Drop Biscuit
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the batter
Mix baking powder and salt into the flour.
Add lard and enough cold water to make a stiff batter.
Bake
Drop spoonfuls onto greased baking sheets or into gem pans.
Bake 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 sets the biscuit's crumb as it bakes.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas when heated, helping the biscuits rise and become light.
- Lard
- Adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and contributes to a flaky texture.
The step that matters
Add the water gradually to a stiff batter. Too much liquid develops gluten in the flour, making the biscuits tough and dense. A stiff batter keeps the texture tender and lets the biscuits hold their shape when dropped.
“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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