Best Drop Buttermilk Biscuits

I am a sucker for a biscuit recipe. I’ll try them all out, even though I’ve worked out a consistently successful master recipe for quick biscuits and discovered the best buttermilk biscuit recipe, courtesy of Cook’s Illustrated. Now, Cook’s Illustrated has passed on the recipe for best drop buttermilk biscuits in the November issue, and of course, I had to try them.

The main difference between the drop biscuits and the just plain best buttermilk biscuits is that the drop biscuits are significantly easier to make. There is no messing about with the food processor or trying to shape the dough into balls. This recipe relies on mixing melted and cooled butter with the buttermilk, so that the butter forms into clumps, producing the same effect as pulsing or cutting cold butter into a regular biscuit dough. The resulting dough can then be dropped onto the baking pan, rather than shaped or cut, shaving some time off what was already a fairly quick recipe. Just beware of making your “drops” too big, as I did, or you’ll wind up with fewer biscuits that require longer baking time, although they will still be good.

The other big difference is that this is the only biscuit recipe I have tried that requires 1 full stick of butter (plus 2 tablespoons for brushing on top). My other recipes only call for 4 tablespoons. With that much butter, of course they are going to be good! They are just not going to be that good for you. You’ve been warned: Even though these biscuits are easier to make, they should probably be consumed in moderation.

Here’s the verdict: They are delicious. Big, flaky, moist — these are everything biscuits should be. My husband declared them “the best biscuits he’s ever had at home.” Enjoy.

Best Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

Yields: 12 biscuits, if you’re careful about apportioning out the dough
Time to make: ~25 minutes

You need:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. sugar
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 1 stick + 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 cup buttermilk
• parchment paper

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
2. Melt the 1 stick butter and let cool about 5 minutes.
3. Whisk together the dry ingredients.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the melted butter and the buttermilk, and stir until clumps form.
5. Stir the liquid into the dry ingredients until just incorporated and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Using a ¼ cup dry measure, scoop out and drop 12 balls of dough onto the baking sheet (this is easier if you spray the measuring cup with nonstick cooking spray).
8. Bake until the tops are golden brown, about 14 minutes.
9. Let cool on a wire rack.
10. Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 tbsp. butter and brush the tops of the biscuits with the butter before serving.

Notes: This recipe is from the November-December 2007 issue of Cook’s Illustrated Magazine.

You Can Always Make Biscuits

It’s been one of those weeks. My husband and I have both been working long hours, I’m getting ready to go on another trip, and the refrigerator is pitifully bare. There is literally nothing to eat in there but eggs, yogurt and mixed baby greens. I defy the “breathy giggler,” my dad’s nickname for NPR’s Lynne Rossetto Kasper, to come up with a tasty recipe using only those ingredients.

Sure, I can probably put together a nourishing if not particularly inspiring meal of pasta or soup using things from my pantry; that’s what pantries are for. But it doesn’t seem the same without a few fresh things from the fridge to supplement. So we’ve been eating out rather more often than usual, and the results are starting to show.

The other night, I was determined to stay home for dinner despite the sad contents of our fridge. I really wanted something comforting and homey, something like bread. Of course, we had no bread, and it was already 8:00, not the best time to begin baking. But I had an epiphany of sorts. No matter what is going on in your life, no matter what your shopping habits are, if you have flour, baking powder, butter and some sort of dairy product, you can always make biscuits. And biscuits are designed to soothe the frantic soul.

Of course, these won’t be like the tender, flaky Buttermilk Biscuits that require a bit more time and care. I don’t normally keep buttermilk around the house; that ingredient requires a grocery store run. But these biscuits will definitely be good, fast and easy.

Going through my cookbooks, I came up with a chart of biscuit recipe proportions that could be made regardless of the dairy product available. I especially encourage you to make biscuits with plain yogurt, as I did this week. The results were incredibly tender and a beautiful golden brown.

Quick Homemade Biscuits

For all recipes, you will need 2 cups flour and 4 tbsp. butter.

• For 1 cup plain yogurt, use 3 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda and 1 tsp. salt
• For 1 cup milk, use 4 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda and 1 tsp. salt
• For ¾ cup half-and-half, use 3 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. sugar and ½ tsp. salt
• For 1½ cups heavy cream, use 2 tsp. baking powder, 2 tsp. sugar and ¼ tsp. salt; omit the butter!

Here’s how to make the biscuits:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
2. Combine the flour, baking powder and other dry ingredients in a food processor
3. Cut the butter into small cubes and pulse it into the flour until it is just combined (about 10 pulses)
4. Remove to a bowl and stir in the dairy until the dough forms a rough ball
5. Knead the dough 10 times on a lightly floured surface
6. Press out the dough into a thick rectangle and cut out rounds with a biscuit cutter or water glass (you can also make drop biscuits by dropping small balls of dough on the baking sheet)
7. Arrange the biscuits on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 7-15 minutes, until they are golden brown

Notes: If you are feeling creative, try adding to the recipe. For example, make cheese biscuits by adding ½ cup grated cheese to the dough. Or use 1 cup pureed sweet potatoes in place of some of the liquid. You can also season the dough with fresh herbs or cayenne pepper.

What to serve with biscuits? For a homey meal, try Chicken & Biscuits.

Food History has provided even more variations on the biscuit, these all decidedly English-style.

Why should your dog miss out? Try this homemade dog biscuit recipe from Serve It Forth.

Best Buttermilk Biscuits

These are truly the best biscuits I have ever made. They epitomize what I look for in a good Southern-style biscuit. They are buttery, fluffy, golden in color and definitely not wimpy — equally able to pair with fried chicken for dinner or form the foundation of a scrambled egg sandwich for breakfast. I tell you, they are dangerous to have around the house. After my husband and I ate three each, I had to foist the rest off on co-workers in deference to our waistlines.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Yields: 12 biscuits
Time to make: ~45 minutes

What you need:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. double-acting baking powder
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 4 tbsp. cold butter, cubed
• 1½ cups buttermilk
• 2 tbsp. butter, melted
• food processor
• 1 cup flour, distributed in rimmed baking sheet
• 9-inch round cake pan, sprayed with nonstick cooking spray
• ¼ cup dry measure, sprayed with nonstick cooking spray

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees
2. In the food processor, pulse together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda just to combine
3. Scatter the butter cubes over the dry ingredients
4. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal
5. Transfer to a bowl, add the buttermilk and stir until just incorporated
6. Using the dry measure, scoop out a level amount of dough and drop it onto the baking sheet to form 12 evenly sized mounds
7. Dust the tops of the dough pieces with some flour
8. With floured hands, pick up each piece of dough and coat with flour
9. Gently shape into a ball
10. Shake off the excess flour and place the dough in the prepared cake pan
11. Repeat with the remaining pieces; arrange 9 balls around the outside of the cake pan and the 3 remaining balls in the center
12. Brush the tops with the melted butter
13. Bake 5 minutes
14. Reduce the oven temperature to 450 degrees and bake until the biscuits are a deep golden brown, about 15 minutes more
15. Cool in the pan a couple of minutes, then invert onto a dish towel and break apart
16. Cool a few minutes more before serving, if you can wait

Note: This recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated Magazine, July-Aug. 2004.

Chicken & Biscuits

This is like a poor man’s version of Chicken Pot Pie, for when you don’t have the time or inclination to make pie crust for dinner. (Personally, I prefer biscuits to pie on most days.) It’s homey, warming comfort food, great for a cold winter night, and quick enough to get on the table after work.

Any biscuit recipe would work for this recipe, including store-bought biscuit dough if you’re in a big hurry. Because you end up eating the biscuits in the stew, you don’t really need a fluffy, flaky biscuit for this, though. I prefer something a little more substantial, like the following cream biscuits adapted from The New Best Recipe.

Cream Biscuits

Yields: 8 biscuits
Time to make: ~25 minutes

What you need:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1½ cups heavy cream

1. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt
2. Stir in the cream until well mixed
3. Turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead briefly to form a sticky dough
4. Pat down into a thick circle
5. Use a water glass or biscuit cutter to cut out 8 rounds
6. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, until golden brown

Note: This dough is pretty sticky, so it pays to coat the inside of your biscuit cutter with nonstick cooking spray.

Chicken & Biscuits

Serves: 4
Time to make: ~30 minutes

What you need:

• 4 tbsp. butter
• 2 boneless chicken breasts, seasoned with salt and pepper and cubed
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups vegetables, diced into bite-sized pieces
• 4 tbsp. flour
• ½ cup white wine
• 3 cups chicken stock
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1-2 biscuits per serving

Note: Peas and carrots are traditional for this dish. I prefer a nice mix of vegetables, though, so I also add broccoli, leeks and mushrooms. Feel free to vary the mix to suit your tastes.

1. Melt the butter over medium-high
2. Add the chicken and brown on all sides
3. Add the onion and garlic, and saute until translucent
4. Add the vegetables and brown
5. Reduce the heat to medium-low; add the flour and stir 1 minute
6. Whisk in the wine, stock and cream, and bring to a simmer
7. Cover and let cook until the chicken is cooked through, which shouldn’t take too long
8. Ladle into deep bowls and top each bowl with 1-2 biscuits to serve

(Adapted from a recipe in The Best 30-Minute Recipe.)