Drop Biscuits
Updated April 12, 2018
Craig Lee for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
2 cups/255 grams all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
10 tablespoons/141 grams cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
¾ cup whole milk, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons, if needed
Nutritional analysis per serving
27 grams carbs; 40 milligrams cholesterol; 261 calories; 4 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 15 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 180 milligrams sodium; 4 grams protein; 2 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is the texture of coarse meal with some pea-size pieces.
- Step 2
Using a fork, stir in the milk until just evenly moistened, adding up to 2 more tablespoons, if necessary, but stopping before the dough gets too wet. Scoop the dough into 8 rough mounds (about ⅓-cup each) and place them on the prepared sheets. Bake the biscuits until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Private Notes
Comments
Out of necessity I had to modify this recipe just slightly. I used 8 tbsp regular butter and 2 tbsp ghee. 1/2 c whole milk and 1/4 c yogurt. Also, I let them cook a couple minutes longer by accident. But they turned out just divine. Hot tip: grate your cold butter instead of cubing it, and it will incorporate into the flour faster.
I'm surprised at all the positive ratings for these. I make biscuits often and decided to try out this recipe. 10 tbls of butter was way too much. I questioned the amount while adding the ingredients, but went along with it anyway. Biscuits were extremely greasy. 8 tbls would probably have been sufficient. As a side note, you can use a food processor to combine the cold butter and dry ingredients. Much easier than cutting in the butter by hand.
I've made these more times than I can count, and the only instance they didn't turn out was when I reduced the amount of butter. I store most of my butter in the freezer, and love grating it directly into pastry or biscuit dough - much faster than a pastry cutter or the food processor, and quicker, too. These come together in under 5 minutes, so I wait until the oven is fully heated, quickly mix them up, and pop them into the oven.
These are some of the best biscuits I have ever made! I grated the butter into the dry mixture and mixed it as the butter piled up until it was completely grated into the dry mixture. They were definitely very butter, and required no additional butter on it. I might cut down on the butter by a tablespoon or two, but if you want traditional biscuits, this is a go-to!
I threw these together on easter morning, craving something savory to go with scrambled eggs. Tossed all the ingredients into my food processor. I only had 2% milk, so I used 1/2 cup of that plus 1/3ish cup whole greek yogurt and a stick of salted butter. I threw in a handful of shredded cheese for fun. I didn't expect these would taste like anything besides doughy rocks, but I was mistaken! Crispy on the outside, fluffy inside, as advertised -- easy easy easy, and exactly what I wanted.
Has anyone tried to mix and drop-shape the biscuits, then freeze them unbaked for later baking? Any tips or success with that?
@Amy Keys replying to my own comment—yes! It works. Mix; shape; freeze; bake—perfect.