Easy Drop Biscuits

Before you start

Drop biscuits trade tidy layers for speed and texture. Instead of cutting cold butter into flour, this version uses melted butter stirred into very cold buttermilk. The butter firms into small clumps on contact, and those clumps melt in the oven to leave tender pockets inside a rough, crunchy shell.

The batter is wetter than rolled dough, closer to a thick, sticky paste. That moisture is what makes the rugged tops brown so well. Mix only until the flour is moistened, scoop generous mounds and leave space between them so the hot air can crisp every ridge.

Ingredients

• 250 g (2 cups, spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• ¾ tsp fine salt
• 240 ml (1 cup) buttermilk — straight from the refrigerator
• 115 g (½ cup) unsalted butter — melted and cooled about 5 minutes, plus 1 tbsp for brushing

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F) with a rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
3. In a second bowl, pour the warm melted butter into the cold buttermilk and stir. The butter will seize into small lumps; that is what you want.
4. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour and fold with a spatula for about 20 strokes, just until no dry flour remains. The batter will be thick, sticky and lumpy.
5. Scoop 12 mounds of about ⅓ cup each onto the sheet, spacing them 5 cm (2 in) apart. Do not smooth the tops; rough peaks brown best.
6. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the tops are golden brown with darker ridges and the bottoms are browned. The sides should spring back when pressed.
7. Brush with melted butter and cool on the pan for 3 minutes before serving.

Tips for success

• If the buttermilk is not very cold, the butter will not clump. Chill it well or set the bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes.
• Grease your scoop or measuring cup with a little butter so the batter drops out cleanly.
• For crispier sides, bake the mounds in a buttered 23 cm (9 in) cast-iron skillet with sides touching; for maximum crust, keep them apart on a sheet.

Substitutions

Buttermilk

Plain whole-milk yogurt thinned with milk to buttermilk consistency works well. Regular milk also works if you omit the baking soda and use 1 tbsp baking powder, but the biscuits are less tangy and slightly drier.

Unsalted butter

Use salted butter and cut the added salt to ½ tsp. Neutral oil makes softer biscuits without the butter clumps or buttery flavor.

All-purpose flour

Swap up to 60 g with whole wheat flour for a nuttier biscuit. Add 1 to 2 tbsp extra buttermilk, since whole wheat absorbs more liquid.

Variations

Garlic cheddar drop biscuits

Fold 100 g grated sharp cheddar into the dry ingredients. Brush the hot biscuits with butter mixed with ½ tsp garlic powder and chopped parsley.

Strawberry shortcake base

Increase sugar to 2 tbsp, sprinkle the mounds with coarse sugar before baking and serve split with sliced strawberries and whipped cream.

Troubleshooting

Biscuits spread into flat puddles

The batter was too thin, usually from too much liquid or warm butter. Check measurements, let the butter cool slightly and use cold buttermilk.

Dense, gummy centers

Underbaked or overmixed. Stir only until moistened and bake until the bottoms are well browned; break one open if unsure.

Pale tops

The oven may run cool. Use an oven thermometer, or move the pan up a rack for the final 2 minutes.

Storage

Drop biscuits are best the day they are baked. Store leftovers airtight at room temperature for 1 to 2 days and rewarm in a 175°C (350°F) oven for 5 minutes. Freeze baked biscuits for up to 2 months.

Safety notes

Skip tasting the batter: uncooked flour can contain harmful bacteria until it is baked. Contains wheat and milk.