Simple Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

Lately I have started to appreciate simplicity – in my cooking, baking, and photography.  When I am in the kitchen, I am drawn to recipes emphasizing a few quality ingredients. I’ve found that when I pick up my camera, I want to capture things as they are… If the light isn’t perfect, that’s OK. I want to capture the light I’ve got, even if it is a bit yellow and casting harsh shadows. I want to capture the moment when something comes out of the oven and not worry about arranging props and staging the perfect scene.

This shift to living a bit more simply has also extended beyond the kitchen. I find myself longing to keep the calendar a bit cleaner, taking time to simply enjoy time at home as a family. We rarely turn on the television, but find ourselves entertained for hours just listening to music and watching Madison dance and laugh. I feel as thought we’ve been accumulating less stuff (which is amazing since we have a baby at home), and just cherishing time and memories.

Overall, it’s a shift that I am welcoming with open arms.  I’m sure life will get busy again, and I will prepare my share of complicated dishes again. But, for now, I am enjoying the quiet and the simple.

Buttermilk Drop Biscuits
Makes about 8 large biscuits

• 2 1/4 cups self-rising flour
  (for light and fluffy biscuits, I like White Lily self-rising flour)
• Pinch Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cold
• 1 cup + 1 tablespoon buttermilk
  (if you make your own butter, you can use 1 cup fresh buttermilk whisked with 1 tablespoon plain yogurt)

Preheat the oven to 450°F.  Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line with parchment or a silicone liner, and set aside.

Place the self-rising flour in a mixing bowl and add a pinch of salt. Give the mixture a quick mix.

Cut the cold butter into small chunks and then use your fingertips to work the butter into the flour, leaving a few small lumps of butter.  The mixture will be a similar consistency to wet sand.

Add the buttermilk (or fresh buttermilk and yogurt mixture) and use a spatula to gently fold the buttermilk into the flour mixture.  The batter should be thick and a bit sticky.  Don’t over mix, stir just enough to moisten all of the flour.

Use a 1/4 cup scoop to drop biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet.  Bake for about 12 – 14 minutes, until the tops are golden. Enjoy warm.