Drop Biscuit
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare the dough
Mix baking powder and salt into the flour.
Cut in the lard until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add milk gradually until a soft dough forms.
Bake
Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a baking sheet.
Bake at 400°F (200°C) until golden brown.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the biscuits together as they bake.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas when heated, helping the biscuits rise and become light.
- Lard
- Coats flour particles when cut in, creating a tender, flaky texture.
The step that matters
Cut in the lard until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Fat left in small, distinct pieces melts during baking and creates layers and flakiness. If the lard is overworked into the flour, the texture becomes dense and tough.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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