Brown Sugar-Bacon Biscuits
6 slices of bacon
1 T. brown sugar
coarse ground black pepper
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. granulated sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 to 1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 large egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and spread bacon across baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with brown sugar and black pepper. Bake until crisp and cooked through, about 13 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully use tongs to place the hot bacon on a cutting board. Don’t put the bacon on paper towels or they might stick. Ick! Allow to cool until you’re able to handle the slices and chop into medium chunks. Set aside. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Line another baking sheet with parchment paper or foil, and set aside. In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and black pepper. Add cold butter and use your hands to quickly break the butter into the flour until mixture resembles coarse meal. In another bowl, combine egg and buttermilk and beat lightly with a fork. Add to flour mixture all at once, stirring to incorporate. Once batter is nearly incorporated, add bacon and mix in. You may want to dump the shaggy biscuit mixture onto a lightly floured board to knead together a few times. Don’t overwork the dough and melt the butter, Just make sure it comes together. Roll or pat dough into a 1-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch rounds using a biscuit cutter or cut into 2×2-inch squares. Reshape and roll dough to create more biscuits with excess scraps. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees F for 12-15 minutes. Serve biscuits warm with jam or a fried egg. I love these biscuits the day they are made. They can be kept in the fridge and will last for two days. The shaped, uncooked biscuit can also be frozen. Thaw in the fridge overnight and bake up in the morning.