Americas Test Kitchen Best Drop Biscuits Recipes

BEST EVER DROP BISCUITS (SMALL BATCH)

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Combine buttermilk and 1/4 cup melted butter in medium bowl, stirring until butter forms small clumps.
• Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of bowl.
• Using greased 1/4-cup dry measure, scoop a scant amount of batter and drop onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining batter, spacing biscuits about 1 1/2 inches apart.
• Bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, 8 - 12 minutes. They can be made up ahead of time and gently re-heated in a 300 oven for 10 minutes.
• Brush biscuit tops with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes before serving.
• Test if baking powder is fresh: Mix 2 teaspoons of the baking powder into a cup of water. If there is an immediate reaction of foaming and fizzing, the baking powder is okay to use. If the reaction is at all delayed or weak, throw it away and buy a fresh can.

TEST KITCHEN'S FAVORITE BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda for 30 seconds. Toss butter into dry mixture to evenly coat, then press between your fingers to create flower-petal shapes and return to bowl.
• Slowly drizzle buttermilk over flour-butter mixture (to evenly distribute) while stirring with a fork. Stop stirring when dough begins to form but mixture is still crumbly. Transfer to center of a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gather dough with your hands, pressing firmly to bind, and flatten it into a 6-by-10-inch rectangle. Lift parchment along a short end of dough and fold in half, forming a 6-by-5-inch rectangle. Turn dough 90 degrees; gently reflatten to 6 by 10 inches. Fold in half again and flatten slightly into a 6-inch square.
• To keep things easy, form the dough on the same tray it's baked on. Cut it into thirds in both directions with a large, sharp knife, to form 9 biscuits. Brush tops with buttermilk. Bake until puffed, golden brown on top, and hollow-sounding when tapped on bottom, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a kitchen towel-lined basket; cover to keep warm. Serve with butter and jam.

AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN BEST DROP BISCUITS

Steps:

• 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Combine buttermilk and 8 tablespoons melted butter in medium bowl, stirring until butter forms small clumps (see photo below). 2. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of bowl. Using greased 1/4-cup dry measure, scoop level amount of batter and drop onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet (biscuits should measure about 2 1/4 inches in diameter and 1 1/4 inches high). Repeat with remaining batter, spacing biscuits about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, 12 to 14 minutes. 3. Brush biscuit tops with remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes before serving.

HEAVY CREAM BISCUITS

Steps:

• Position oven rack in the upper-middle position; preheat to 450°; line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a big bowl.
• Stir in the cream with a wooden spoon until a dough forms, about 30 seconds.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball.
• Knead the dough briefly until smooth, about 30 seconds.
• Pat the dough into an 8-inch round, about 3/4-inch thick.
• Using a flour 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter, stamp out (don't twist) 8 biscuits, gently patting the dough scraps back into a uniform 3/4-inch thick piece as needed.
• Arrange the biscuits, upside down, on the prepared baking sheet, spaced about 1 1/2 inches apart.
• Bake until lightly browned, about 15-17 minutes, rotating halfway through baking.
• Transfer to a wire rack; let cool for 5 minutes, then serve warm.
• Make ahead--the cut, unbaked biscuits can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 hours; bake as directed.
• They can be frozen for up to 1 month; cover and freeze the biscuits until frozen solid, about 6 hours, then transfer to a large zip-lock bag.
• Bake the frozen biscuits (do not thaw) as directed, increasing the baking time to 20-25 minutes.