Drop biscuits are aptly named because you simply drop them into a cast iron drop pan or on a baking sheet and go. This eliminates having to deal with rolling out dough, making layers, and generally slaving over homemade biscuits. By adding some extra liquid to the recipe, the dough ends up a little softer and stickier, allowing it to be easily scooped and divided. Sure, the surface of these biscuits is more amorphous and not the flat and golden butter basted surface the food media has lead us to believe all biscuits should look like. These are probably closer to what people made when pressed for time before the "pop and fresh revolution." While drop biscuits probably can’t beat the speed of popping open a roll of biscuits, with the right tools they don't miss the speed mark by much. I’m speaking of a food processor and powdered buttermilk, and while these things may be blasphemy to the purist, they get things done quickly.
With a food processor, there’s no need to worry about cutting in the butter evenly or bother with mixing the dough. Now you can use a pastry cutter or even your fingers to work the butter in, but that takes effort and time and we’re racing the “pop and fresh” clock. Additionally, a spatula works great for mixing in milk, but again that’s more time and work. On to the use of powdered buttermilk… This is where the potential real sin is, but powdered buttermilk isn’t at all like powdered milk. Yes, I would love to use fresh, full-fat buttermilk if I could get my hands on it. However, the grocery store only has low-fat buttermilk by the half gallon, and that remaining buttermilk not used for biscuits almost inevitably gets thrown out after a week. Powdered buttermilk with whole milk is my compromise allowing for spontaneous and quick biscuit making on the weekends while eliminating the need for both buttermilk and milk to be on hand at all times. The most common brand I’ve found is Saco, and as a side note, it should be refrigerated after opening, something you don’t think about for powdered substances.
Cubed butter thrown In.
The dough has come together. It's slightly sticky but easy to be divided up.
Assuming you’re onboard with both these adjustments, let’s get started. Preheat the oven to 425 Fahrenheit (220 Celsius shout out to the System international). Measure out into the food processor bowl 1.5 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 3 tablespoons of powdered buttermilk, and a teaspoon of salt. Pulse together and then add a cubed stick of unsalted butter. It’s best if the butter is refrigerated and cut into cubes as it will distribute into the flour best this way. Pulse the butter into the flour till it’s evenly distributed as tiny clumps in the flour. It’s kind of hard to over work this part, unless you leave the food processor running for minutes on end. You just want to pulse till a second or two after you stop seeing the cubes of butter. Now for the ¾ cup of milk poured in, I prefer using the food chute of the food processor while the blades are spinning for even distribution and not having to open the lid (again that pop and fresh clock). The dough will quickly come together and clump up. Remove the dough, split it, place it in a greased cast iron drop pan, and into the oven for approximately 18 minutes, until they look golden on the top. When done serve with eggs and bacon, sausage and gravy, jam or jelly, the options are endless, but I do recommend enjoying them with a mug of coffee.
Before the baking.
Ready to be eaten.
I prefer the cast iron drop biscuit ban for what I think is a better bake and this recipe is scaled to be divided between the 7 wells of my drop pan (and to not overload my food processor). You don’t have to have cast iron, you can use a baking sheet and make the biscuits as large or small as you like, but I do recommend parchment paper or a silicone baking insert for minimal cleanup. I recommend investing in the drop biscuit pan it’s got a wide variety of applications. Just think…. Quick biscuits, check. Individual corn bread cakes, check. Individual, rich, moist brownies, check. Individual, tiny chocolate chip cookie cakes, CHECK!
INGREDIENTS
- 1.5 cups (225 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (~8 grams by mass or 10 mL by Volume) baking powder
- 3 tablespoons (18 grams by Mass or 45 mL by Volume) Powdered buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams by mass or 5 mL by Volume) salt (Kosher preferred)
- 1 Stick (4 oz or 115 grams) unsalted butter, refrigerated and cubed.
- ¾ Cup (180 mL) whole milk
STEPS
- Preheat over to 425 F (220 C).
- Grease drop pan if using.
- Measure out and pulse together flour, baking powder, powdered buttermilk, and salt.
- Cube butter and add to dry ingredients in food processor. Pulse till butter is worked in.
- Add milk to ingredients, processing till dough comes together.
- Divide up into drop pan or onto baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden on top
Just a suggested serving option.