imageI've been out of town for a while and haven't had much time for baking. That's why this week's baking needed to be something wonderfully simple. However, I also wanted it to be Thanksgiving friendly. Luckily, while flipping through the pages of the most recent issue of Cook's Illustrated, I came across this recipe for the "Best" Drop Biscuits. They looked simple, sounded great, and best of all, they could be done in under thirty minutes. The ingredient list is also wonderfully sparse, consisting of just baking staples.

After a few easy steps and a brief encounter with the smoke alarm — the oven is at a toasty 475°F, anything stuck to the bottom of it is probably going to burn a little — I was chowing down on some perfect biscuits. I'm not sure they're the best drop biscuits, but they are pretty darn close. To get the recipe, read more

If buttermilk biscuits are too boring for you, try adding other flavors such as Parmesan cheese, pepper, scallions, mustard seed, etc.

Best Drop Biscuits
From Cook's Illustrated, Nov/Dec 2007

Makes 10-12.

2 cups (10 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp table salt
1 cup cold buttermilk*
8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (about 5 minutes)
2 tbsp melted unsalted butter for brushing biscuits

*Note: If you don't have buttermilk, substitute with a mixture of 1 cup cold milk plus 1 tbsp lemon juice that has stood for 10 minutes.

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475F.
  2. In a large bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine buttermilk and 8 tbsp melted butter, stirring until butter forms small clumps. It looks like it is a mistake, but you are actually looking for those clumps.
  4. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated and batter pulls away from the sides of bowl.
  5. Using a greased 1/4 cup dry measure, scoop level amount of batter and drop onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining batter, spacing biscuits about 1 1/2 inches apart.
  6. Bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, about 12-14 minutes.
  7. Brush biscuit tops with remaining 2 tbsp melted butter.
  8. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes before serving.

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