Pepper Jack Cornbread Biscuits

5.0
(2)

Buttery layered biscuits with a slight taste of cornbread and a subtle spice of pepper Jack cheese. These are perfect to go along with a soup or stew.

Pepper Jack Cornbread Biscuits served on a white plate.
2
Prep Time:
30 mins
Bake Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
50 mins
Servings:
14
Yield:
14 biscuits

Pepper Jack Cornbread Biscuits – Beginners Luck

Hybrid recipes are one of my favorite things to film since they involve taking the most desirable attributes from two recipes, and somehow combining them into a new, "best of both worlds" version. Sometimes it's a long, arduous process that requires multiple attempts, with lots of trial and error, whereas other times you just add cornmeal to a biscuit recipe, and boom, you're done, which is exactly what happened this time.

Like I said in the video, this has the look, and texture of a buttermilk biscuit, with the taste of a piece of cornbread. The pepper Jack cheese addition is optional, but I think it worked really well with both components, and I recommend its inclusion, especially if you're going to serve these with a nice, spicy bowl of chili, or Brunswick stew.

If you're not dead set on round biscuits and you want to avoid the re-rolling scraps step, you can just roll the dough out to your desired thickness, and use a knife to cut squares. If I weren't filming, I would've done just that, since it is faster, and there's no waste. And yes, you can do rectangles or triangles instead. But, no matter the shape, I loved how these came out, and I really do hope you give them a try soon. Enjoy!

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Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 14 servings

  • 2 cups self-rising flour (see Tip)

  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal

  • 2 tablespoons white sugar

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) very cold unsalted butter, cubed

  • 1 ¼ cups cold buttermilk

  • 2 ounces pepper Jack cheese

  • 2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing tops

Directions

  1. Gather all ingredients.

    Various bowls filled with ingredients to make Pepper Jack Cornbread Biscuits.

    ALLRECIPES / VICTORIA JEMPTY

  2. Mix together self-rising flour, cornmeal, white sugar, salt, and baking soda (See Cook's Note for substitution). Add cubed, very cold butter and mix in with a pastry cutter/blender until the mixture is crumbly and the butter pieces are approximately the size of lentils.

    Cornmeal and flour in a glass bowl.

    ALLRECIPES / VICTORIA JEMPTY

  3. Stir in the buttermilk with a fork until a crumbly dough forms, which can be pressed together with your hands.

    Wet biscuit mixture in a glass bowl.

    ALLRECIPES / VICTORIA JEMPTY

  4. Press into a square, and roll out into a 12 x12-inch square. Cut in half, and stack one piece on the other. Roll back out to a 12-inch square. Jagged edges are fine, and can simply be pressed in with a bench scraper.

    Biscuit dough rolled out into a square shape.

    ALLRECIPES / VICTORIA JEMPTY

  5. Cut into quarters, and stack up. Square up the sides a little by pressing in with a bench scraper, and roll back out to a 12-inch square.

    Stack of biscuit dough.

    ALLRECIPES / VICTORIA JEMPTY

  6. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat.

    Baking sheet lined with a silpat.

    ALLRECIPES / VICTORIA JEMPTY

  7. Grate the pepper Jack cheese over the top of the dough (for best results, pop cheese in the freezer for a few minutes to firm up, making it easier to grate and distribute evenly). Fold into thirds to form a rectangle, and press lightly.

    Grated cheese on rolled out biscuit dough.

    ALLRECIPES / VICTORIA JEMPTY

  8. Roll until the rectangle is about 3/4 inch thick, and then use a floured round cutter (mine was 2.75 inches) to punch out 8 biscuits. Dough can also be cut into squares instead.

    Biscuit dough with cut out circles.

    ALLRECIPES / VICTORIA JEMPTY

  9. Transfer cut dough to the prepared baking sheet. Extra dough can be pressed together and re-rolled, and used to cut more biscuits. Press each biscuit lightly in the center with your thumb. Brush each biscuit lightly with melted butter.

    Cut biscuit rounds on a baking sheet.

    ALLRECIPES / VICTORIA JEMPTY

  10. Bake in the preheated oven until nicely risen and golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. While still warm, brush with more melted butter if desired. Let cool before serving. Enjoy!

    Pepper Jack Cornbread Biscuits on a baking sheet.

    ALLRECIPES / VICTORIA JEMPTY

Cook's Notes:

If you don't have self-rising flour, you can substitute all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. For each cup of all-purpose flour, I usually mix in 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder plus 1/4 teaspoon of fine salt.

I like serving these with Chef John's Brunswick Stew.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

188 Calories
9g Fat
24g Carbs
3g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 14
Calories 188
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 9g 11%
Saturated Fat 5g 27%
Cholesterol 23mg 8%
Sodium 411mg 18%
Total Carbohydrate 24g 9%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Protein 3g 7%
Potassium 73mg 2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.