There’s so much I love about biscuits, especially cheddar bay biscuits. The nice part about biscuits is they’re a type of quick bread, which means they don’t require all the kneading and proofing you’d do with yeast rolls. Virtually all you have to do is mix the ingredients together and throw them in the oven (well, there’s a bit more to it than that, but pretty close!). But nothing beats biscuits that are made entirely from scratch. Frankly, I don’t understand why people bother with canned / frozen biscuits, because making them yourself (especially drop biscuits) is so easy! As much as you may have Red Lobster’s biscuits, you’re going to love this cheddar bay biscuits recipe I’m about to share!
Key Ingredients for Cheddar Bay Drop Biscuits
The biscuit dough is made from your standard ingredients: Self-Rising Flour, Milk and Butter. That said, what makes this recipe stand out from the rest is the use of Onion Powder and Cayenne Pepper.
- Onion Powder: The traditional Cheddar Bay Biscuits recipes from Red Lobster only contains Garlic Powder as a seasoning, alongside salt. What the garlic powder does is it gives the biscuits a bold, earthy and somewhat sulfuric flavor. While the biscuits taste perfectly fine with just the Garlic Powder, I felt the flavor could use a bit more complexity and depth. So while testing my copycat recipe, I opted to give Onion Powder a try in these biscuits and it makes a huge difference in terms of taste. Turns out, the onion powder actually does a great job of complimenting the flavor from the garlic powder by giving the biscuits a more pronounced umami flavor and adding a hint of sweetness.
- Cayenne Pepper: This is yet another ingredient that you won’t find in the traditional recipe for Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits. Cayenne Pepper is one of those spices that does a good job of complimenting the existing flavors in a dish instead of masking them. It introduces a subtle spicy kick that contrasts well with the earthy undertones from the garlic powder and the sweetness from the onion powder. However, cayenne pepper is also one of those ingredients where a little goes a long way. This recipe only calls for using a little more than a pinch of it so that the spiciness doesn’t become too overbearing. You could even go as far as to say it’s my “not-so-secret” secret ingredient, haha!
- Self-Rising vs. All-Purpose Flour: Admittingly, this was a bit of a shortcut on my part. Red Lobster’s traditional Cheddar Bay Biscuits recipe calls for using All-Purpose Flour while adding your own baking powder and salt separately. The nice part about Self-Rising Flour is that it’s flour that already contains both baking powder and salt. So in a way, you’re kind of killing 3 birds with 1 stone by simply using it. The other nice thing about self-rising flour as well is that it contains less protein than all-purpose flour. The reason for this is because self-rising flour is made with soft wheat whereas all-purpose flour is made with hard wheat. Thus there’s a somewhat lesser risk of gluten development from overmixing the dough.
The best part about these cheddar bay biscuits is unlike the traditional biscuit, this requires no kneading, no patting down with your hands, no flattening with a rolling pin and no biscuit cutter. This really saves time for preparation, which is what I love about them. Even for a novice cook, these are very hard to mess up. They can be enjoyed not only for breakfast, but they also go great alongside dishes for lunch or dinner (such as seafood, as which is what Red Lobster famously sells alongside its cheddar bay biscuits). The only thing you have to careful about is not eating too many from a batch, as it will be very tempting with how good they are.
Tips for Making this Recipe
Ensure self-rising flour is fresh. You should always be mindful of the expiration date on your self-rising flour before you put it to use. Perhaps the biggest issue people encounter when they’re making biscuits or baked goods in general is that they’re using extremely old self-rising flour. While most brands of self-rising flour can be fine for months or even years, because many people don’t use it often, it can end up sitting in the cabinet and before you know it, the expiration date is in the past. When this happens, the biscuits will fail to rise properly in the oven because the added baking powder is no longer active. That’s why you should always ensure it has not expired.
For better cheese pull, use freshly grated cheese. This is not required, and my recipe doesn’t officially call for it. It won’t really affect how the biscuits taste or cook. That said, I understand some folks are big on aesthetics when they’re trying to impress others they’re looking for and a big on making their food look pretty. I typically use pre-shredded cheese for my Cheddar Bay Biscuits, but pre-shredded cheeses are usually coated with an anti-caking substance which prevents them from melting as efficiently when you heat them. Conversely, blocks of cheese that you freshly grate do not have this anti-caking substance, thus have an easier time melting. This is how people get those nice-looking cheese pulls.
Spoon + level your flour. This will ensure you’re not using too much in your recipe, as it’s easy to get too much to settle in there if you opt to scoop it with a measuring cup. Alternatively, you can use a scale to measure these ingredients (the exact measurements are listed below in the ingredients). If you measure these ingredients these ingredients correctly, it could negatively effect the flavor/texture of the cheddar bay biscuits.
Do not overmix the dough. You have to be really careful when you’re combining all of the ingredients for these cheddar bay biscuits. The reason why is because the self-rising flour (although somewhat less than all-purpose flow) still tends to contain a fair amount of protein, and that protein can lead to gluten formation when combined with water (which is included in the milk and butter). Ultimately, you only want to mix the milk and butter with the flour and the other dry ingredients until they’re just combined, meaning until the flour is no longer visible to the naked eye. I recommend using a cooking spoon or plastic spatula for this, and avoid using a whisk or hand/stand mixer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you add Jalapenos or Cooked Bacon to this recipe?
I’m personally not a fan of having these extra ingredients in my cheddar bay biscuits (personal preference), which is why I officially excluded them from my recipe. That being said, if you prefer having these items in your cheddar bay biscuits, you can certainly add them while combining the ingredients.
Can you substitute the Self-Rising Flour for Pastry Flour?
Absolutely not. Besides the fact that this cheddar bay biscuits recipe has not been testing with the use of pastry flour, pastry flour is also lacking the salt and leavening agent (baking powder) that would help the biscuits rise once they’re in the oven.
Can you substitute the Butter with Shortening?
The answer to this question always gets tricky.
I do understand that not everyone is able to eat dairy products and that butter is simply not an option for such individuals. In such cases, you *COULD* replace the butter with a shortening, but with a couple of important caveats. For starters, while shortening and butter are both different type of fats that can be used in baked goods, their fat composition is not entirely equal. Shortening tends to have virtually no water in it (thus is 100% fat), whereas Butter typically has a water content of 20-25% (depending on the brand).
The other caveat is that the use of cooking oils will change the flavor profile of the biscuits. Seed oils (I.E. Vegetable Oil, Canola Oil, etc.), which shortening is made from, are known to be neutral-tasting (meaning they have no flavor). So you will be losing the subtle nuttiness / sweetness in your biscuits that Butter offer.
All of that said, the short and sweet answer I can give you is I don’t recommend it. For a more detailed answer, see above.
Can you freeze the cheddar bay biscuits? And if so, for how long?
You can definitely freeze these cheddar bay biscuits! Once they’ve cooled completely, for the best results, wrap them in plastic wrap them. place them in a freezer bag. They should maintain their freshness for at least 1 month. While they may still be safe ton eat beyond 1 month in the freeze, the biscuits will gradually lose their flavor and texture after 1 month has passed. You can then reheat them in the oven while still wrapped in foil for 10 minutes at 350*F.
How long can you store these cheddar bay biscuits without freezing?
As long as the cheddar bay biscuits are stored in a airtight container or bag, they should be safe to eat for at least 3 days. After 3 days, they may begin to lose their flavor & texture. Once 5 days have passed, I would advise that you dispose of the cheddar bay biscuits as they may no longer be edible.
Try These Other Sides
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Best Homemade Baked Beans (NO Canned Beans)
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Best Cornbread (Southern-Style)
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Better Than Church’s Honey Butter Biscuits Recipe
Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits (Copycat)
Equipment
- 1 Cooking Spoon
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Ice Cream Scoop
- 1 Cookie Sheet
- Measuring Cups/Spoons
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
Biscuits
- 2 Cups Self-Rising Flour
- 1/2 Cup Melted Unsalted Butter
- 1 TSP Garlic Powder
- 1 TSP Onion Powder
- 1/8 TSP Cayenne Powder
- 2 oz Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
- 2 oz Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 1 Cup Milk
Garlic Butter
- 1/4 Cup Melted Unsalted Butter (HOT)
- 1/8 TSP Iodized Salt
- 1/2 TSP Dried Parsley
- 1/4 TSP Garlic Powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425*F
- In large mixing bowl, add dry ingredients (Flour, Garlic/Onion Powder & Cayenne Pepper) then mix until well combined.
- Add cheese to dry mixture then mix together until well combined
- Add wet ingredients (Butter & Milk) then mix together with dry ingredients until just combined
- Using ice cream scoop, form the biscuit dough into individual balls and place then, evenly spaced out, on a cookie sheet (either greased or lined with parchment paper).
- Place biscuit dough in oven and bake for 12 minutes.
- In microwave safe bowl or cup, place 1/4 Cup of unsalted butter in microwave and heat until melted (approx. 30 - 45 seconds).
- Remove melted butter from microwave, add 1/2 TSP Dried Parsley, 1/4 TSP garlic powder and 1/8 TSP Iodized Salt then mix until well combined.
- Remove biscuits from oven and immediately brush tops with hot garlic butter
Notes
Nutrition