From BakerBettie.com

Drop biscuits in a cast iron skillet after being baked.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups (240 gr) all-purpose flour
  • 1 TBSP (14 gr) baking powder
  • 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick, 113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 3/4 cup-1 cup (175-240 ml) milk or buttermilk

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 F (232 C).
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt together. If you want to add any herbs or spices you can add them here.
  3. Add the pieces of cold butter and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or fork until the consistency of coarse meal. If you want to add any cheeses or other add-ins you can stir them in here before adding the milk.
  4. Add 3/4 cup of the milk and stir just until combined. You can use any milk you like or buttermilk if you want a tangy flavor. If the batter is very dry, add a little more milk until the consistency of a very thick batter. Do not over-mix. The batter will be quite lumpy.
  5. Drop large mounds (about 1/4 cup each. I use a 2 oz scoop) onto a baking sheet. You can also use a cast iron skille that has been greased with butter.
  6. Bake at 450 F (232 C) for 18-22 minutes until golden brown
  7. Brush with melted butter if desired.

NOTES

  • If you have self rising flour on hand you can substitute the ap flour, baking powder, and salt with 2 cups of self-rising flour.
  • If you only have salted butter you can use that and leave out the additional salt in the recipe.

HOW TO MAKE DROP BISCUITS

Drop biscuits, like traditional biscuits, utilize require very cold butter and milk to keep their flakiness. It is also extremely important not to over-mix the dough so the biscuits don’t get tough. 

STEP 1: COMBINE DRY INGREDIENTS

Dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder) in a bowl for drop biscuit dough.

Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. If you want to add any herbs or spices you would add those here. 

STEP 2: CUT IN THE BUTTER

Pieces of butter in the bowl with the dry ingredients for the biscuits.
Cutting butter through the flour for drop biscuits.

Add the pieces of cold fat into the dry ingredients and and use a pastry cutter or fork to cut the butter through. You can opt to pulse this in a food processor if you like, however be careful not to over process. 

Coarse meal texture of flour but into fat.
What the flour looks like after cutting the fat in. Texture of coarse meal

Once the mixture is the texture of a coarse meal you are ready to move on to the next step. If you wanted to add in cheeses or other add-ins you would stir them in here before adding the milk. 

STEP 3: ADD THE MILK

Drop biscuit dough in the bowl before being scooped

Now its time to add the milk and stir until we get a thick dough. Start with part of the milk and stir until incorporated. Add more milk until a very thick dough forms. 

STEP 4: SCOOP DOUGH

Scooping drop biscuits into a greased cast iron pan.
Raw drop biscuits ready to go into the oven.

Use a large trigger scoop or a spoon to scoop large mounds of dough onto a baking sheet or into a greased cast iron skillet. You can make them as big or small as you like but I like really big biscuits. 

STEP 5: BAKE!

Baked drop biscuits in a skillet being brushed with melted butter.

Bake the biscuits until they are nice and golden brown. You can brush them with melted butter when they first come out of the oven if you like! A sprinkle of salt over the top would also be nice!