The 3-Ingredient Shortcut to the Flakiest, Most Buttery Drop Biscuits You'll Ever Eat

If you love warm, fresh bread with dinner but hate the mess of rolling out dough, these classic Southern-style drop biscuits are a lifesaver. Because you literally just drop the batter with a spoon and get those perfect, craggy peaks that turn beautifully golden and crunchy in the oven while keeping the inside melt-in-your-mouth soft.

Ingredients: 2 cups (about 250g) of all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar (optional), 10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks / 140g) of cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes, and ¾ to 1 cup of cold buttermilk (or regular milk).

To start, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar until well combined. Next, toss the cold, cubed butter into the flour mixture and, using a pastry cutter, a fork, or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces remaining. Work quickly so the heat from your hands doesn't melt the butter — or simply grate frozen butter directly into the flour using a box grater for an easy shortcut.

Gradually pour in your cold buttermilk, stirring gently with a fork or a silicone spatula just until the flour is moistened and a shaggy dough forms. Be careful not to overmix, or your biscuits will turn out dense and tough instead of light and flaky; if the dough seems too dry with loose flour at the bottom, just add an extra tablespoon of milk at a time.

Finally, use a large spoon or a cookie scoop to portion out 8 to 10 rough mounds of dough onto your prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between each one. Leave the tops messy and uneven to ensure maximum crispy ridges, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until beautifully golden brown, letting them cool on the sheet for just a few minutes before serving warm.