French Onion Biscuits

Sky high French Onion Biscuits are the perfect savory bread to serve alongside dinner, a holiday meal or even Thanksgiving! Caramelize onions in butter and oil, then cook with beef stock and thyme for the ultimate French Onion flavor. Then throw these chilled onions into beef-thyme-gruyere batter before forming biscuits and baking. Fluffy, flavorful and cheesy, French Onion Biscuits are a unique spin on the classic soup and a classic biscuit.

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 42

Chilling/Freezing Time 1 50

Total Time 3 2

Servings biscuits

Calories 218kcal

Ingredients

Caramelized Onion

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 onion thinly sliced
½ cup beef stock
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme

Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 ½ tablespoons fresh thyme
½ teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter frozen and grated
1 cup gruyere cheese shredded
Caramelized onion recipe above
½ cup milk
½ cup beef stock

Instructions

Chill the Ingredients!

One to two hours before making the biscuits, place the stick of butter, the gruyere cheese and the bowl in the freezer.
DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP, as your biscuits might not rise if your ingredients are not cold.

Caramelize the Onion

Using a sharp knife or a mandoline, slice the onion very thin.
In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Pour in the olive oil, too, until the fats have combined.
Add the onion to the skillet, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, about 20-30 minutes, or until the onion has browned and caramelized.
Pour in the beef stock, and turn up the heat to medium-high. Cook until the stock has soaked completely into the onions.
Season with salt, pepper and fresh thyme, then remove from the heat.
Transfer the cooked onions to a bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so that they are not warm when they go into the biscuit batter.

Make the Biscuits

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking sheet, and set aside.
Grate the 6 tablespoons of butter using a cheese grater, and transfer back to the freezer until it’s time to use.
In the chilled bowl, combine the dry ingredients—the flour, the sugar, the baking powder and the fresh thyme. Whisk until combined.
Add the chilled butter, completely cool caramelized onions and shredded gruyere cheese. Using a plastic spatula, fold the ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Pour in the milk and beef stock, and stir using the spatula.
Turn the biscuit batter out onto a floured surface, and knead until combined. (You don’t want to knead this for a long time. Just press the dough together until no scraps remain, moving quickly so the ingredients don’t get warm, and shape into a 1” tall rectangle.)
Using a biscuit cutter, cut the biscuits. (I like my 1 ½” biscuit cutter for these, as these biscuits are super savory, but you can use any size you’d like.)
Place the biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet. When the rectangle is just scraps, reshape the dough into another rectangle and cut more. Repeat until all the dough has been cut and placed on the baking sheet.
Transfer the biscuits into the freezer, and freeze for 20 minutes. (This step will help ensure your biscuits don’t spread!)
While the biscuits chill, preheat the oven to 450°F. (Make sure that the oven completes it’s preheat before the biscuits go into it, as a hot enough oven is imperative for fluffy, tall biscuits!)
Once the biscuits have chilled for the allotted amount of time, remove from the freezer. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the biscuits have risen and are golden brown.
Let cool, then enjoy!

Notes

Please pay attention to the times for each of the elements of this dish, including cooling/freezing times. All the times above are the TOTAL times for the biscuits overall and do not break down exactly the different times. (So, for example, if you bake the biscuits for 42 minutes, you will be sad.)

Make Ahead Tip: Caramelize the onions in advance, and let them chill in the fridge for a day or two. And freeze your biscuit ingredients the day before, too, because this’ll make it easier on you.

Another option is make the biscuits completely, and when you pop them into the freezer on a baking sheet to firm up before baking, leave them there (instead of taking out in 20 and baking.) Freeze for 2-3 hours, or until the biscuits are solidly frozen, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag for up to a few weeks. When you’re ready to bake them, remove from the freezer, place on a prepared baking sheet, and bake at 450°F for 15-20 minutes. (The bake might take a little bit longer because they’re solidly frozen, so keep an eye on them.)

Nutrition