lemon-thyme biscuits

If you’re close to me, you know that I like to pawn off most of the things I bake. I do this for three reasons — one, because I care about you and like to show it via baked goods; two, because I know if I don’t give the brownies/cookies/chocolate peanut butter quick bread/etc. away, I will eat it all. Maybe in one sitting. And three, because otherwise, my freezer will implode with the weight of too many a frozen creation. And then it will hate me. And I cannot let that happen.

But mostly, I share my baked treats with others because it’s one of the best ways to show someone you care, I think. At least, I always feel well cared for when someone takes the time to make food for me. Even if it’s microwaving a bowl of SpaghettiOs or pouring cereal. Doesn’t matter. It’s love.

On the flip side, however, there are times when I am selfish with my food. Take these lemon-thyme biscuits, for example. No one else besides me and Elliott knows what these taste like. That’s because we ate them all over the course of a few couple days hours. Or something like that. The memory is fuzzy…

In any case, it’s a testament to how delicious they are. To me, these biscuits taste like summer, with the tart, bright flavor of lemon combined with the rich, herby taste of fresh thyme. Plus, they’re biscuits — which, if you know anything about me, are a few of my favorite things in the whole wide world. In this home, biscuits cannot be denied.

We enjoyed these alongside a carrot ginger soup (from a box, sadly — I know, I KNOW) for a light dinner, but they’re equally delicious with — you guessed it — butter, or lemon curd spackled and sandwiched in the middle. And I’m sure if you bake them and want to give them away, anyone would be thrilled to take them off your hands.

Lemon-Thyme Biscuits
Adapted from Food Network Magazine

Yields: About 15 biscuits

Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp flaxseed meal (I used the Bob’s Red Mill kind, but you can make this at home, too, by mincing whole flaxseeds in a food processor)
1 tsp sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme, plus more for sprinkling
4 tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup buttermilk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, flaxseed meal, salt, lemon zest and thyme. Replace whisk attachment with paddle attachment and, while on low speed, slowly add butter cubes. Increase speed to medium and mix until butter is in pea-size pieces. Slowly stir in buttermilk until dough just comes together, then knead a half-dozen times in your hands or in the bowl, careful not to overwork the dough.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/2-inch thickness. Using a biscuit cutter (or the lip of a cup, like I do), cut out round biscuits and place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Roll out scraps and cut more biscuits. Brush each biscuit with water and sprinkle with thyme and salt.
Bake biscuits about 12 to 15 minutes, or until a light golden brown. Serve warm.