Buttermilk Drop Biscuits
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Stir it, scoop it, slide the pan into a very hot oven. Half an hour later the biscuits have crisp edges and soft middles, and somebody's cousin is reaching past you for the first one.
The short version
Whisk the dry ingredients, stir cold buttermilk into melted butter until it clumps, fold it together, scoop onto a sheet, and bake at 450°F for 12 to 15 minutes. Brush with butter at the end.
What makes ours better
what we fixed so you don’t have to
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Stir cold buttermilk into the melted butter. The butter firms into little clumps as it hits the cold buttermilk. In the oven those clumps make steam and give you height and a flaky crumb without cutting in any butter.
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Bake in a very hot oven. At 450°F the outsides turn crisp and golden before the insides can dry out, so you get a craggy top and a tender middle.
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Brush with butter at the end. Melted butter on hot biscuits soaks into the crust and keeps them soft for the whole meal.
What you need
the usual suspects
- All-purpose flour2 cups
- Granulated sugar1 teaspoon
- Cold buttermilk1 cup
- Unsalted butter8 tablespoons
read it twice. buy it once.
Steps
nobody opens the oven door. looking at you, Dad.
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Heat the oven
Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat it to 450°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
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Mix the dry ingredients
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
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Make the clumpy butter
Pour the cold buttermilk into a medium bowl, then stir in the 8 tablespoons of cooled melted butter. It will form small clumps and thicken like curdled milk. That is what you want.
If the butter is hot, it won't clump. Let it cool for 5 minutes first.
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Fold it together
Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour and fold with a rubber spatula until the batter just comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Stop as soon as no dry flour remains.
Overmixing makes tough biscuits. A few small lumps are fine.
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Scoop
Scoop ¼-cup mounds of batter onto the sheet, about 1½ inches apart. A greased measuring cup or large spring-loaded scoop keeps the batter from sticking. Don't smooth the tops. The rough surface browns into the best part.
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Bake
Bake until the tops are golden brown and craggy and the bottoms are browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Rotate the sheet halfway through if your oven runs hot in the back.
About 12 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Brush and cool
Brush the hot biscuits with the remaining melted butter and sprinkle with flaky salt if you like. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before serving.
About 5 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
Good to know
things I learned the hard way, so you can skip that part
- No buttermilk? Stir 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into 1 cup of whole milk, let it sit 10 minutes, and use it cold. Keep the baking soda in either case.
- Make them savory by stirring in ½ cup of grated sharp cheddar and a spoonful of chopped chives. See also garlic cheddar drop biscuits.
- For sausage gravy, make the biscuits slightly larger and bake an extra minute or two.
- Storage. Best the day they're made. Keep covered at room temperature up to 2 days, or freeze up to 3 months. Warm in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes.
Questions, answered
the questions my cousins text me
What's the difference between drop biscuits and regular biscuits?
Drop biscuits use a wetter dough that gets scooped instead of rolled and cut. They have a craggy top and a softer interior, and they're much faster.
Why didn't my drop biscuits rise?
Usually the baking powder was old, the oven wasn't hot enough, or the batter was overmixed. Preheat fully and fold just until combined.
Can I make drop biscuits ahead?
Scoop and freeze the batter on a tray, then bake from frozen at 425°F for 18 to 22 minutes. They won't be as tall as fresh, but they're close.
Can I use milk instead of buttermilk?
Yes, if you sour it first with lemon juice or vinegar. Plain milk without acid won't react with the baking soda, and the biscuits turn flat and pale.
Why are my biscuits dry?
The flour was packed in the cup, which adds too much, or they baked too long. Spoon and level the flour or weigh it, and pull them as soon as they're golden.
From the table
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Published October 29, 2026.