Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuits with Hashbrowns

I had so much fun baking biscuits for The Spice House! To think, when we moved to Georgia nine years ago, I had never made a homemade biscuit and considered it a hurdle I would probably never jump successfully! It really is a simple thing to do and this particular biscuit has your entire breakfast contained inside of it! I tried two different combinations of herbs and spices and potato types when making these biscuits and both were successful. I would encourage you to branch out and try your own favorite products from The Spice House - I would bet a pre-mixed blend would also be fantastic!

P.S. I sent frozen biscuits home with Brooke Miller, my friend and trusty recipe tester. They were the version with Fancy Garlic Salt and the Option 2 blend of spices. She baked these biscuits along with some oven fried chicken breast tenderloins which she served as a sandwich to much acclaim!

Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuits with Hashbrowns
by Sandra blogging at Dear Lauren, Love Mom
Adapted from Little Flower Baking, a lovely cookbook I would encourage you to buy!
Makes 15 biscuits that can be stored in the freezer and freshly baked one or two at a time instead of all at once if you wish!

4 1/2 cups (585 grams) all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons La Baleine fine French sea salt (can use 1 teaspoon sea salt and 1 teaspoon Fancy Garlic Salt, if desired)
Spice Blend, choose one (see below)
1 1/2 cups butter, diced into even small pieces and kept chilled until use
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon half and half
6 slices bacon, cut into shorts strips and cooked until crisp, drained and cooled
1 cup frozen hash browns (100 grams) or 2 diced, roasted (and cooled) potatoes
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, optional (can choose a cheese of your choice)
1 egg, whisked in a separate bowl to use as an egg wash
2 teaspoons Maldon English Seas Salt Flakes

Spice Blend Options
Option 1:
2 Tablespoons Parsley Flakes
2 Tablespoons Dill Weed
1 Tablespoon Chives

Option 2:
2 Tablespoons Diced Jalapeno Peppers
2 Tablespoons Shallots
1 Tablespoon Parsley Flakes

Stir* all ingredients through the Spice Blend with the paddle attachment in the bowl of a stand mixer until combined. Add diced butter and turn stand mixer to "stir" for 1 minute or until the butter is pea-sized and incorporated into the flour. Stir in the eggs and the half and half until just combined. Add the bacon, the potatoes and the cheese and again, stir until just combined.

Place the dough on a floured work surface and press it into a 1-inch high rectangular shape. Using a dough scraper, cut the biscuits into 3 long rows and 5 short rows to make 15 square biscuits. Use the dough scraper in a straight down motion and then straight up, do not twist the dough or draw the scraper along the dough as this could cause the biscuits not to rise to their full potential. Place the biscuits on a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Brush the top of each biscuit with egg wash and sprinkle a few salt flakes on top. Freeze for 1 hour or up to overnight. After freezing, you can wrap the biscuits in parchment paper and freeze them in a freezer zip-top bag, or you can bake all or some of them on a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet at 375°F for 30 minutes, rotating the sheet pan halfway through the baking time. Serve them hot or with butter, honey, jam, or anything else you choose!

*Please note, the "stir" level on the stand mixer is the very first notch. The mixer will be going very slowly and with the exception of adding in the butter, the mixer will only need to stir for a very few turns to just incorporate the added ingredients.