Easy Eastern NC Cheese Biscuits

I love these Eastern NC cheese biscuits because they’re loud, flaky, slightly salty, and a little like a hug from the South — but easier than you’d think. They puff up with tender layers, a golden crust, and cheddar-speckled goodness that disappears faster than you can butter one.

My husband will sprint in from the backyard if he smells these baking. True story: once I tried to be fancy and used a grater I hadn’t washed properly; he ate three anyway and then asked if I’d been experimenting with “new cheddar.” He’s convinced these are the best things since sliced bread (which, fair). They’re a regular Sunday morning thing now — butter, jam, and biscuits — and our kid thinks biscuits are a food group.

Kitchen Talk

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I totally underestimated how buttery these would be the first time and nearly put the oven mitts in the sink because my hands were slippery from too much butter — rookie move. I also once swapped half the butter for mayo because I was out, and oddly, it worked: a little tang and a nice crumb. When rolling the dough, I don’t obsess about perfect rounds; rough edges = crusty bits and everyone loves the crusty bits.

Shopping Tips

– Baking Basics: Use all-purpose flour and check the date on your baking powder — if it’s old the biscuits won’t rise like they should.
– Dairy: Cold butter and cold buttermilk make the flakiest layers; warm dairy = sad dense biscuits.
– Cheese: Grab a sharp cheddar for bright flavor; pre-shredded is fine but freshly shredded melts better.
– Fats & Oils: Real butter gives the best flavor — you can cut with a little vegetable shortening for sharper layers if you prefer.
– Eggs: If brushing with egg wash, pick large eggs and beat gently for an even golden top.

Prep Ahead Ideas

– Make the dough and shape the rounds the night before; store them on a parchment-lined tray, covered, in the fridge and bake in the morning.
– Grate the cheese and keep it in an airtight container so it’s ready to toss into the dough.
– Keep measured dry ingredients together in a lidded container if you’re making multiple batches for a brunch; just add cold butter and buttermilk when ready.
– Use a shallow, airtight container for chilled dough to avoid it getting soggy; pop the tray straight from fridge to oven for the best oven spring.

✔Time-Saving Tricks

– Use frozen grated cheese if short on time — no thawing required and it mixes in fast.
– Pulse butter and flour in a food processor to speed up the cut-in process and get even small flakes.
– Bake on a preheated sheet pan to get that first burst of heat that helps biscuits rise.
– If you’re in a crazy hurry, biscuit cutter out, tuck them tight so they rise up together (pull-apart biscuit style).

✔Common Mistakes

– Overworking the dough — I did this once and ended up with hockey-puck biscuits; chill and be gentle to fix it.
– Using warm butter: biscuits come out dense and sad. Tip: a quick re-chill fixes slightly warm dough.
– Not preheating the oven fully — biscuits need that heat to puff, so wait the full preheat time.
– Grating the cheese super fine — it can disappear into the dough. Aim for medium shreds so you still get pockets of melty cheese.

What to Serve It With

– A simple green salad with vinegar and olive oil to cut the richness.
– Scrambled eggs or a comforting sausage gravy for a full Southern brunch.
– Quick pimento cheese for a cheesier, over-the-top spread.
– Roasted tomato jam or honey butter for sweet-and-savory play.

✔Tips & Mistakes

– Keep everything cold: butter, bowl, even your hands if you can.
– Don’t twist the cutter when cutting — press straight down and lift for taller biscuits.
– If biscuits are too pale, brush with a little milk or egg wash before baking.
– Leftover biscuit dough? Freeze flat in a bag and bake straight from frozen, adding a few minutes to the bake time.

✔Storage Tips

Store cooled biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for 1–2 days or freeze for up to 2 months. To reheat, pop them in a 350°F oven for 8–10 minutes; microwave makes them soft and sad, oven restores the crust. Cold biscuits are fine — great with jam for a lazy breakfast — but they lose some of that flaky texture.

✔Variations and Substitutions

– Swap half cheddar for pepper jack if you want a little heat, or mix in chopped scallions for freshness.
– For a whole-grain twist, replace up to 1/3 of the flour with white whole wheat — texture changes but still tasty.
– No buttermilk? Mix milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar and let sit 5 minutes.
– If you’re dairy-free, try a cold vegan butter and a firm plant-based cheese, but expect the flavor to be different.

Frequently Asked Questions

Easy Eastern NC Cheese Biscuits

Tender, cheesy biscuits inspired by Eastern North Carolina, made with self-rising flour, sharp cheddar, and buttermilk. They bake up tall, buttery, and ready in about half an hour.

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Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 13 minutes minutes

Total Time: 33 minutes minutes

Servings: 10

Ingredients

 

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Main Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cup self-rising flour
• ▢ 6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, grated or diced keep very cold
• ▢ 1.5 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• ▢ 0.75 cup cold buttermilk add a splash more if dough seems dry
• ▢ 1 tsp granulated sugar
• ▢ 0.25 tsp baking soda
• ▢ 0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 0.125 tsp cayenne pepper optional, for a gentle kick
• ▢ 1 tbsp melted butter for brushing baked biscuits

Instructions

Preparation Steps

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, black pepper, and cayenne in a large bowl.
• Cut in the cold butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with pea-sized bits.
• Fold in the shredded cheddar to coat the cheese lightly with flour.
• Pour in the buttermilk and stir gently just until a shaggy dough forms; do not overmix.
• Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat to about 3/4-inch thickness, then fold in half and pat again.
• Cut biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, pressing straight down. Gently re-form scraps and cut again.
• Arrange biscuits so they touch on the sheet. Chill in the freezer for 5 minutes for extra lift.
• Bake 12–14 minutes until puffed and golden at the edges.
• Brush hot biscuits with melted butter. Cool 5 minutes and serve warm.

Notes

Swap cheddar for hoop cheese if you can find it, or mix in a spoonful of pimento for a Carolina twist. Leftovers reheat well: wrap in foil and warm at 300°F for 8–10 minutes, or freeze baked biscuits up to 2 months.

This recipe is an original creation inspired by classic Easy Eastern NC Cheese Biscuits flavors. All ingredient ratios and instructions are independently developed.