Ham and Swiss Biscuits

My Ham and Swiss Biscuits have cheese tossed into the dough and then ham, and even more cheese, layered inside, for flavor and texture in every bite!

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A variation on my classic Buttermilk Biscuits, these Ham and Swiss Biscuits are the the ultimate salty, sweet combo! Being a Southern Girl at heart (and by birth, in Chattahoochee County, Georgia), it's in my DNA to love biscuits, but this version has my heart.

This new biscuit was developed when I wanted to make something for my family, in this case for breakfast, without having to go to the store. I looked in the refrigerator that morning and saw just a bit of leftover ham and some Swiss cheese (not enough for even one sandwich) and that was all it took.

These Ham and Swiss Biscuits are amazing on their own, or slathered in Sausage Gravy (don't @ me till you've tried it!) Don't let the idea of biscuit making intimidate you. With simple ingredients and clear directions, you're going to make something amazing!

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour I use King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, but any brand will do.
• Baking soda Baking soda reacts with the buttermilk right away to give your biscuits a nice lift.
• Baking powder Baking powder also works right away, but is "double acting", meaning it continues to add fluff to your biscuits all the way to the end.
• A touch of sugar The sugar doesn't really add a lot of sweetness here, but it does help to tenderize the biscuits by breaking up gluten strands.
• Salt Unless a Medical Doctor told you to leave out salt, don't leave out salt. Whether baking or cooking, salt enhances the flavor of all the ingredients.
• Butter Cold. Cold. Cold 🥶 The high heat of your oven hits the cold, cold butter. The butter releases steam that pushes up and out of the dough, creating flaky layers as a fabulous side effect. I love science!
• Buttermilk Buttermilk helps to create an overall taller, tastier, flakier, fluffier biscuit. Who doesn't want that?
• Ham and Swiss cheese I'm not asking you to get Berkshire Ham and fancy Emmentaler cheese here. Deli ham and some sliced Swiss is absolutely fine. Use what you have. For a fun twist, try bacon and cheddar instead of ham and Swiss. Food should be fun! Are you having fun yet?

Substitutions

Buttermilk: If you don't have any on hand, you can make use milk, although you probably won't need as much. You can also use kefir or make my yogurt biscuits using Greek yogurt.

Ham, cheese, etc.: Okay, it's a ham and cheese biscuit, but... if you want to use another meat or cheese, it's your kitchen. Go ahead. Try my Gruyère Biscuits with Bacon and Chives!

Variations

Sometimes it's a good idea to play with your food! Don't let a recipe hold you back!  As long as you're not messing with the liquid content of the biscuits, you can substitute other yummy bits for the ham and Swiss. You can do cheddar and chive, fresh or dried Italian herbs and mozzarella, or just black pepper and parmesan.

I even made spiced bacon and gruyere biscuits and slathered them with blueberry jam! I glazed them with an egg wash and sprinkled the tops with fresh black pepper and flaky sea salt before baking and they were the perfect blend of salty, sweet, peppery, and cheesy. Don't knock it till you've tried it! You gotta try it!

Instructions

1.  Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, mix in the cold butter until you have a mixture of flat pieces and crumbly bits of butter mixed into the flour.

2. Toss in about ⅓ of your grated or chopped swiss. Pour over top with cold buttermilk.

3. Gently mix it together with a spatula or danish dough whisk until you have a fairly uniform loose dough. 

4. Turn out your dough onto a lightly floured surface.

5. Pile it up and push the dough together until you can pat it into a big square. With a bench scraper or knife, cut into four smaller squares.

6. Sprinkle ham and the rest of the Swiss on three of the squares.

7. Stack the pieces of biscuit dough on top of each other, finishing with the plain one on top. 

8. Smush it all down into a square again (the ham and Swiss will be all snuggled into the layers). Repeat this cutting and stacking procedure 2 more times.

9. Use a biscuit or cookie cutter to cut your biscuits. Do not twist when cutting. Push straight down and pull straight back up. This is how you form your flaky layers! Place cut biscuits on parchment lined baking sheet.

10. Play biscuits into the freezer for 15 minutes while you preheat your oven to 425°F. Brush with egg wash and bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with melted honey butter.

Drop Biscuit Alternative

Okay, I think I've made biscuits sound a little less scary. However, if you don't feel up to all the rolling out and cutting out (or are feeling a bit lazy this morning 🥱), I've got you covered.

One of the most common biscuits in the South are simple drop biscuits, where you literally mix everything up and "drop" spoonfuls into your skillet, or on a sheet pan, and bake. How can you convert this biscuit recipe to drop biscuits?

• Mix all the dry ingredients and cut in the butter. No change.
• Add ham and Swiss directly to the dry ingredients and toss together.
• Add 1 cup cold buttermilk (an extra ¼ cup than original recipe) and mix. It will be sticky.
• Drop large mounds of  biscuit dough either into a cast iron skillet or a parchment lined sheet pan. I like to use a 2 oz (¼ cup) scoop for an even easier biscuit.
• Brush with egg wash and bake as directed.

Serve these Ham and Swiss Buttermilk Biscuits with butter, jam, gravy, or honey or enjoy them all on their own.

Expert tips

Making ham and cheese biscuits doesn't have to be complicated. Once someone gives you the correct formula (I think it's this one), it's just a matter of following the directions. I mean, yes baking is a science, but biscuit making should be fun!

• Make sure your baking powder is fresh! That way, you'll get the light and fluffy biscuits of your dreams. Check the expiration date!
• Use cold butter and buttermilk. The key to getting the flakiest biscuits is having the heat of the oven hit the cold liquids in the butter and the buttermilk, turning those liquids into steam that pops out all those layers. That's the science part.
• Don't handle the dough too much. Pat it out or roll it out gently to not only keep the butter cold, but to reduce gluten formation. That'll make a tough biscuit. More science 🤓
• Place the biscuits in the freezer while you preheat your oven. This will help to re-chill the butter before baking.
• When cutting out your biscuits, don't twist your biscuit cutter. Lift straight up. Just the simple act of twisting out the biscuits can seal the edges and keep you from reaching your layered potential!
• As soon as your biscuits come out of the oven, give them a brush of honey butter glaze. An extra bit of joy!