Fluffy Buttermilk Drop Biscuits Ready in Minutes

Looking for an easy biscuit recipe? These Buttermilk drop biscuits are light, fluffy, buttery, and incredibly simple to make. No kneading or rolling required, just simple homemade comfort in every bite.

Perfect for breakfast, supper, or served alongside your favourite soups and stews. Easy, dependable and delicious, this is the kind of recipe you'll find yourself reaching for again and again.

 

I adore biscuits and by that I mean North American Biscuits.  Not cookies. There is always some confusion when I post a biscuit recipe like this.  In the U.K. cookies are called biscuits. In North American the word biscuits refers to a short textured quick bread, similar to, and yet completely different from a British scone.

I will say I adore both North American Biscuits and British Biscuits/Cookies.  Today I am sharing a beautiful recipe for a quick, easy and delicious North American Biscuit.

These tasty bakes require no rolling or patting out or cutting. You simply make an easy batter/dough and the drop it onto prepared baking sheets.  The only faffy bit is grating the butter into the flour, but if you keep dropping your cube of butter into the flour and then grating, it will stay cold and the strands will stay separate.

It is this cold/frozen butter that creates lovely little pockets of air in this biscuit dough resulting in a light and flakey bake.

Quick and easy to make these make a great side to serve along with soups or stews, or with your eggs for breakfast. I enjoy enjoy them with a bit of butter and honey and a nice hot drink.  In short, there are a multitude of ways to enjoy these delicious little quick breads.

On this day we enjoyed them, hot from the oven, split and buttered along with some fried eggs for a nice light supper.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

💛TO MAKE BUTTERMILK DROP BISCUITS💛

There is nothing too out of the ordinary in these biscuits.

• 2 1/4 cups (281g) plain all-purpose flour
• 1 TBS baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup (114g) butter, frozen
• 1 cup (240g) buttermilk, very cold, plus extra to brush on top
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp honey

💛NOTES ON INGREDIENTS💛

All-Purpose Plain Flour

Regular flour gives these biscuits the perfect balance of structure and tenderness. Be sure to measure it correctly by either weighing it, or by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off. Too much flour can result in dry hard biscuits.

Baking Powder

This is what gives the biscuits their rise and fluffy texture. For best results, make sure your baking powder is fresh. If it's been sitting in the cupboard for a while, it may have lost some of its lifting power.

Salt

A small amount of salt enhances all of the flavours and helps to balance the richness of the butter and tanginess of the buttermilk.

Butter

Frozen butter is key to light, tender biscuits. As the butter melts in the oven, it creates little pockets of steam that help the biscuits rise beautifully. You can use either salted or unsalted.

Buttermilk

Buttermilk adds a lovey tangy flavour while helping to create a soft tender crumb. It's acidity also works with the baking powder to produce fluffy biscuits with a beautiful texture. I have given two suggestions for ways to make a buttermilk substitute in the recipe notes.

💛HOW TO MAKE BUTTERMILK DROP BISCUITS💛

These are really not difficult to make at all.

1. Preheat oven to 425*F/220*C/ gas mark 7. Line a baking sheet with some baking parchment. Set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, soda, baking powder and salt together in a bowl to combine. (I used a small wire whisk.)
3. Grate in the frozen butter into the flour mixture using the large holes on a box grater, mixing it in gradually as you go to evenly distribute. (I drop the butter cube into the flour frequently for ease in grating.)
4. Whisk your honey into the buttermilk.
5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add your buttermilk all at once.
6. Stir with a fork until just combined. (Its okay to have some dry streaks. Do not overmix.)
7. Drop by the 1/4 cupful onto the baking sheet, leaving plenty of space in between. You should get about nine of them. (A muffin scoop works well.)
8. If desired, brush the tops with some more buttermilk.
9. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, puffy and nicely risen.

💛HINTS AND TIPS FOR SUCCESS💛

Don't overmix the dough

Mix just until the flour is moistened. A few lumps are perfectly fine and will help keep the biscuits light and tender.

Use cold ingredients

Frozen butter and cold buttermilk create steam as the biscuits bake, helping them to rise and develop a nice flaky texture.

For evenly sized biscuits, use a muffin scoop

This helps the biscuits bake at the same rate and gives them a more uniform appearance.

Leave the tops rough and craggy

Unlike rolled biscuits, drop biscuits are not meant to be perfectly smooth. Those rustic peaks and valleys become beautifully golden and crisp in the oven.

Bake right away

Once the dough it mixed, get it into the oven promptly for the best rise and texture.

Customize the flavour

Try stirring in some grated cheddar cheese, chopped fresh herbs, spring onions, crumbled bacon or a pinch of garlic powder to make them your own.

Brush with melted butter

For extra flavour and a beautiful finish, brush the warm biscuits with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven.

Serve warm for the best experience

These biscuits are at their absolute best when enjoyed fresh from the oven with butter, jam, honey or alongside soups and stews.

 

💛FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS💛

CAN YOU USE REGULAR MILK INSTEAD OF BUTTERMILK?

You can, but you will need to convert it into a buttermilk substitute. I give two ways of doing this in the recipe.

WHY ARE THESE CALLED DROP BISCUITS?

Unlike traditional rolled biscuits, drop biscuits are made with a softer dough that's simply dropped by spoonfuls onto the baking sheet. No kneading, rolling or cutting required.

CAN I MAKE THESE BISCUITS AHEAD OF TIME?

Yes, you could certainly whisk together the dry ingredients ahead of time. I don't recommend grating in the butter or stirring in the buttermilk until just prior to baking them.

HOW DO I KEEP THE DROP BISCUITS TENDER?

Be careful not to overmix the dough. Stir just until the ingredients come together.

CAN THESE BE FROZEN?

Yes. Baked biscuits freeze well for up to three months. Wrap tightly, label and date. Thaw at room temperature and warm in the oven before serving.

 

💛A FEW MORE BISCUIT RECIPES TO CONSIDER💛

I have never met a Biscuit I didn't fall in love with. 

MILE HIGH GREEK YOGURT BISCUITS - When it comes to flaky, they don't get flakier than these Mile High Greek Yogurt Biscuits! Because the butter in this recipe  is quite cold when blended in and is only coarsely blended into the flour mixture, when it melts it leaves lots of air pockets, which is what creates all of that flakiness! And yet . . .  there are only 4 TBS butter in the whole recipe, which works out about 1/2 TBS per biscuit. More of the flakiness comes from the baking powder reacting with the acid in the Greek yogurt, causing the dough to expand exponentially. The end result is a biscuit that is light as a cloud, and filled with lots of flaky pockets.  

EASY 7-UP BISCUITS -  These are the BEST biscuits!  So easy to make and quick to make as well. Light and fluffy! They use only four ingredients, a baking mix, some sour cream, 7-up soda pop and butter.  That's it.  Easy peasy. You can use a store bought baking mix such as Bisquick, or make your own biscuit mix. I do that and keep it in the freezer, ready to use as and when. Super easy to make with delicious results.

 

Pin this delicious recipe to your Biscuit or Quick Bread recipe boards and remember to FOLLOW ME on Pinterest, Facebook, or Instagram! 

That way you can be assured that you are always up to date with fresh content as soon as I post it. You can also sign up to receive a weekly newsletter from Grow. Thank you! 

Yield: Makes 9 biscuits

Author: Marie Rayner

Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 18 MinTotal time: 28 Min

These are delicious. Buttery, soft and such a simple make.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups (281g) plain all-purpose flour
• 1 TBS baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup (114g) butter, frozen
• 1 cup (240g) buttermilk, very cold, plus extra to brush on top
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp honey

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425*F/220*C/ gas mark 7. Line a baking sheet with some baking parchment. Set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, soda, baking powder and salt together in a bowl to combine.
3. Grate in the frozen butter into the flour mixture using the large holes on a box grater, mixing it in gradually as you go to evenly distribute.
4. Whisk your honey into the buttermilk.
5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add your buttermilk all at once.
6. Stir with a fork until just combined.
7. Drop by the 1/4 cupful onto the baking sheet, leaving plenty of space in between. You should get about nine of them.
8. If desired, brush the tops with some more buttermilk.
9. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, puffy and nicely risen.

Notes

To make your own buttermilk:

1- whisk together 1 TBS white vinegar or lemon juice and whole milk to give you the amount needed. Leave to sit for 5 minutes to clabber.

2 - whisk together equal amounts of whole milk and full fat plain yogurt to give you the amount needed. Leave to sit for 5 minutes to clabber.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #marierayner5530

 

This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com   

 Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again! 

 If you like what you see here, why not consider signing up for my newsletter and/or subscribing/following me on Grow. You can also bookmark my recipes via the Grow platform. Check out the heart on the right hand side of the screen.