I’m writing this in the middle of a snow storm. All tucked up at home in Maine after a great weekend working at my cafe. I’m feeling even more fulfilled and proud. We’ve had amazing feedback and for the first time I feel like I’m expressing myself through my food. Making people happy. One of the things I served that was a delicious hit was cheddar scallion biscuits with everything bagel seasoning. 

Cheddar Scallion Biscuits

I wanted to create a biscuit that could be used for breakfast sandwiches. But they turned out so great that we ended up selling them plain, toasted, with scallion cream cheese. I topped the cheddar scallion biscuits generously with a homemade everything bagel seasoning mix and buttermilk and baked one to test in my home kitchen before bringing them to work. They were buttery, flaky, cheesy, and so delicious. I used a bunch of leftover scallions and grated cheddar with the butter to work into the dough itself.

Saturday was great. We opened at 10 and had a good, steady flow of people coming throughout the day. Not too many, which was perfect for my first time leading the charge. I started the day by brewing coffee, doing a little cleaning, and proofing my brown butter cinnamon rolls in the oven. The dough came out phenomenal. I added a little bit of oil to the dough for added freshness and softness. All I had to do was nail the proof and the bake. 

Selling Baked Goods

I also sliced up some of my favorite banana bread, infused with maple and candied nuts, to serve in our bakery display. We also sold my chocolate torte and chocolate orange cookies, which were a big success. One customer was so enamored with them that she asked me to explain how I made them. Which made me so proud. The day went well, filled with homemade English muffin bread toast, fried chicken cutlets for lunch, and hand pies. 

My hand pies are something I’m especially happy with! I spent a good 2 or 3 hours last week making a homemade pie dough and rolling it out on the counter. It’s super buttery and flaky and holds up well to the deep fryer. This time, instead of filling them with chicken pot pie filling, I decided to use something more simple. Ham and cheese. Honey ham and Swiss cheese, specifically, and a homemade mustard béchamel. Inspired by ham and cheese croissants from my favorite bakery in Camden. 

Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich

A mother and daughter pair ordered them on Saturday, along with a cookie, and told me after they finished that it was the best meal they’d had in a restaurant in years! I was so flattered and happy with myself. I also successfully survived my first unexpected random issue – a customer mistakenly took our work phone. Luckily, he brought it back, and in the meantime I asked people to pay with cash. I thought this whole experience would primarily be about learning to be a better chef, but I’ve already had so much practice adapting to challenges. 

We also had a few people order my cheddar scallion biscuits, which they said were delicious. I was a bit jealous of the people who had them as a breakfast sandwich. When I baked a fresh batch out of the freezer, the whole place smelled like butter, sharp cheese, scallions, and savory baked dough. It is a good form of marketing for people walking by. We split and toasted them after they baked and served them with scallion cream cheese. Like a more tender, flaky homemade bagel with savory, herbaceous cream cheese for breakfast. 

Forming Biscuit Dough

When I first made them, I referenced my blueberry biscuit recipe and subtracted some sugar. I started by measuring flour, sugar, salt, garlic powder, and baking powder into a large bowl. Next I made sure my butter was nice and cold and I grated it onto a large baking sheet. This helps it be more flaky and layered than just cubing the butter. Tandem bakery in Portland is famous for using a microplane to grate their butter even finer. But I’ve tried it and can’t tell that much of a difference. I also grated cheddar cheese with the butter onto the baking sheet. It went into the freezer to cool while I gathered my other ingredients. 

My favorite part of making biscuits is massaging the butter into the flour mixture. So I really enjoyed working the huge tray of butter and cheese into the dry ingredients. Like a kid playing in a sandbox. I washed off my hands a bit when it was nice and sandy and measured my buttermilk, sour cream, and eggs. It all whisked up into a smooth batter and I poured it into the bowl of flour. Quickly I had a clumpy dough forming, so I dumped it out onto the counter. I also added some scallions, I should mention, to my cheddar scallion biscuits, of course!

Test-Baking A Biscuit

My other favorite part of making biscuits or scones is this magical part where the dough, seemingly dry and impossibly messy, comes together into a smooth brick after no time. You take a bench scraper and form the dough into a rough block. Then cut the dough in half, stack one piece on top of the other, and lightly press to adhere. You repeat a few times and the dough is perfectly adhered to itself with no more crumbly bits. I never mix further after this or else the biscuits become gummy, overworked, and tough.

They were perfect! Freckled with green scallions and scented with butter and cheese. I wrapped my dough and chilled it in the freezer while I cleaned. After I readied my counter, I took the cheddar scallion biscuits out and cut them into 9 equal pieces. I actually made a double batch, so 18. I tried to cut them as evenly as possible, but I ended up with an ugly duckling. So, I froze the rest of the bricks for service and baked my delicious misfit. First I brushed it with a little cold buttermilk, preheated the oven, and sprinkled everything bagel seasoning generously on top. 

Everything Bagel Seasoning

After a while I could smell my biscuit as it finished cooking. I timed it, too, but after a look in the oven I could see it was golden brown, tender, and slightly risen. Perfect. The butter didn’t leak out and the layers were clearly defined from laminating the dough. I couldn’t wait to try it. I didn’t have scallion cream cheese, but I thoroughly enjoyed sitting down for a break and biting into the tender dough. It was warm, comforting, and toothsome. Filled with sharp cheddar, a subtle scallion essence, and so much butter. 

You really can’t go wrong with a good biscuit. So these cheddar scallion biscuits are my new favorite. We sold most of the ones I made, just in a couple February restaurant services, which made me proud. Everyone who tried one had great things to say. And, like I said, we even made breakfast sandwiches with them. So good. The everything bagel seasoning on top put them over the edge into gloriously delicious territory. Perfect for breakfast and lunch. I think they’ll be a signature at Nomad.

Great Weekends at the Cafe

I’m catching up on sleep today and relaxing through the massive snow storm hitting the east coast. The whole week is forecasted to be snowy. So I’ll be at home testing and thinking of new recipes to serve at Nomad. Reflecting on the great feedback we’ve had and how excited I am to keep going. We even had a James Beard award winning chef dine with us, unbeknownst to me, who called my homemade hash browns “fire”. I spent so long peeling and grating those damn potatoes, so it was amazing to hear! 

I’ll be looking forward to heading back to the cafe soon to serve some new things. To meet new people. I’m also going to hang up a handmade wooden sign I made and some more of my art. I can’t wait to see how the space comes together over the months and how many new memories I make. I’m so motivated to make new things and to make sure everyone has a great experience. And to keep it accessible and affordable still. Stay tuned, and as always, if you live in Maine, come by! Owl’s Head is a great area. 

Thanks so much for reading. Be sure to check out my Etsy for 100’s or recipe cards and art prints! Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. 

Print Pin

Cheddar Scallion Biscuits

Tender biscuits with scallion, cheddar, and everything bagel seasoning

Course Breakfast, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword biscuits, cheddar

Prep Time 1 minute minute

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 9

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 2 Sticks Unsalted Butter
• 2 cups Sharp Cheddar
• 3 1/2 cups AP Flour
• 2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 cup Chopped Scallions
• 1 tbsp Baking Powder
• 2 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 cup Buttermilk
• 1/4 cup Sour Cream
• 1/2 cup E.B. Seasoning

Instructions

• Heat oven to 375°F and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Grate butter and cheddar into a small bowl, then place in the freezer.
• Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, garlic powder, and salt in a large bowl.
• Add the frozen butter and cheese and coat in flour. Mix with your hands until the dough becomes like sand.
• Add 1/2 cup buttermilk and mix lightly. Then, add rest of the buttermilk, scallions, and sour cream and gently combine.
• Dump crumbly dough onto work surface. Bring together into a rough square.
• Using a bench scraper, create 2 layers and press one gently on top of the other. Repeat 2-3 times until dough is no longer crumbly.
• Form into a thick square. Cut into 9 equal square biscuits and transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
• Chill for at least 30 minutes. Top each with a teaspoon of buttermilk and a generous shake of everything bagel seasoning.
• Bake for 25 – 35 minutes until golden and flakey.

Notes

• For an ever more savory bite, add crumbled up cooked bacon to the dough or riced potato. 
• You can use chives in place of scallions if you need.
• I like to serve these with scallion cream cheese.