Easy Drop Biscuits

Easy drop biscuits are the answer when you want fresh, hot biscuits on the table in half an hour without dragging out the rolling pin, the biscuit cutter, or the patience usually required for proper Southern biscuits. The dough comes together in one bowl, gets dropped in heaping tablespoons onto a baking sheet, and bakes up golden, soft inside, and tender enough to tear apart with your hands.

The magic of drop biscuits is in their forgiving nature. The dough is wetter and stickier than rolled biscuit dough, which means more steam in the oven and a fluffier interior. There’s no overworking risk because there’s no kneading, no folding, no cutting that compresses the gluten. Even first-time bakers end up with biscuits worth eating.

Five ingredients, all pantry staples: flour, baking powder, salt, shortening, and milk. The shortening creates flaky pockets as it melts in the high heat, while the baking powder gives the lift that makes the biscuits double in size as they bake.

Serve hot with butter, jam, honey, sausage gravy, or as the topping on a pot pie or cobbler.

Pro Tips

• Cut the shortening in until the mixture looks like coarse meal but still has small visible chunks. Those bits create flaky layers when they melt during baking.
• Don’t overstir once the milk goes in. Mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Lumps are fine. Smooth dough means tough biscuits.
• Use a hot oven and bake until tops are deep golden. Pale biscuits taste underdone even when the inside is cooked.
• Brush the tops with melted butter as soon as they come out for a glossy, soft-topped finish.

Variations

• Stir 2 tablespoons of grated cheddar and a tablespoon of fresh chives into the dough for cheddar-chive drop biscuits.
• Add a tablespoon of sugar and a half teaspoon of cinnamon for a sweeter breakfast biscuit.
• Replace the milk with buttermilk for tangier, more tender biscuits.