Buzz
Unless you're completely devoid of taste buds and feelings, chances are you love a good bread basket. A quality bread, served before your meal, does more than just tantalize your taste buds; it creates loyalty. Case in point: I’ll gladly visit Red Lobster for their famous cheesy, salty Cheddar Bay Biscuits. They're so irresistible, but did you know you can make them better at home?
If you're short on time and looking for a quick fix, there’s a Red Lobster branded mix available. I’m not against using a mix, but I was curious whether the 'just-add-water' shortcut could really capture the essence of their signature biscuit. Would it live up to the Red Lobster reputation, or was there a superior homemade recipe out there?
As we discovered in our brownie taste test, homemade isn't always the winner, but I thought these cheddar drop biscuits from Queen Martha would be a great starting point for comparison. First, I followed the mix instructions: simply add water and cheese, stir until a rough dough forms, then spoon out 1/4-cup portions onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. I baked them to a golden brown and brushed them with a butter-seasoning blend from the mix.
They certainly looked the part, and right out of the oven, they tasted almost identical to the biscuits you get at Red Lobster. The box recommends you eat them immediately, and after they cooled, I realized why. Once they reached room temperature, the flavors faded, the texture became too cakey, and, if you ate more than one, you might even end up with a headache (at least that's what happened to me). If you need a fast Cheddar Bay fix and can devour several biscuits before they cool, this mix is a decent option.
With just a little extra time and effort, you can create a biscuit that's far butterier, cheesier, and more delicious. I didn’t need 16 biscuits, so I halved Ms. Stewart’s recipe. If you want to make eight cheesy, buttery, fluffy biscuits, here’s what you’ll need:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
A pinch of cayenne pepper (I didn’t halve the original pinch)
3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
3 ounces shredded sharp cheddar
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped chives
Whisk together all the dry ingredients, then cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or your hands until the butter is fully incorporated and forms pea-sized lumps. Add the cheese, buttermilk, and chives, stirring just until combined. Scoop out 1/4-cup portions onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake at 425℉ for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Although Martha didn’t suggest it, I brushed the biscuits with a blend of 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1 tablespoon of chives. I’m glad I did. These biscuits were absolutely transcendent when fresh from the oven. They didn’t quite rise as high as the box-mix variety, but the flavor made up for it. The box-mix biscuits were almost unnervingly similar to those from Cheddar Bay, but their taste faded quickly, and they didn’t have that rich, cheesy, buttery flavor that Martha’s did. (As a self-proclaimed Cheddar Goblin, I can’t stress enough how important cheesiness is.)
The cheddar had peeked out in places, forming crunchy, Frito-like bits on the biscuits. Combined with the real chives and tangy buttermilk, these were some of the finest drop biscuits I’ve ever made. (Bonus: they were still delicious the next morning, which is a huge plus for me.)
