Bacon, Cheddar & Cracked Pepper Biscuits

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, pepper, 1 cup of cheese, green onions and cream of tartar.

Using a pastry blender, cut in the cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the buttermilk all at once. Stir with a fork just until mixture is thoroughly moistened.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured board and knead until the dough is barely smooth. This isn’t a yeast dough; don’t over knead it.

Pat it into a circle (doesn’t have to be perfect) that’s about 1/4 thick. Use a floured biscuit cutter to cut out rounds. Place them on a very lightly greased (cooking spray is fine) baking sheet. They should almost be touching. Gently re-roll the dough scraps and do the same with them.

Bake at 450F for 10 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. If sprinkling cheese and bacon on the tops, wait until they are almost done; sprinkle bacon and cheese on them, then finish cooking. Better yet, cook the biscuits, turn off the oven, sprinkle the cheese and bacon on top of them and put them back into the oven to let the residual heat do the melting.