On the Menu: Emergency Biscuits

This post could have a few alternative titles:

The Care and Keeping of Butter

Recipes That Aren't Really Recipes

and

So Easy, I Can Do It

But, other snarky titles aside, I made these aptly named emergency biscuits in an emergency "been watching too many seasons of The British Baking Show and therefore must bake something but have no ingredients or skills for any frangipane tarts!" fever. The emergency, or drop, biscuit, is basically made of butter, flour and milk. It's easy to make for breakfasts when you're hosting guests, when you're not ready to spend $40 on a Portland brunch but want to consume as many calories from bread products, or you've been inspired by a cooking show.

Read on for the easy-peasy and delicious recipe!

You'll need:

1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter, cut into 1/4" pieces and kept cold

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tsps baking powder

1 tsp salt if your butter is unsalted

3/4 cups milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a baking sheet with butter. Whisk together your dry ingredients. Toss 1/4" pieces of cold butter into dry ingredient mixture, and either use a pastry cutter or your hands to work the butter into a "coarse meal" (I usually go for pea size pieces of butter or smaller in a chunky mix). Add milk and stir up with a fork quickly (the fork reduces the gluten formation and leaves the biscuit soft and tender). The dough should be sticky when done. Drop 1/4 cup of dough and mound into balls on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack immediately after removing from oven and serve warm.

Enjoy with condiments like jam or jelly! I love a passion fruit or raspberry jam with mine, but prosciutto and gouda would be a great savory option as well!