Southern biscuits may seem like an if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it breakfast staple—until you taste what Jonathan Burch is up to at The Alabama Biscuit Co. in Birmingham. The star of the show here isn’t a hockey puck packed with sawdust; it’s a crumbly biscuit made with sprouted spelt flour, a fitting canvas for Burch’s inventive flavor combinations. The Croque Madame is piled with smoked ham, cheddar, lemon aioli, fresh herbs, and a fat poached farm egg. The Bacon Du Jour has fennel-encrusted pork belly from Hunter Cattle, manchego, and a housemade holy trinity of red onion jam, citrus marmalade, and whole-grain mustard. Burch also grinds and bottles his own nut butters using roasted pecans and almonds, making this a good place to grab a to-go gift as well.

4133 White Oak Dr., Birmingham, AL; no phone.

Additional photos courtesy of Alabama Biscuit Co.