Name: Savory Ham and Cheese Butter Swim Biscuits
Ingredients: All-Purpose Flour: The foundation of our biscuits, providing structure and a tender crumb. We’ll be using all-purpose flour for its versatility and readily available nature.; Baking Powder: Our leavening agent, responsible for creating those light and fluffy biscuits. Make sure your baking powder is fresh for optimal rise.; Salt: Essential for flavor enhancement and to balance the sweetness of other ingredients. It also plays a role in gluten development.; Cold Unsalted Butter: The star of the show! Cold butter, when incorporated correctly, creates pockets of steam during baking, resulting in flaky layers. Unsalted butter allows us to control the overall saltiness.; Whole Milk: Adds moisture and richness to the biscuit dough, contributing to a tender texture and helping to bind the ingredients together.; Shredded Cheddar Cheese: Provides a sharp, savory flavor and melty goodness. Sharp cheddar is recommended for its pronounced taste, but you can use your favorite variety.; Diced Cooked Ham: Adds a salty, savory element and protein to the biscuits. Use cooked ham, such as deli ham or leftover baked ham, diced into small pieces.; Fresh Chives (Optional): Adds a delicate oniony flavor and a pop of fresh green color. Chopped chives are a lovely addition but can be omitted if you prefer.

Ingredients

All-Purpose Flour: The foundation of our biscuits, providing structure and a tender crumb. We’ll be using all-purpose flour for its versatility and readily available nature.
Baking Powder: Our leavening agent, responsible for creating those light and fluffy biscuits. Make sure your baking powder is fresh for optimal rise.
Salt: Essential for flavor enhancement and to balance the sweetness of other ingredients. It also plays a role in gluten development.
Cold Unsalted Butter: The star of the show! Cold butter, when incorporated correctly, creates pockets of steam during baking, resulting in flaky layers. Unsalted butter allows us to control the overall saltiness.
Whole Milk: Adds moisture and richness to the biscuit dough, contributing to a tender texture and helping to bind the ingredients together.
Shredded Cheddar Cheese: Provides a sharp, savory flavor and melty goodness. Sharp cheddar is recommended for its pronounced taste, but you can use your favorite variety.
Diced Cooked Ham: Adds a salty, savory element and protein to the biscuits. Use cooked ham, such as deli ham or leftover baked ham, diced into small pieces.
Fresh Chives (Optional): Adds a delicate oniony flavor and a pop of fresh green color. Chopped chives are a lovely addition but can be omitted if you prefer.

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Instructions

Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Dish: Start by preheating your oven to 450°F (232°C). This high temperature is crucial for achieving a good rise and golden-brown crust on the biscuits. While the oven is preheating, prepare a 9×13 inch baking dish. You can use a glass, metal, or ceramic dish – any oven-safe dish of this size will work perfectly.
Melt the Butter: In your prepared baking dish, place 1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter. Place the baking dish with the butter into the preheating oven to melt the butter completely. This “butter swim” technique is what makes these biscuits so unique and incredibly moist. Keep a close eye on the butter as it melts to ensure it doesn’t burn. It should be fully melted and bubbly when ready. Once melted, carefully remove the baking dish from the oven and set aside.
Whisk Dry Ingredients: While the butter is melting, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. This includes 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 4 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Whisking ensures that the baking powder and salt are evenly distributed throughout the flour, which is essential for consistent rising and flavor in your biscuits. Make sure to whisk thoroughly to eliminate any lumps in the flour.
Grate Cold Butter: Using a box grater, grate 1/2 cup (1 stick) of cold unsalted butter into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Grating the butter while it’s still cold is key to creating flaky biscuits. The small pieces of grated butter will remain distinct within the dough and melt during baking, creating steam and those desirable layers. Work quickly to prevent the butter from softening too much from the warmth of your hands.
Combine Grated Butter and Dry Ingredients: Use your fingertips or a pastry blender to gently cut the grated butter into the dry ingredients. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. Avoid overmixing at this stage, as overworking the dough can lead to tough biscuits. The goal is to simply distribute the butter evenly throughout the flour mixture.
Add Cheese and Ham: To the bowl with the flour and butter mixture, add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and 1 cup of diced cooked ham. If using fresh chives, add 2 tablespoons of chopped chives at this stage as well. Gently toss everything together to evenly distribute the cheese, ham, and chives (if using) throughout the dry ingredients.
Add Milk and Combine: Pour 1 ½ cups of whole milk into the bowl. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, gently stir the milk into the dry ingredients until just combined. The dough will be quite wet and sticky, which is perfectly normal for butter swim biscuits. Again, be careful not to overmix. Mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened and there are no large streaks of flour remaining. A few small lumps are okay.
Pour Batter into Melted Butter: Gently pour or scoop the biscuit batter evenly into the baking dish with the melted butter. Do not stir or mix the batter into the melted butter. The batter should essentially “float” on top of the butter. This layer of melted butter will create a beautifully crisp and flavorful bottom crust for the biscuits as they bake.
Bake in Preheat Oven: Place the baking dish with the batter and melted butter into the preheated 450°F (232°C) oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown on top and cooked through. The baking time may vary slightly depending on your oven, so keep an eye on them. A toothpick inserted into the center of a biscuit should come out clean when they are done.
Cool Slightly and Serve: Once baked, remove the baking dish from the oven and let the biscuits cool in the dish for a few minutes before serving. This allows them to set up slightly and makes them easier to handle. Serve the Savory Ham and Cheese Butter Swim Biscuits warm. They are delicious served directly from the baking dish, allowing everyone to scoop out a biscuit and enjoy that buttery bottom crust.

Nutrition

Serving Size: one normal portion
Calories: 350
Fat: 22g