Ham Biscuit
intro
Flaky, buttery Southern-style biscuits stuffed with savory salty country ham, a portable, satisfying classic perfect for casual on-the-go meals.
Ingredients
Steps
Preheat and Whisk Dry Ingredients
Preheat your oven to 220°C (425°F) and line a 33cm x 23cm (13in x 9in) rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 240g all-purpose flour, 15g baking powder, and 3g fine sea salt until fully combined, about 30 seconds.
Cut Butter into Flour
Add the 85g cold 1cm-cubed unsalted butter to the dry flour mixture. Use your fingertips or a pastry cutter to press the butter into the flour until the mixture forms coarse crumbs with pea-sized and small almond-sized butter pieces remaining, about 2 minutes. Do not overmix, as intact cold butter chunks create flaky layers.
Add Milk to Make Dough
Pour 180ml cold whole milk into the flour-butter mixture, and stir with a wooden spoon just until a shaggy, slightly sticky dough forms, about 20 seconds. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and pat it into a uniform 2.5cm (1in) thick rectangle, folding the dough no more than 3 gentle times to build flaky layers without overworking it.
Cut Out Biscuit Rounds
Use a straight-edged 6cm (2.5in) round biscuit cutter to press straight down through the dough (do not twist the cutter, as this seals edges and prevents rising) to cut biscuits. Gather scraps once, re-pat to 2.5cm thickness, and cut remaining dough to make 8 total biscuits. Arrange biscuits 2cm (1in) apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Butter and Bake Biscuits
Brush the top of each raw biscuit with the 14g melted unsalted butter. Bake on the oven’s middle rack for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the baking sheet 180 degrees at the 7-minute mark to ensure even browning, until biscuits are deep golden brown and doubled in height.
Fill Biscuits with Ham
Let biscuits cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes, then split each warm biscuit horizontally with a serrated knife. Tuck 1 thin slice (15g) of country ham into each split biscuit, pressing the top lightly to secure the filling, and serve immediately.
Tips
2.Never twist the biscuit cutter when pressing through dough; twisting pinches and seals the cut edges, preventing biscuits from rising evenly to their full height in the oven.
3.For easy event prep, bake biscuits 1 day in advance, store in an airtight container at room temperature, and warm for 5 minutes in a 180°C (350°F) oven before splitting and stuffing with ham.
OMG these fluffy ham biscuits are a total game changer for our Sunday brunch spread! I’ve tried a million Southern biscuit recipes over the years that always turn out dense and heavy, but these came out so light, flaky, and buttery I could’ve cried. I used leftover honey baked ham from our family dinner the night before, and my kids loved it so much they begged for seconds before they even finished their first biscuit. It’s wild how easy these are too—only 25 minutes from start to finish? I’ll be bringing a big batch to our next church potluck for sure!
Solid easy recipe, perfect for weekday meal prep! I baked a batch on Sunday, added a little swipe of spicy mustard to each, wrapped them individually, and grabbed one on my way out to work every morning this week. Only thing is my first batch came out a tiny bit less fluffy than the photos—any idea what I might have messed up? I have a feeling I maybe overworked the dough when I was mixing it?
Dude these are SO good. I’m a total beginner cook living in a dorm with our janky tiny shared kitchen, and I was able to pull these off no problem in 25 minutes flat. I grabbed a pack of thin-sliced black forest ham from the corner market, tucked a little slice of cheddar into a few of them, and now my whole floor is blowing up my group chat asking for the recipe. Zero fancy equipment or fancy ingredients needed, 10/10 for broke college students looking to step up their snack game.
I brought these to my neighborhood block party potluck last weekend and they were gone in literally 10 minutes flat! I lost count of how many neighbors came up to ask me for the recipe. I added a tiny pinch of cayenne to the biscuit dough for a subtle warm kick, and it paired so perfectly with the salty smoked ham I used. Only complaint is I wish I’d doubled the recipe because I didn’t even get a second one myself!