ensure that your biscuits are as layered as can be. First, consider the fact that the temperature of your ingredients matters. "Freezing the butter ensures that the butter is extra cold," Shungu explains. "When cold butter hits the hot oven, it creates air pockets that create flakiness." On a similar temperature thread, Shungu explains, "Grating the butter on a box grater, instead of working it in with your fingers, ensures the heat of your hands doesn't cool down the butter."

As you work through the recipe, you'll notice that there's quite a bit of folding the dough on top of itself — this serves an important purpose. "Folding the dough makes even more flaky layers," Shungu explains. And, once you've got thrice-folded biscuits that are cut and nearly ready for baking, one last round of refrigeration helps ensure optimal success in the oven. As Shungu tells us, "Refrigerating the biscuits before baking gets the butter nice and cold again."

Naturally, these maple bacon biscuits conjure up images of savory-sweet breakfast entrees, so you can't go wrong pairing them alongside even more bacon and perhaps even a stack of flapjacks. "These are a great option for breakfast or brunch, along with some eggs," Shungu says. If you're hosting an at-home brunch for friends, these biscuits will make for the perfect centerpiece, and you could even give them the breakfast sandwich treatment: "You could add slices of ham inside to make them extra hearty or turn them into lunch."

Regardless of how you serve the biscuits, there's a good chance that a few of the 10 that this recipe yields will be leftovers. "These will keep for 3–4 days in an airtight container," Shungu says, and she advises to "warm any leftovers for 2–3 minutes in a 350 F oven." Though you could enjoy your leftover biscuits at room temperature, maybe with a slather of butter, Shungu does note, "Hot biscuits always taste better!"