Baking Powder Biscuits with Onions

These savory biscuits fold sautéed onion and shallot right into the dough, so every bite has a sweet, caramelized allium flavor baked through. They’re flaky, tender, and a serious upgrade from a plain baking powder biscuit.

The food processor does the work of cutting cold margarine into the flour mixture, which takes seconds instead of the minutes you’d spend with a pastry cutter. Pulsing keeps the fat in small, irregular pieces that melt during baking and create those layered, flaky pockets.

Using both all-purpose flour and cake flour is a smart move. The cake flour has less protein, which keeps the biscuits tender rather than tough. It’s the same ratio many bakeries use for their biscuit recipes.

Kitchen Tips

• Cool the sautéed onions before mixing with the cold milk. Hot onions will soften the margarine in the flour mixture and kill the flakiness.
• Knead the dough only 10 times. More than that develops gluten and makes the biscuits dense and chewy instead of light.
• Roll to ¾ inch thick for tall, fluffy biscuits. Thinner dough makes flat, cracker-like rounds.
• Brush the tops with melted margarine before baking for a golden, glossy crust.

Variations

• Add fresh thyme or rosemary to the dough for an herbed onion biscuit.
• Use butter instead of margarine for a richer flavor.
• Serve alongside soups, stews, or roasted meats as a savory bread course.