Fluffy Small Batch Cream Cheese Buttermilk Biscuits: A Homemade KFC-Style Delight
Prepare to elevate your breakfast or dinner experience with these incredibly delicious and irresistibly fluffy small batch cream cheese buttermilk biscuits. This recipe, inspired by classic Southern baking and a beloved fast-food favorite, delivers a tender, rich biscuit that will remind you of the iconic KFC biscuits you grew up loving. We’ve scaled down a fantastic recipe from Cook’s Country Magazine to yield just six perfect biscuits, ensuring every batch is fresh, warm, and utterly delightful. The secret? Cold cream cheese worked right into the dough, providing an unmatched richness and a tender crumb that sets these apart from any ordinary biscuit.
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Capturing the Magic of KFC Biscuits in Your Kitchen
For many, the mention of KFC biscuits evokes a strong sense of nostalgia and comfort. Before I experienced the unique pleasure of a Kentucky Fried Chicken biscuit, I genuinely believed I wasn’t a fan of biscuits. My only exposure was to the dense, often dry, canned varieties my mother occasionally served. But those KFC biscuits? They were a revelation – remarkably big, incredibly fluffy, and bursting with a distinct, savory flavor. This small batch recipe aims to replicate that very magic, bringing the light, airy texture and rich buttermilk and cream cheese essence right to your home.
These homemade cream cheese biscuits stand proudly alongside those cherished memories. They boast a substantial size, a beautiful rise, and a tender interior that practically melts in your mouth. The combination of tangy buttermilk and rich cream cheese creates a complex flavor profile that is both familiar and exciting. Unlike their less impressive canned counterparts, these biscuits are designed to be a centerpiece, perfect for pairing with anything from fried chicken and gravy to sweet jams and honey. The texture is key here – a delicate crispness on the outside giving way to an incredibly soft, moist crumb within, exactly what you’d expect from a truly exceptional biscuit.
The Golden Rule of Biscuit Baking: Don’t Overmix Your Dough
Achieving that coveted light and fluffy biscuit texture hinges on one crucial principle: do not overmix the dough. This might sound counterintuitive because you also want all ingredients to be evenly blended. The key is understanding how gluten develops. Gluten, the protein structure found in flour, begins to strengthen and form elastic strands as soon as it comes into contact with moisture and is worked. While gluten development is desirable in breads for a chewy texture, it’s the enemy of tender biscuits. Overworking biscuit dough leads to excessive gluten formation, resulting in tough, dense, and unappetizing biscuits.
To avoid this common pitfall, start by thoroughly combining all your dry ingredients – flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. This ensures an even distribution of leavening agents before any liquid is introduced. Next, cut in your cold fats (butter and cream cheese). Using cold fats is essential, as they create pockets of steam during baking, contributing to the biscuits’ signature flaky layers. Work the fat into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs. Some larger pea-sized pieces are perfectly fine and even encouraged. These tiny pockets of butter and cream cheese are what make these biscuits so uniquely tender and flavorful. Once the fat is incorporated, quickly add the cold buttermilk and stir just until the mixture comes together. The dough should be soft, shaggy, and noticeably lumpy. If you see little dots of cream cheese that haven’t fully blended in, don’t worry – these will melt beautifully in the oven, creating delightful pockets of creamy richness within the baked biscuit. Trust the process; a slightly under-mixed dough is far superior to an over-mixed one when it comes to biscuits!
The White Lily Advantage: Choosing the Right Flour for Perfect Biscuits
The type of flour you use can dramatically impact the outcome of your biscuits. This recipe originally calls for a blend of all-purpose flour and cake flour, a combination designed to mimic a softer, lower-protein flour. However, if you have access to White Lily all-purpose flour, you’re in luck! White Lily is a Southern staple, renowned for its low protein content, which is naturally ideal for tender baked goods like biscuits and cakes. If using White Lily all-purpose, you can simply use 190 grams (or about 1 ½ cups) of it in place of the individual measurements of all-purpose and cake flour specified in the recipe. This simplifies the ingredient list without compromising on the desired soft texture.
For those without White Lily, the original blend works perfectly. The goal is to achieve a flour mixture with less protein than standard all-purpose flour, which typically has a higher protein content. Cake flour is specifically milled from soft wheat and has the lowest protein content, making it excellent for tender crumbs. Combining it with regular all-purpose flour helps strike the right balance for structure and tenderness. Using a kitchen scale for accurate measurements (grams) is highly recommended, especially when working with different flour types, as cup measurements can vary significantly depending on how the flour is scooped. Regardless of your flour choice, ensuring it’s fresh and stored properly will contribute to the best possible biscuit outcome.
Why Choose a Small Batch Biscuit Recipe? The Joy of Freshness
In a world of super-sized portions, there’s a unique charm and practicality to a small batch recipe, especially when it comes to biscuits. This recipe yields just six perfect cream cheese biscuits, making it ideal for smaller households, couples, or anyone who simply craves a warm, freshly baked treat without an abundance of leftovers. Biscuits are undeniably at their peak moments after emerging from the oven – crisp on the outside, steamy and tender within. A small batch ensures you can enjoy them in their prime, minimizing waste and maximizing satisfaction.
Beyond convenience, baking a small batch offers the simple luxury of spontaneity. Craving a homemade breakfast on a lazy Sunday? Or perhaps a warm side for your weeknight dinner? This recipe is quick to assemble and bake, meaning you’re never more than about 30 minutes away from a delightful experience. It also provides an excellent opportunity to refine your biscuit-making skills without committing to a large, potentially overwhelming batch. You’ll master the art of not overmixing, handling the dough gently, and achieving that perfect golden crust. Embrace the efficiency and the sheer joy of pulling perfectly puffed, buttery, cream cheese-infused biscuits from your oven, knowing each one is destined to be savored.
Serving Suggestions: Making Your Biscuits Shine
These fluffy small batch cream cheese buttermilk biscuits are incredibly versatile and can complement almost any meal, from a hearty breakfast to a comforting dinner. Their rich flavor and tender texture make them a fantastic vehicle for both sweet and savory toppings.
For a classic Southern breakfast or brunch, serve them alongside scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and a generous dollop of homemade sausage gravy. The tangy cream cheese in the biscuits pairs beautifully with the richness of the gravy. If you prefer a sweeter start to your day, slather them with your favorite fruit jam, marmalade, or a drizzle of warm honey. A simple pat of extra butter, melting into the warm biscuit, is also pure perfection. Beyond breakfast, these biscuits make an excellent accompaniment to a Sunday roast chicken, a steaming bowl of chili, or as a side with your favorite fried chicken (bringing that KFC connection full circle!). They also excel as a base for mini sandwiches – think thinly sliced ham and cheese or even a fried egg. Don’t be afraid to experiment; their delightful flavor profile makes them adaptable to a wide array of culinary pairings.
Small Batch Cream Cheese Biscuits Recipe
Ready to bake these incredible biscuits? Below you’ll find the detailed recipe card with all the ingredients and step-by-step instructions. Follow these simple steps, and you’ll be enjoying warm, fluffy, and tender cream cheese buttermilk biscuits in no time. Remember the key tips for success: use cold ingredients, don’t overmix, and enjoy the magical pockets of cream cheese!
Recipe
Small Batch Cream Cheese Biscuits
Anna
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour (95 grams)
- ¾ cups cake flour (95 grams)
- 2 teaspoons sugar (8 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅜ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 ounces cold cream cheese cut into cubes (56 grams)
- 2 tablespoons cold butter cut into cubes (28 grams)
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk (128 grams)
- Butter for topping the biscuits
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230°C). Line a cookie sheet with non-stick foil or parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda until well combined. Add the cold cream cheese (cubed) and cold butter (cubed) to the dry ingredients. Using your fingertips, quickly work the fats into the flour mixture until it forms a coarse, crumbly mixture with some pea-sized pieces of butter and cream cheese remaining. Pour in the cold buttermilk and stir with a spoon just until the mixture comes together into a shaggy dough. Be careful not to overmix.
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Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Gently push the dough together to form a 4×6 inch (10×15 cm) rectangle. Cut the rectangle into 6 equal squares and place the biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake on the center rack of your preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the biscuits have puffed up beautifully and turned a golden brown color. As soon as they come out of the oven, brush the tops generously with melted butter. While these biscuits are delicious on their own with the cream cheese, this extra brush of butter provides a beautiful sheen and an added layer of flavor and moisture.
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This recipe yields 6 perfect biscuits.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cream Cheese Biscuits
Do you have more questions about making the perfect cream cheese biscuits? Here are some common inquiries:
Q: Can I use regular milk instead of buttermilk?
A: Buttermilk is crucial for the tangy flavor and tender texture of these biscuits. The acidity in buttermilk reacts with the baking soda to create lift. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a quick substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup, then filling the rest of the way to ½ cup + 1 tablespoon with regular milk. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until it slightly curdles before using.
Q: Why are cold ingredients so important?
A: Cold butter and cream cheese are essential for creating flaky layers. As the cold fat melts in the hot oven, it releases steam, which separates the layers of dough, resulting in a light and airy texture. If your fats are too warm, they will blend completely with the flour, leading to a denser biscuit.
Q: How can I avoid tough biscuits?
A: The most common cause of tough biscuits is overmixing the dough. As mentioned, overworking develops gluten, which makes biscuits chewy instead of tender. Mix only until the ingredients are just combined and the dough is shaggy. Also, avoid rolling out the dough too much or pressing too hard; handle it gently.
Q: Can I double this recipe?
A: Yes, you can double the recipe. Just be sure to use a larger bowl for mixing and ensure you still handle the dough gently to prevent overmixing. The baking time might remain similar, but keep an eye on them for that golden-brown finish.
Q: How should I store leftover biscuits?
A: Leftover biscuits are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, you can freeze them for up to 1-2 months. Reheat them gently in a microwave for a few seconds or in a toaster oven until warmed through.
We hope these tips help you create the most delightful small batch cream cheese buttermilk biscuits. Enjoy your baking!