I’m gonna be honest with you, Tartlets: I’m not sure that these Savory Thyme and Caraway Biscuits turned out exactly like they’re supposed to.
But, I thought they were really tasty. And Mr Tart thought they were really tasty.
So, I decided to bite the bullet (or biscuit) and give you these savory bundles as the book-inspired recipe for Hamnet.
Why are Thyme and Caraway Biscuits the book-inspired recipe for Hamnet?
I decided to make Thyme and Caraway Biscuits the book-inspired recipe for Hamnet because main character Agnes is constantly baking for her in-laws once she moves in with her husband’s family.
One of things she makes is rolls with fresh thyme, and Agnes is always working with fresh herbs and plants because she’s known for her medicinal tinctures and poultices.
Making some kind of yeasted bread featuring fresh thyme seemed like a no brainer for this bookish recipe, and I threw caraway seeds in there because, well, I really like caraway seeds. More on that later.
However…you should know that these biscuits were supposed to be rolls….
Why are these Thyme and Caraway Biscuits instead of Thyme and Caraway Rolls?
Apart from Sally Lunn Buns and Fig and Pepper Bread, I have an iffy history of success when it comes to baking with active yeast.
While I’m not horrible at it (there’s a ringing endorsement, huh??), I prefer to leave bread as something bought instead of baked at home.
But I found this recipe and I was like, “Oh, I can tweak that…”
And, tweak it, I did. I added the fresh thyme and the caraway seeds to the no-knead dough. I also got a lil’ fancy and sprinkled some flaky sea salt over everything. Then, I pushed the baking dish into the oven and waited for gorgeously puffy, lighter-than-air dinner rolls to emerge.
What I ended up with was gorgeously brown, craggy, rustic biscuits.
After watching the Bread Week episode of Great British Bake Off, I realized that the (copious) addition of caraway seeds affected the dough’s rise, yielding a bread that was closer to a biscuit than a dinner roll.
Was I disappointed? A little. Not for long, though. Bread is bread, people, and the flavor of these beauties is to die for.
Why I love these Savory Thyme and Caraway Biscuits
These Savory Thyme and Caraway Biscuits didn’t last long in my house. I probably had 2-3 as I was photographing them, then Mr Tart scarfed down a few, and only a day or two later, there was one left.
These flavors are delicious — herby from the thyme, ever-so-nutty from the caraway seeds, and wonderfully, decadently buttery. These biscuits are basically bathed in butter as they bake, which gives them a perfectly golden crust. The whole bite is hearty and filling, warm and inviting, especially on a chilly November day.
What are caraway seeds?
I’m sure some of you are reading this post and wondering what caraway seeds are. These teeny narrow seeds are common in European cooking (think hearty German or Nordic dishes), but most Americans have eaten caraway seeds in Italian sausage or, most commonly, rye bread.
You know when you’re pawing through the bread aisle to make that perfect pastrami on rye at home? And you have the choice between seedless rye bread and seeded rye bread? Well, the seeds in the “seeded” version are caraway seeds.
Could you make Savory Thyme and Caraway Biscuits without using yeast?
There are plenty of ways to make biscuits without using yeast, but I used yeast for Savory Thyme and Caraway Biscuits because I wanted to make things harder on myself.
No, I’m just kidding. Mostly. These biscuits were actually really easy to make since the base for this recipe is no-knead. If you wanted to skip the yeast element, though, I’m sure the thyme and caraway seeds would be delicious added to your favorite buttermilk biscuit recipe.
What do you serve with Savory Thyme and Caraway Biscuits
Savory Thyme and Caraway Biscuits are just begging to be served with a hearty meal where they can sop up lots of sauce, like Coq au Vin, Smothered Chicken and Broccolini, or Salmon in Creamy Dill Sauce. They’re also perfect for dunking into a bowl of White Cheddar and Cauliflower Soup or Parmesan Lemon Broccoli Parmesan Soup.
And, given that Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I think Savory Thyme and Caraway Biscuits would look fantastic in a little bread basket next to some turkey and gravy and all the fixins.
Savory Thyme and Caraway Biscuits
Ingredients
- 5 tsp caraway seeds, divided
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, divided
- 1 1/4-oz pkg active dry (instant) yeast
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 7 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup milk
- flaky sea salt, to taste
Instructions
PREP INSTRUCTIONS
- Carefully strip fresh thyme leaves from their stems, then separate out each tablespoon and set aside.
- Cut 3 tbsp of butter into cubes and set aside.
- Whisk together the eggs in a small bowl and set aside.
BREAD PREP INSTRUCTIONS
- In a small saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until it’s warm but not simmering (about 95 degrees F), about 1-2 minutes. Add the cubed 3 tbsp butter to the pan, turn heat down to low, and stir gently until the butter has melted into milk. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.
- While the milk mixture cools, whisk together the yeast, sugar, flour, salt, 3 tsp caraway seeds, and 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves in a large bowl.
- Temper the eggs by whisking some cooled milk mixture into the eggs, one tablespoon at a time. After 4-5 tablespoons, whisk the tempered eggs into the saucepan with the remaining warm milk.
- Pour the egg and milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix together at first with a spatula, but once the ingredients are mostly combined together, use your (clean!!) hands to form a soft, sticky dough.
- Leave the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set dough to rise in a warm place for 2.5 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Once the dough has risen: lightly dust your worksurface with flour, then spray a 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray. You might want to spritz a little cooking spray on your hands, too, since the dough will be sticky.
- Remove dough from the bowl and place on your floured work surface. Shape dough gently into a disc and then use a sharp knife or bench scraper to divide the dough into 9 (roughly) equal pieces.
- Quickly and lightly roll each piece of dough into a ball and place in the greased baking dish. You should have three rows of three biscuits each, spaced out so none are touching.
- Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and let rise for a second time until biscuits are doubled in size and are now touching each other, about 45 minutes.
BAKING INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 375F.
- Melt the remaining 4 tbsp butter. Remove the plastic wrap from the risen biscuits and brush each biscuit top with melted butter.
- Bake the biscuits at 375F for 12 minutes.
- Remove biscuits from oven, brush tops with more melted butter, then return to the oven.
- Bake the biscuits for another 12 minutes. Once again, remove biscuits from oven, brush tops with more melted butter, and return to the oven. The tops should be getting pretty brown now.
- Bake biscuits another 3-4 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.
- Remove biscuits from oven and place on a cooling rack. Brush the tops with the remaining melted butter and sprinkle with the leftover 2 tsp caraway seeds, 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, and flaky sea salt to taste.
- Serve Savory Thyme and Caraway Biscuits while still hot from the oven.**
Notes
