A Love Letter to Saturday Mornings: Laminated Country Ham Biscuits
Growing up in Atlanta, Saturday mornings meant waking up to the unmistakable scent of salty, funky country ham and strong black coffee wafting through my grandmother's house. She would be at the counter, flour dusting her apron, working pure magic into her biscuit dough. I have taken those exact flavor memories and folded them directly into impossibly flaky, laminated buttermilk biscuits. In my Charleston restaurant days, I learned the art of laminating dough—folding butter over and over to create paper-thin layers. I thought, why not do this with my grandmother's biscuit recipe? By adding fine-diced country ham and charred scallions between those folds, every single bite becomes a revelation. But the real magic is the whipped sorghum and espresso butter. It pays homage to the traditional red-eye gravy we used to sop up with our morning bread, but whipped into something light and sophisticated. This recipe is special to me because it proves that elevating a dish never means abandoning its soul. To make it your own, do not be afraid to experiment with the inclusions—try smoked cheddar or a pinch of Benton's bacon. Just remember: keep your butter cold, and let the history guide your hands.
Featured Recipe
Laminated Country Ham & Scallion Biscuits with Red-Eye Sorghum Butter
Growing up, Saturday mornings meant the smell of salty, funky country ham and strong black coffee wafting through my grandmother's house. I’ve taken those exact flavor memories and folded them directly into impossibly flaky, laminated buttermilk biscuits. Paired with a whipped sorghum and espresso butter that pays homage to traditional red-eye gravy, this is my refined love letter to the Southern breakfast table.
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Timeline
Ingredients
- 6 oz Country ham(Finely diced (use Benton's or Lady Edison if you can find it))
- 1/2 cup Softened unsalted butter(1 stick, room temperature (for the red-eye butter))
- 3 tbsp Sorghum syrup
- 1 tbsp Brewed espresso(Cold (or very strong black coffee))
- 1/2 tsp Flaky sea salt
- 3 cups All-purpose flour(Plus more for dusting. White Lily is traditional, but standard AP works great.)
- 1 tbsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter(1 stick, frozen and grated on a box grater (for the biscuits))
- 1/2 cup Scallions(Finely sliced, green and white parts)
- 1 1/4 cups Full-fat buttermilk(Very cold)
Instructions
- 1
Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the finely diced 6 oz country ham and cook until the fat renders and the edges are beautifully crispy, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the ham to a paper towel-lined plate to cool completely. Keep that savory ham fat in the skillet for frying eggs later!
5 min
Tip: Country ham is already quite lean and dry, so keep an eye on it—it goes from crispy to burnt very quickly.
- 2
While the ham crisps, prepare the red-eye sorghum butter. In a small bowl, aggressively whisk together the 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter, 3 tbsp sorghum syrup, 1 tbsp brewed espresso, and 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt until light and aerated. Set aside at room temperature.
5 min
Tip: If the espresso is warm, it will melt the butter and break the emulsion. Make sure it's cold.
- 3
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp kosher salt. Quickly toss the frozen, grated 1/2 cup unsalted butter into the flour mixture until each piece of butter is coated like little floury pebbles.
5 min
Tip: Work quickly here. Your hands are warm, and we want that butter to stay freezing cold to create steam in the oven.
- 4
Add the cooled country ham and the 1/2 cup scallions to the dry mixture, tossing lightly to distribute. Create a well in the center and pour in the cold 1 1/4 cups full-fat buttermilk. Use a wooden spoon or your hands to gently toss just until a shaggy, dry dough forms. It will look like it needs more liquid, but trust me, it doesn't.
5 min
Tip: Overworking the dough here develops gluten, which makes tough biscuits. Gently toss, don't knead.
- 5
Turn the shaggy dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat it into a 1-inch thick rough rectangle. Fold it into thirds like a business letter. Turn the dough 90 degrees, gently pat it out again, and fold into thirds once more. Repeat this process one final time. This lamination process is my chef-touch for creating those tall, peel-apart layers.
5 min
Tip: If the dough feels like it's getting too warm or sticky, pop it in the fridge for 5 minutes between folds.
- 6
Pat the laminated dough out to an even 1-inch thickness. Using a 2.5-inch biscuit cutter, punch out your biscuits. Push straight down—never twist the cutter, or you'll seal the edges and stop them from rising! Place them touching each other on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the pan in the freezer to chill while you preheat your oven to 425°F.
15 min
Tip: Having the biscuits touching each other on the pan forces them to rise up rather than spreading out.
- 7
Transfer the chilled biscuits directly from the freezer to the hot oven. Bake until they rise high and the tops are a deep, gorgeous golden brown, about 15 minutes.
15 min
Tip: Don't open the oven door for the first 10 minutes—you'll let out the steam that helps the biscuits rise.
- 8
Remove the biscuits from the oven and let them rest on the pan for 5 minutes to set their structure. Serve warm, split open with generous swoops of the red-eye sorghum butter.
5 min
Tip: Split the biscuits with your hands or a fork, never a knife, to keep those delicate layers intact.
Chef's Notes
My grandmama would just pinch off pieces of dough and drop them in a cast-iron skillet, and they were perfect. But culinary school taught me lamination, and bridging those two worlds is what my cooking is all about. Grating frozen butter is the absolute best cheat code for perfect fat distribution without melting it with your hands. Use a genuine aged Southern country ham if you can—the earthy funk balances the sweet, complex sorghum butter in a way that just tastes like home.
Marcus Stone
Heritage recipes with a chef's touch
My grandmother's kitchen in Atlanta is where I learned that food carries history. Every pot of collards, every batch of biscuits, every Sunday roast told stories of resilience, family, and love. I went on to train at the finest restaurants in Charleston and worked my way up through white-tablecloth kitchens. But I always came back to those family recipes—now I cook them with a chef's technique but a grandmother's heart. Because the best food honors where it came from.