Mix-and-Match Biscuits

1. Choose Your Flour

Measure 2 1/2 cups total, using at least 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour.

• All-purpose flour
• Whole-wheat flour
• Rye flour
• Cornmeal (use no more than 1/2 cup)

2. Pick Your Mix-Ins

Choose from one or both groups. (For plain biscuits, skip this step.)

Group A (up to 2 types; 1/2 cup each):

• Cheddar, Jack or Havarti cheese, grated
• Parmesan cheese, grated
• Bacon, cooked and crumbled
• Scallions, sliced
• Olives, pitted and chopped
• Pumpkin puree
• Nuts, chopped
• Dried fruit, chopped if large

Group B (up to 2 types; 1/4 cup each):

• Pickled hot peppers, drained and chopped
• Seeds (pepitas, poppy, sesame or sunflower)
• Chives, parsley or dill, chopped
• Rosemary, thyme or sage, chopped (use no more than 2 tablespoons)

3. Make the Biscuits

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Combine the flour(s), 2 tablespoons baking powder, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt in a food processor and pulse until combined. Add 1 stick diced cold butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal with pea-size bits of butter. Add your mix-ins, then add 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon or orange zest, if desired.

Add 1 cup buttermilk or whole milk to the food processor. Pulse a couple of times until the dough just comes together. Turn out onto a floured surface and pat into a 5-by-10-inch rectangle, 3/4 inch thick. Fold in half and pat out again; repeat. Cut out with a floured 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter; reroll the scraps and cut out more biscuits.

Arrange the biscuits on a baking sheet; brush the tops with milk. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. (Makes 10 to 14.)

Photograph by Steve Giralt