Easy Cacio e Pepe Biscuits Recipe (AKA Italian Cheese & Black Pepper Biscuits) Bread/Muffins Italian Recipes Side Dishes

This biscuit recipe is inspired by that authentic Italian cheese and black pepper pasta, cacio e pepe. When I saw this cacio e pepe biscuit recipe I knew I had to try it. My family was not disappointed!

I made these moist, cheesy cacio e pepe biscuits when friends came to dinner, and I will absolutely make them again. Their light and moist texture combined with the melted cheese and black pepper (check out the health benefits of black pepper) is such a great combination. Trust me, you're going to love these Italian-inspired flaky biscuits.

To make these cheese and pepper biscuits you will need all-purpose flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, baking soda, salt, butter, grated Romano or Parmesan cheese, coarse black pepper, milk and an egg. The original biscuit recipe called for buttermilk, which I never keep in the fridge, so my version of the recipe uses milk and lemon juice, but feel free to use buttermilk if you prefer.

Serve these cheesy homemade biscuits hot out of the oven with your favorite dinner. We had them with delicious chicken and asparagus (recipe coming soon!). They would be delicious with pasta (of course), steak and pork, too.

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 10

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes (see Recipe Notes)
• 1 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese (see Recipe Notes)
• 1 tablespoon coarse black pepper, plus more for the top
• 1 1/8 cups milk plus 4 tablespoons lemon juice or white vinegar (or substitute 1 1/4 cups buttermilk)
• 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash

Recipe Notes

• Grate your cheese with a cheese grater or use a food processor to crumble the cheese into different sizes.

• The lemon juice/vinegar and milk mixture will be thick. Don't worry, that's what it's supposed to look like.

• If you used unsalted butter add 1 more teaspoon of salt to the flour mixture.

Here's how to make it: 

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. If you are using milk and lemon combine the two and set to the side. In a medium mixing bowl sift flour, baking powder and soda, sugar and salt.
2. Add in butter cubes.
3. Mix with a pastry cutter or your hands until the butter is a mix of small pieces in the flour.
4. Stir in almost all of the grated cheese and 1 tablespoon of black pepper.
5. Make a hole in the middle of the flour mixture and add in the milk/lemon juice. Mix together (it will still have flour that isn't blended in).
6. Flour a clean surface and place dough on top. Press into a square about 1/2-inch thick.
7. Cut the square into four smaller squares.
8. Stack the squares on top of each other.
9. Press the four squares back into one larger square and repeat. Cut and stack for two more times (this makes the the biscuits flaky). When the dough is pressed out into the last large square of 1/2-inch thickness, cut circles into dough using a biscuit cutter or a thin-lipped glass. Reform the dough scraps to use it all up.
10. Place biscuits on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Place baking sheet into the fridge or freezer and preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
11. After 15 minutes, remove baking sheet and brush with egg, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and dust with pepper.
12. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. Any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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