Make it Now - Bake it Later Biscuits

I know it has been pretty hot lately and the last thing on anyone's mind is probably baking, but the great thing about these biscuits is that you can make them now and freeze them for later.  For me, it was also a great way to use up some of the hot peppers from my garden.  Every spring I buy 2-4 hot pepper plants.  Every summer I wonder what am I going to do with all these hot peppers!  This winter, when I am enjoying these delicious biscuits next to a warm bowl of chili, I'll remember, this is why I grow so many hot peppers. 

3 1/2 cups of flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1-2 hot peppers, seeded and chopped
16 tablespoons cold, salted butter, cubed
1 cup cold buttermilk
4 oz. cold cream cheese, cut into 3 slices

This biscuit recipe is pretty standard except for the addition of the cream cheese.  It just brings the flavor up a notch and the layering technique with the dough makes them light and fluffy. I used plain cream cheese but vegetable or herbed would be good too.  

In a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cold butter cubes.  Pulse a few times until the butter is pea-sized in the mixture.  Now add your shredded cheese and diced peppers and pulse a few times to incorporate them.  Drizzle in the buttermilk and pulse until the dough is shaggy.  

Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and gently bring it all together.  You want to work gently and quickly so the butter doesn't start to melt.  The colder the dough, the lighter the biscuits will be.  Pat the dough into a 1-inch thick square and then cut the square into 4 equal pieces.  

Add 1 slice of cream cheese to 3 of the squares.  Stack the cream cheese topped pieces on top of each other.  Add the final piece, without any cream cheese, to the top of the stack.  You should now have a tall stack of dough with cream cheese layered in.  Gently flatten or roll out your dough to your desired biscuit height.  Next, cut your biscuits out with a cutter or into squares.  Place them on a lined baking sheet and put them in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes if making right away. You want the butter and cream cheese to firm up a bit before baking. When the cold butter hits the hot oven, it will create steam which will puff up the dough. After 30 minutes, brush the tops with melted butter (I like to sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top too) and place them in a preheated 400-degree oven and bake until golden brown.

If you want to freeze them, then place that baking sheet uncovered in the freezer.  Once frozen, you can remove the biscuits and place them in a freezer bag for another day. When your ready, these biscuits can be baked straight from the freezer.  No need to defrost them.  Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven until golden brown.