Rosemary Orange Biscuits

Plain biscuits are a dinnertime favorite for many. The flaky biscuits are perfect for sopping up sauces, and are just as good topped off with butter or jam. Although we pair them with many flavors, most of the time the biscuits themselves are quite plain. It can take your biscuits to a whole new level to infuse a little flavor into them directly. These Rosemary Orange Biscuits are an easy to make variation on your basic biscuit for a sweet-savory side.

The biscuits get their flavor from rosemary, fresh or dried, and from orange zest. The rosemary works well with all kinds of flavors and gives the biscuits a distinctly savory note. The orange zest adds some sweetness into the mix. The biscuits can be served with just about any entree and are delicious when drizzled with honey, too.

I make these biscuits by hand, cutting the butter into the flour mixture to create a sandy meal (just as you might do for pie crust). Kneading the biscuit dough briefly after it has been made leads to a slightly flakier – and higher rising – biscuit. I cut these into squares just for a change of pace, but you could cut the dough with a regular round cutter, as well.

Rosemary Orange Biscuits
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp butter, cold and cut into small pieces
3/4 cup milk (pref. whole)
2 tsp dried rosemary or 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
2 1/2 tsp orange zest

Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
Add pieces of butter and toss to coat. Rub butter in with your fingertips to create coarse crumbs. The pieces of butter should be no larger than a pea.
Add milk, rosemary and orange zest and stir just until dough comes together into a slightly sticky ball. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 30 seconds until dough is uniform and smooth. Press dough into a large rectangle about 1/2 -inch thick. Using a sharp knife or a pizza wheel, cut dough into 10 square biscuits. Arrange of prepared baking sheet.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until biscuits have risen and are golden brown.
Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Makes 10 biscuits.