Basil And Tomato Biscuits Recipe

If you're a fan of bready goodness, it's hard to go wrong with biscuits. Simultaneously fluffy and tender while boasting a golden crust that crunches under your teeth, they provide a delicious pairing for everything from rich gravy to Southern fried chicken. While biscuits often play an accompanying role, the right ones can become the main attraction. Mashed recipe developer Patterson Watkins shares these basil and tomato biscuits that are worthy of star status. As she describes, "This sun-dried tomato and basil combination (not to mention oodles of garlic) is a perfect ingredient pairing for buttery, flaky biscuits." 

Plain biscuits are foolproof and crowd-pleasing as they are, and this variation packs in a few simple elements that enhance the basic dough with just a little extra effort. If you won't get through the batch while it's fresh, freeze any leftovers in an airtight container so you can thaw and reheat them for a warm and comforting delight at your leisure. Munch on one as an afternoon snack, dunk it in your soup, or use it as a foundation for an epic sandwich — there's no wrong way to enjoy these basil and tomato biscuits.

For this recipe, you'll need the usual suspects for making biscuits: all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, granulated sugar, chilled butter, and buttermilk. The extra flavor comes from diced sun-dried tomatoes, chopped fresh basil, minced garlic, and a touch of black pepper.

A word about the key ingredient: "Please, please, please only use the dried sun-dried tomatoes," Watkins explains. "Oil-marinated sun-dried tomatoes will throw off your fat-to-flour balance, creating...well, a mess, probably." If you can't get your hands on the fully dried version, Watkins recommends reducing the butter content by 2-3 tablespoons, though the results might not be optimal.

Place flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, sugar, and black pepper in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

Add sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and garlic and whisk to combine.

Add butter to the bowl and, using a pastry cutter or fork, cut it into the flour mixture, creating pea-sized pieces.

Pour in the buttermilk and, using a rubber spatula, slowly fold or stir the ingredients together, creating a shaggy dough.

Transfer dough (and any remnants in the bowl) to a clean work surface, dusting with additional flour if needed to prevent stickiness. Knead just until it holds together.

Using your hands or a rolling pin, press the dough into a rough rectangle about ½ inch to ¾ inch thick.

Using a 2 to 2 ½-inch round cookie cutter, cut the dough into circles.

Transfer biscuits to a large, parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450 F.

Bake biscuits for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through and lightly golden. (Keep an eye on the biscuits while they bake and rotate the baking sheet halfway through, as the bottoms will darken faster than the tops.)

Serve warm.

Brimming with salty sun-dried tomatoes, sweet garlic, and fragrant basil, these biscuits already have a lot going for them. At the same time, those ingredients complement many other flavors. Watkins has experimented plenty with these flaky biscuits, and her results show that you can do a lot more with them besides eat them straight out of the oven. "I made a modified turkey club sando. I schmeared on some scallion cream cheese and topped them with slices of cucumber (à la tea sandwich). I made cheesy scrambled eggs and used these basil and tomato biscuits in lieu of a fork," she lists.

The possibilities don't stop there. Watkins also likes to slice these biscuits in half and turn them into a sandwich. Follow her lead and melt on some cheddar cheese in the toaster oven, then dunk the creation into tomato soup. Or, since the flavor profile of these biscuits leans Italian, they would make a wonderful sandwich base with fresh mozzarella and a layer of pesto to double down on the basil notes. Complete the meal with another comforting favorite, such as homemade cream of mushroom soup, for the ultimate soup and sandwich combo. 

It can be easy to fall prey to common mistakes everyone makes when baking biscuits, but with a few simple pointers, successful results are entirely within reach. Watkins' number-one piece of advice is to use cold butter when making the dough. "This will reward you with that tell-tale flaky biscuit we all know and love," she explains. Butter temperature matters because as long as the dairy is cold, it won't fully blend into the flour. As a result, the butter will melt only while the biscuits bake in the oven, releasing steam and creating a light and puffy texture. 

In a similar vein, Watkins' second tip is to avoid overdoing it when mixing biscuit dough. "A few kneads — just enough for the dough to loosely hold together — is just fine. If you overwork the dough, you might end up with super dense biscuits that are more like scones," she explains. Aside from producing tender biscuits, less kneading means less work for you!