There is nothing quite like the smell of warm, buttery biscuits in the kitchen to bring back those childhood memories of the family’s kitchen. My family’s tried-and-true buttermilk drop biscuits are pure love, with a golden crunch, a fluffy center, and a buttery bite!
Grandma’s Fluffy Buttermlk Drop Biscuits
Growing up, my mom and grandma always seemed to have a magical way to make the house feel like a home-warmer, cozy, and just welcoming. Their secret? These biscuits. Whether they were serving a hearty beef stew or a huge family breakfast, these biscuits were always on the table, along with a few jars of homemade jelly.
No fancy equipment or expensive ingredients were used. Heck, they didn’t even have to roll or cut these. You simply stir, drop, and bake. From the time you start to the time you split apart that fluffy, butter biscuit, you’re looking at maybe 30 minutes. This is the kind of recipe that doesn’t just fill your stomach; it anchors your memories to the kitchen table with all those you shared a meal with.
TKW Family Love
Simple, easy, delicious! This recipe is a keeper!
Buttery Buttermilk Drop Biscuits Ingredients
Most of us have a family biscuit recipe. If memory serves me correctly, this recipe isn’t just from one side of my family; it was merged from both sides of my parents’ families. Mom brought her Mom’s recipe, and my Grandma (my Dad’s Mom) brought hers, and they combined the two together to create a perfected recipe.
While the original recipes from both sides are similar, they differ in some ways. By combining their wisdom, I believe they created the perfect drop biscuit recipe that is now the only one I make.
- Dry Ingredients: AP flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, kosher salt
- Buttermilk
- Melted Unsalted Butter
Chef Lori’s #1 Tip for The Perfect Drop Biscuit
- When you combine your wet and dry ingredients, stir with a wooden spoon or spatula just until the flour disappears. The dough should look lumpy or maybe a little bit “shaggy”. If you over-mix it trying to make it smooth, you’ll develop gluten, which turns a fluffy biscuit into a hockey puck.
How to Make The Fluffiest Drop Biscuits
I seriously couldn’t even begin to count the thousands of these my Mom & Grandma made while I was growing up. All I know is, when I close my eyes and think back to these on the table, I can still smell that buttery dough wafting through the air. I can hear the clank of the knife against the butter dish, then the spoon hitting the inside of the jelly jar.
Many nights I can remember this being even a dessert for us, topped with fresh strawberries, cold vanilla ice cream melting against the hot, fluffy biscuit, and a drizzle of honey over top/
- Preheat the oven and line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and lightly spray; set aside
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt; set aside.
- In a separate bowl, add the cold buttermilk to the 1/2 cup of cooled butter and mix. The mixture will clump and create lumps of butter; this is perfect.
- To the dry ingredients, add the liquid mixture and, with a wooden spoon or spatula, mix until just combined, with no flour remaining. It should be lumpy and evenly slightly shaggy.
- Lightly spray an extra large cookie scoop (1/3 cup) and scoop out the biscuit dough. Plop it onto the prepared sheet pan, leaving a couple of inches apart.
- Brush the biscuits with 1 1/2 Tablespoons of the additional melted butter that’s used for brushing. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 200°F.
- Remove the biscuits from the oven and immediately brush them with the remaining melted butter.
Fluffy Buttermilk Drop Biscuits FAQs
- Can I use a buttermilk substitute? Yes, you can use 1 cup whole milk, minus 1 tablespoon and adding 1 tablespoon white vinegar, but I’ll be honest: actual buttermilk gives this a more tender, more flavorful crumb.
- Why are my biscuits flat? Usually, this happens when your leavening agents (baking powder and baking soda) have expired, or when you overmixed the dough. You only want to mix the flour just until it disappears to keep them light and fluffy.
- Can I freeze the dough? Absolutely! Just scoop onto a prepared baking tray and then “flash freeze” them for 1-2 hours or until solid. Then transfer them to a freeze-safe bag. Bake directly from frozen, but add another 2-5 minutes to the baking time.
- How do I get that “Grandma’s House” golden top? It’s a 2-fold secret. Brush the biscuits with melted butter before you pop them into the oven, and then, as soon as you pull them out, brush them again.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Forget the rolling pin and the flour-covered counters; these biscuits are designed for one-bowl, minimum-effort baking. This isn’t just another recipe; it’s a piece of my home that works even on your busiest weeknight or early Sunday morning.
- NO ROLLING OR CUTTING: Since these are “drop” biscuits, you simply just scoop the dough and plop.
- THE GOLDEN CRUST: By basting them not once but twice in melted butter, you’ll get an almost crunchy golden brown exterior while the inside remains light and fluffy.
- PANTRY STAPLES: You likely already have every single ingredient in your kitchen now.
- TRULY VERSATILE: They pair just as well with sausage gravy at 8 am as they do with a bowl of beef stew at 6 pm.
- FOOLPROOF TEXTURE: Even if you aren’t a “baker”, the buttermilk ensures a tender, tangy crumb that is practically impossible to mess up.
How to Reheat Drop Biscuits
- Oven: To keep that crispy exterior, reheat them in a 350°F (176°C) oven for about 5 minutes or just until warmed through.
What to Serve With Mom’s Buttermilk Biscuits
These biscuits are versatile enough to follow you from your first cup of coffee to your dessert fix after a comforting dinner. Whether you’re looking for a hearty meal or a light snack, this biscuit is always the perfect choice!
- Serve as a companion to Mom’s Sunday Pot Roast
- Slather it with butter and the most amazing strawberry black pepper balsamic jam
- Top it with some fresh strawberry compote, vanilla bean ice cream, and chocolate shavings
- It pairs perfect for sausage gravy or to serve as a side with bacon-wrapped hash browns
Here’s what I used:
Recommended Products
TKW Family Love
Girl these are how I remember Moms & Grandmas. Fluffy crunchy buttery with their homemade elderberry jelly/jam 🩵 My sweet Vianna (Nanny) makes really good drop biscuits to from scratch 🩵😉
The Best Buttermilk Drop Biscuits
There is nothing quite like the smell of warm, buttery biscuits in the kitchen to bring back those childhood memories of Mom’s kitchen. My family’s tried-and-true buttermilk drop biscuits are pure love, with a golden crunch, a fluffy center, and a buttery bite!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 biscuits
- Category: Bread, Breakfast
- Method: oven
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 grams) all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons, 113 grams) unsalted butter, melted then slightly cooled
- 1 cup very cold buttermilk
- 3 Tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter, melted (for brushing)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and lightly spray; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt; set aside.
- In a separate bowl, add the cold buttermilk to the 1/2 cup of cooled butter and mix. The mixture will clump and create lumps of butter; this is perfect.
- To the dry ingredients, add the liquid mixture and, with a wooden spoon or spatula, mix until just combined, with no flour remaining. It should be lumpy and evenly slightly shaggy.
- Lightly spray an extra large cookie scoop (1/3 cup) and scoop out the biscuit dough. Plop it onto the prepared sheet pan, leaving a couple of inches apart.
- Brush the biscuits with 1 1/2 Tablespoons of the additional melted butter that’s used for brushing. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 200°F.
- Remove the biscuits from the oven and immediately brush them with the remaining melted butter.
Leave a Reply