Simplicity can be a great goal. Achieving it has its own complexities. Weeding through intricate aspects to find the very basics is difficult. What to remove and what to keep? It is a dilemma faced with many as they seek balance in a complicated and busy life. Contemplating the effects of removing familiar and seemingly important pieces is stressful all by itself. Figuring out what is really important takes energy. You might as well sit, relax, and enjoy some sour cream drop biscuits in the process.
Biscuits are a basic southern quick bread. The variations are vast with many methods, types, flavors, and textures. They can almost be considered an art form in the food world. There are secrets to making them certain ways such as light or dense, flaky or fluffy, and plain or flavored. Flour plays a big part in their texture. Bleached all-purpose flour is the secret to light and fluffy biscuits. Not over working the dough is another secret. Mix until just moistened then bake right away.
Homemade biscuits are not difficult to make. I learned how from my mother-in-law. Peel, pop, and bake was all I knew growing up. You know those ones in the refrigerated section? That was how my parents made biscuits. I never popped a can of biscuits again after learning how to make them from scratch. The recipe from my mom-in-law is for a shaped biscuit and one day I'll get the measurements exacted and post that recipe. Until then, sour cream drop biscuits are easier. Measure, whisk, stir, drop, and bake are all it takes to make them.
Keeping it simple is a way to start the New Year. The Twelve Loaves bakers have come together to share recipes that are easy to make or have the simplest ingredients. We are excited to kick off another year of bread baking challenges and I can't wait to see them each month. Here are the recipes for the January challenge:
- Broiled White Free-Form Loaf by Lora at Cake Duchess
- Buttermilk Honey Bread by Renee at Kudos Kitchen by Renee
- Country Boule with Spelt and Sourdough by Karen at Karen's Kitchen Stories
- Crumpets by Felice at All That's Left Are The Crumbs
- No Knead Bread from Holly at A Baker's House
- No-Knead Christmas Pudding Cinnamon Rolls by Stacy at Food Lust People Love
- Pumpkin Bread by Alice at Hip Foodie Mom
- Soda Bread by Rossella at Ma che ti sei mangiato
- Sour Cream Drop Biscuits by Renee at Magnolia Days
- Sweet Potato Fry Bread by Anne at From My Sweet Heart
- Victorian Milk Bread by Deepti at Bakingyummies
- Whole Wheat and Molasses Quick Bread by Liz at That Skinny Chick Can Bake
How are you starting the New Year? Is simplicity one of your goals? Best wishes to you and I hope you have good health, prosperity, and much love this year.
Sour Cream Drop Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup shortening
- ⅔ cup milk whole recommended
- ⅔ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Add shortening and use a fork or pastry blender to cut shortening into flour until mixuture is crumbly.
- Whisk together milk and sour cream in a small bowl until smooth.
- Add wet ingredients to flour mixture and stir until just moistened.
- Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls at least 1 inch apart onto cookie sheet for 12 biscuits.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.
Notes
Recipe adapted from one in the Pillsbury The Complete Book of Baking cookbook published in 1993 (currently out of print).
#TwelveLoaves January - Keep it Simple! We enjoyed a delicious month of December with our Holiday Breads. January #TwelveLoaves is here and we are going to Keep it Simple! Choose a recipe that is not overly complicated, whether in technique or ingredients. Share your January Simple Bread (yeast or quick bread). Let's get baking!
Want to add your bread to the collection with the Linky tool this month? Here's what you need to do!
- When you post your Twelve Loaves bread on your blog, make sure that you mention the Twelve Loaves challenge in your blog post; this helps us to get more members as well as share everyone's posts. Please make sure that your bread is inspired by the theme!
- Please link your post to the linky tool at the bottom of my blog. It must be bread baked to the Twelve Loaves theme.
- Have your Twelve Loaves bread that you baked this January, 2014, and posted on your blog by January 31, 2014.
#TwelveLoaves is a monthly bread baking party. It was created by Lora from Cake Duchess and runs so smoothly thanks to the help of the lovely Paula from Vintage Kitchen Notes and Renee from Magnolia Days.
I love the idea of adding sour cream to biscuits! These would be a perfect addition to any winter dinner...I think we'll need a lot of comfort food if this cold and snowy weather continues! Thanks for your continued support and friendship, Renee. Wishing you a very joyous 2014!
Yes, we do need lots of comfort food with this crazy cold weather. I wish you a joyous 2014 too Liz.
Renee,
love these biscuits! I need a quick biscuit recipe! We also grew up on the "pop and open" biscuits! 🙂 can you taste the sour cream in the biscuits or does this just help with the texture of the bread? can't wait to try this! Happy New Year!
You can't taste the sour cream in the biscuits (or at least my husband or I couldn't taste it). It just helps with the texture.
I grew up with those "pop the can" biscuits too, but no longer. Your drop biscuits look mouthwatering and seem like a blink to whip together. I just love the fact that they have sour cream in them. I'm sure that gives them a nice tang and keeps them moist. Wonderful recipe, Renee!
Here's wishing you great things in 2014! Happy New Year!!
The sour cream doesn't really give much of a tang as would be expected. I didn't tell my husband they were made with sour cream and he didn't say a thing and he always picks up on the tang from sour cream or Greek yogurt.
I've to learn more on southern cuisine. This biscuits are really simply and yummi.
Happy New Year Renne.
And I have to learn more about other cuisines around the world too. Such a great adventure to take.
It is sometimes more difficult to stay simple...to get back to the basics. It took me longer than normal to decide what to bake for our simple January challenge. I love your very southern drop biscuits, Renee. So perfect for our theme. Happy New Year, sweet friend!
Thanks Lora and you are sweet as always. Best to you in the coming year and I can't wait to see what's ahead for Twelve Loaves.
We did both the pop and bake refrigerator biscuits and the rolled out biscuits when I was growing up so I am intrigued by the ease of your drop ones, Renee. They are perfect for Keep It Simple! I wish I had read this earlier this morning because I would totally have made them instead of pancakes for my houseful. Tomorrow!
Thanks Stacy and I hope you and your family has a terrific year ahead. I always enjoy the stories of your travels.
Oh my gosh I haven't made sour cream drop biscuits in years--I had forgotten how easy and good they are. These will be a part of NY's Day dinner tonight! Thanks for the memory and happy new year.
Thanks Lynn and I hope you have a most wonderful year ahead.
Renee, these look so tasty. I love the browned edges. I too have popped many a can of dinner rolls until I learned how to bake my own. How lovely to have a mother-in-law who taught you to make these. Have a wonderful 2014.
Thanks Karen. I haven't popped one of those cans in such a long time. Well, unless crescent rolls count. I can't seem to get away from them.
Oh Renee....these have to be the most perfect biscuits I've ever seen! They look so light and fluffy! I've yet to make biscuits (like you, I've grown up on the peel and pop variety). But these are definitely on my to do list this year. I always have the goal of simplifying my life. But not always as easy as it sounds! I hope you have a wonderful happy and healthy new year. And I look forward to more baking adventures together! (thanks for all you do for our baking groups...I always appreciate your willingness to help the confused...namely, ME!)
Thanks you so much Anne for your kind words. It's a pleasure to help others as I often need help too. We are all in this together and our combined efforts bring success to us all.
mmmm I think I'm due to whip up some amazing biscuits like these!
Thanks Kayle and I hope you have a fabulous and successful year!
I have been known to pop a can here, but I never grew up with it - mainly because they are not sold in Australia (even now). I think your biscuits look amazing and I am looking forward to trying them soon. My girls really like biscuits as an accompaniment to soup sometimes, and these look like they would be a hit.
Happy 2014!
Interesting about how they like biscuits with soup. For me soup calls for cornbread or sourdough bread.
Homemade biscuits were the single pregnancy craving I ever had. I love that it's super hard to screw up a drop biscuit! Yours look divine, definitely moved over to the to-do list for this week's dinner menu!
Thanks Risa! It is hard to mess up a drop biscuit. I like that there is no cutting or shaping. Just drop and bake.
Homemade biscuits somehow convey so much care and love to those who enjoy them. I've tried a few versions but not one with sour cream. Looking forward to making these, Renee. Have a wonderful start to 2014!
Thanks Holly and I hope you have a most wonderful year ahead.
How wonderful these biscuits look! I'm writing this on other's blogs as well...but seriously, I want to try one of those! Happy New Year!
Thanks and Happy New Year to you too Deepti!
Mmm. I may not be southern but I've always loved biscuits!
I often wonder how biscuits are in New York. The thing is I've never had them there because I'm always wanting good NY or northern food when I'm there.
Simplicity IS one of my goals for the year...how did you know?! Thank you for sharing a delightfully simple recipe to kick the year off!
You a very welcome Karli and I hope you have a wonderful year.
Simple is better most of the time. I miss drop biscuits! I will make these to take a trip down memory lane. My mom used to make them when we had biscuits for breakfast or dinner.
The biscuits in a can used to startle me, but that's how I made them once I was living on my own. Then I saw for myself how easy they are! Bye bye frightening can. 🙂
Yes, bye bye frightening can and hello biscuits and a trip down memory lane.
Oh, how I wish I had this recipe just a few days sooner! On Christmas Day, I realized the bread I was going to serve with dinner was SUPER stale. I was trying to find some sort of quick bread I could whip up with what I had on hand, but didn't have much luck. However, I did have all of these ingredients. Shoot! Oh well, bookmarking this now so I have it for the future. Thanks Renee!
Biscuits are something I whip up when I need bread fast (well, cornbread too). I hope you give these a try soon.
These took me right back to my childhood and my great grandmother's recipe for drop scones! I hadn't thought about them in years. The addition of sour cream sounds much better than the original, they probably have a flaky feeling to them. Just the recipe I needed Renee!
Drop scones? Oh I hope you do share that recipe.
These look so wonderful and I LOVE that green butter dish!!
When I saw that little green butter dish in the store I had to have it. It's so cute.