There’s nothing like fresh bread with dinner, but I don’t know anyone who has time to make a fresh yeast rolls every night. So for the nights when you’re short on time, these Rosemary Pepper Drop Biscuits have you covered. They’re the easiest of easy dinner side dish because there’s no kneading, shaping, or cutting. Just mix, drop, and bake!
What is a Drop Biscuit?
Drop biscuits are a really simple type of quickbread with a free-form dough that is just dropped by the spoonful onto a baking sheet rather than being rolled and cut like a traditional biscuit. They have a wonderfully rustic shape that creates tons of nooks and crannies in the top, perfect for brushing with butter.
What to Serve with Drop Biscuits
I like to serve these Rosemary Pepper Drop Biscuits with any type of soup, stew, or chili, but they’re also amazing with a little slather of butter and a drizzle of honey! That honey-pepper-rosemary combo is TO DIE FOR. Try them with my Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup or Chicken Stew!
Rosemary Pepper Drop Biscuits
Servings 8Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour ($0.21)
- 2 tsp baking powder ($0.08)
- 3/4 tsp salt ($0.03)
- 1 tsp dried rosemary ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper ($0.03)
- 1 tsp sugar ($0.02)
- 8 Tbsp cold butter (salted) ($0.88)
- 1 cup milk ($0.33)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Roughly chop or crush the rosemary to prevent large, sharp pieces. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, rosemary, pepper, sugar) until well combined.
- Take the butter out of the refrigerator just prior to using it. Slice the butter into pieces, then add them to the dry ingredients. Work the butter into the flour mixture until no large pieces remain and it looks a little like damp sand. I use my hands for this, but you can also use a pastry cutter.
- Starting with 3/4 cup, add just enough milk to moisten the mixture into a thick, slightly sticky dough (see photos below). There should be no dry flour left on the bottom of the bowl, but the dough should not be so wet that it appears glossy. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and scoop 8 dollops of the biscuit dough onto the paper (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup each).
- Bake the biscuits in the fully preheated 400ºF oven for 18-22 minutes or until they are golden brown on the edges. Serve warm.
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Love Drop Biscuits? Try our Cheddar Drop Biscuits or Ranch Drop Biscuits, too!
How to Make Rosemary Pepper Drop Biscuits – Step By Step Photos
Begin preheating the oven to 400ºF. Chop or crush 1 tsp dried rosemary, so there aren’t any large sharp pieces in your biscuits.
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp salt, the crushed rosemary, about 1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper, and 1 tsp sugar. Stir until these ingredients are well combined.
Cut 8 Tbsp of cold butter into chunks, then add them to the flour mixture. work the butter into the flour mixture (either using your hands or a pastry cutter) until no large pieces remain and the mixture looks a little like damp sand.
Starting with just 3/4 cup, add just enough milk to the flour mixture to make a slightly sticky dough (should be between 3/4 and 1 cup total).
There should be no dry flour left on the bottom of the bowl, but the dough should not be so wet that it looks glossy.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and drop dollops of the biscuit dough onto the baking sheet. Each dollop should be about 1/3 to 1/2 cup in volume.
Bake the Rosemary Pepper Drop Biscuits for 18-22 minutes, or until they are golden brown on the edges. Serve warm!
We love these!! I add a 1/2 tsp garlic powder and some shredded cheese (usually whatever kind I have to needs to be used up.) So good!
These were so easy and good! I used about a tablespoon of fresh rosemary from my garden. Thanks!
I’m a sloppy baker and I still managed not to mess these up. My dough did turn out glossy and wet before I used all the milk and I feared I had ruined them, but nope! Came out delicious.
If i was to add cheese to this do you think there would be one that would do better than another for the flavor combo? I was thinking of making these this weekend but wanted to put in cheddar or parmesan or something
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Thank you!
Made these this morning. Very easy and it was the first time I’ve made anything like this. Added a lil cheddar but I wasnt super confident with it. The biscuits were soft and a good size – they are already gone
I think they could handle quite a bit more cheese and be super yummy.
Oh possibly a white cheddar would be delicious.
Oooo I’ll get some this week and check in on the weekend to let you know how it goes!
Could you freeze these?
Yep, I do it all the time! :)
Do you freeze them before or after baking? And what is your baking/heating up method? Thanks! I’m preparing for baby and trying to get a freezer full
Hi Mara! I’d freeze them after baking. Having three kiddos of my own, you want the easiest option possible when pulling from the freezer. Reheat and eat is the way to go! Best of luck to you.
Pepper?? i love pepper…….
i doubled the pepper… (a little hot; maybe shouldn’t have done that) and
i used a cheese grater to cut the butter ( arthritis; can’t mix much) and loved how the grated butter cut in so well
with a pastry cutter after grating. Weighed the flour and much easier than cup measuring. Delicious! Hot with butter and orange marmalade but i suspect a peach preserve would be over the top! i give You a Gold Star for this one… and an extra bonus…. i’m the only one in the family that likes pepper. Best!motsfo
Just put 6 out of 8 in the oven! Whew, they are STICKY! I hope they turn out well so that I can eat one with my chunky lentil and vegetable soup :)
I’ve made these twice now and they are so delicious! I never know how long to mix the dough for, but they still come out great. Somehow mine end up a little smaller though. Both times the biscuits ended up more like 1/4-1/3cup sized instead of 1/3-1/2c. Still awesome though and still a good size.
Can’t wait to try these!!!
Ohhh. This would be great for me to make a big batch of the dry ingredients ahead of time and store for use throughout a week or two at dinner time. Just add butter and milk when ready to make them. I LOVE your site and recipes. Thank you!.
I’m making this recipe tonight and thinking about using buttermilk instead of milk. Thoughts? I imagine I’d adjust the baking powder to 1.5 tsp and add 0.5 tsp of baking soda.
I’d need to do some testing to know the best adjustment for the baking powder and soda, but one other thing to consider is that you might also need more buttermilk since buttermilk tends to be much thicker.
How did this turn out with buttermilk?
These. Were. DIVINE. And, since I do still struggle with yeast-based bread recipes, the ease of this recipe was a real morale booster. -:D I really enjoyed them with honey (as a dessert), but I also made a second batch on New Years morning — dividing the mix less (by 6 rather than 8), baking them a bit longer, cutting one in half, and starting the year off with a homemade breakfast sandwich. Worth the indulgence. -:)
These biscuits are better than my grandmother’s and she is a great baker! Thanks so much Beth!
Can I use almond milk instead of cow milk?
Unfortunately I haven’t tried this one with almond milk, so I’m not sure.
I’ve made these with plain unsweetened cashew milk and vegan butter and they turn out really well! They didn’t get as golden as I would like, but they taste great!
Would it work to make 12 biscuits? Or would they be too small?
Looks delicious!
They’d probably be pretty small, but you could always double the recipe and have a few extra! :)
Delicious and easy! Can you supply an equivalent measurement for the butter? I find it awkward to use tablespoons for cold butter. I guessed my way towards 4oz but wondered if that was too much….successful nevertheless!
Yep, 4 oz. is correct. :)