These buttery and flaky beer biscuits with a malty depth of flavour are the perfect accompaniment to our Honey Mustard Glazed Ham and a generous dollop of spicy Beer Mustard. Enjoy a complete dwarven feast from the kitchens of the Misty Mountains!
If you love Middle Earth-inspired preserves and pantry recipes, try our Hobbit's Pantry e-cookbook for a compilation of many of our favourite recipes from the Shire.
At a Glance: Beer Biscuits
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Baking Time: 12 to 15 minutes
- Total Time: ~30 minutes
- Servings: 9 biscuits
- Flavour: Buttery with a hint of malt
- Skill Level: Easy
- Why this Works: Malty beer is swapped for the more traditional buttermilk in these buttery flaky biscuits that are perfect served alongside a hearty roast ham.
Tender and flaky beer biscuits
Deep in the cavernous kitchen of the Misty Moutains, the dwarves are busy at work making plenty of warm and comforting baked goods. Buttery, flaky, and with a malty depth of flavour, these savoury beer biscuits are a tribute to the dwarves’ love of ale. A rich ale stands in for the more traditional buttermilk in these tender biscuits that are perfect topped with succulent slices of honey mustard beer glazed ham and a generous dollop of spicy beer mustard.
If you're looking for more savoury baking recipes featuring beer then be sure to check out our no-knead beer bread or our black beer onion bread. Or, if you're looking for more delicious dwarven cuisine then you should try our browned butter and ale pudding.
Ingredients for Beer Biscuits
Beer: Beer adds malty undertones to these biscuits. You can use whatever type of beer that you prefer, although I would recommend a lighter beer such as an ale or lager. To make this recipe non-alcoholic you can substitute with buttermilk.
Flour: This recipe uses all-purpose flour.
Butter: I used cold, salted butter for these biscuits.
Baking powder: These biscuits are leavened with baking powder.
Tips for baking biscuits
Here are a few tips for making the perfect buttery, flaky biscuit.
- Temperature - To get that characteristic height and flaky texture, you will want to keep the ingredients cold. While the dry ingredients can be room temperature, both the butter and liquid should be cold. The cool temperature will keep the butter from melting in the dough which can result in tough or dense biscuits.
- Cutting in the butter - There are a couple of different ways of cutting the butter into the dry ingredients. The butter needs to be in small pea-sized pieces. You can either use a pastry cutter or your hands to crumble the butter. Cold butter can also be grated and then crumbled into the flour. Alternatively, you can use a food processor. Place the dry ingredients in the food processor and pulse to combine. Cut the butter into small cubs and add to the processor. Pulse a few times until the butter is crumbled into small pieces. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl before adding the liquid.
- Lightly knead - Once the dough has been brought together, I like to give it a light knead. I have found that biscuit dough that has just been gently pressed together doesn't have the strength to maintain its height during baking. They may rise quickly but the tops can slump over and become lopsided. A light knead will just start to tighten the dough and form enough gluten so that the biscuits will maintain their height and straight sides while still keeping their flaky texture. Start by kneading the dough 6 to 8 times. If the dough still feels really soft knead a couple more time but I wouldn't do much more than 10 to 12 times.
- Shape the biscuits - To shape the biscuits, roll the dough out to about ¾ inch thick. Use a 2 ½ inch round cutter to cut out the biscuits. Gather the scraps leftover and gently press together into a ball. At this point you don't want to work the dough any more than you have to. Roll out to ¾ inch thickness and cut out more biscuits. Repeat until all the dough is used. Transfer the biscuits to a baking sheet.
- Brush the tops - To get a nice golden sheen to these biscuits, you will want to brush the tops before baking. You can use buttermilk, cream, milk, or even an egg wash if you prefer.
How to make Beer Biscuits
1. Make the dough
Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir the dry ingredients together. Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the mixing bowl. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles small pea-sized pieces. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the cold beer. Mix just until the dough comes together.
2. Shape the biscuits
Turn the dough out onto the counter. Dust with flour and lightly knead until the dough comes together. Pat into a smooth ball. Roll out into ¾-inch thickness. Cut out biscuits using a 2 ½-inch cutter. Transfer the biscuits to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gather the scraps leftover and gently press together into a ball. At this point you don't want to work the dough any more than you have to. Roll out again to ¾-inch thickness and cut out more biscuits. Repeat until all the dough is used. Transfer the biscuits to the baking sheet.
3. Bake the biscuits
Brush the tops of the biscuits with a little buttermilk or cream. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Slide the parchment from the baking sheet onto a cooling rack or counter.
4. Serve the Beer Biscuts
These beer biscuits are delicious enjoyed warm from the oven and topped with butter. They are also a great topped with slices of our honey mustard beer glazed ham and a dollop of spicy beer mustard. Enjoy!
More Pantry Recipes from Middle Earth
- Beer Mustard
- Fiery Roasted Pepper Sauce
- Blackberry Mead Jam
- Rhubarb Shallot Relish
- Chive Blossom Butter
- Spiced Rhubarb Jam
- Raspberry Lavender Jelly
- Pickled Mustard Seeds
- Wild Mushroom Seasoning Salt
- Spiced Apple Butter
Beer Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cold butter
- ¾ cup cold beer
- buttermilk, cream, or milk for brushing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir the dry ingredients together. Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the mixing bowl. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles small pea-sized pieces. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the cold beer. Mix just until the dough comes together.
- Turn the dough out onto the counter. Dust with flour and lightly knead until the dough comes together. Pat into a smooth ball. Roll out into ¾-inch thickness. Cut out biscuits using a 2 ½-inch cutter. Transfer the biscuits to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gather the scraps leftover and gently press together into a ball. At this point you don't want to work the dough any more than you have to. Roll out again to ¾-inch thickness and cut out more biscuits. Repeat until all the dough is used. Transfer the biscuits to the baking sheet.
- Brush the tops of the biscuits with a little buttermilk or cream. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Slide the parchment from the baking sheet onto a cooling rack or counter.
- These beer biscuits are delicious enjoyed warm from the oven and topped with butter. They are also a great topped with slices of our honey mustard beer glazed ham and a dollop of spicy beer mustard. Enjoy!
