Pepper Jack Buttermilk Biscuits

This simple recipe produces tender, flaky biscuits, enhanced with the tangy, peppery goodness of pepper jack cheese! Serve these warm gems with your favorite soups, stews and chilies!

Note: The key to light, flaky biscuits involves two things: 
1. Cold butter. 
2. Minimal handling of the dough.

You can handle those two easy things, right?

And, here's another tip: For golden brown, crispy edges on your biscuits, place them about 2-inches apart on the baking sheet. For more tender edges, allow the biscuits to touch each other slightly on the baking sheet. Perfect biscuits every time! 

Pepper Jack Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut up into 1-inch pieces
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
In a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Process until blended. Add the butter and process until butter is pea-size. Add the buttermilk and cheese and process JUST until blended. 
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and press out gently until it's about 1-inch thick. Don't overwork the dough; the less you handle it the better. Cut into round biscuits (I used a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter and got 9 biscuits). To reduce the amount you need to reroll and cut, use one cut side as the beginning of the next biscuit you cut. 
Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet - either touching or about 2-inches apart (read note above). 
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. 
Serve warm!

Makes 8-10 biscuits