• Fast
• Make-Ahead

Ingredients

1. 3 cups all-purpose flour
2. 4 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
3. 3/4 cup stone-ground cornmeal
4. 2 tablespoons sugar
5. 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped thyme
6. 1 tablespoon baking powder
7. 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
8. 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
9. 1 stick (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
10. 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
11. 2 large egg yolks

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a bowl, using a fork, stir the flour, cheese, cornmeal, sugar, thyme, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the egg yolks. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a fork until a dough forms.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a 1/2-inch-thick disk. Using a 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter, cut out as many biscuits as possible. Transfer the biscuits to a baking sheet. Gather the dough and repeat, handling the dough as little as possible.
4. Bake the biscuits in the upper and lower thirds of the oven for 18 minutes, or until golden; switch the pans halfway through baking. Transfer the biscuits to racks and let cool slightly and serve.