I have several different types of cornmeal in my pantry. Finely ground, coarse ground, medium ground. I love them all. My go-to cornmeal recipe is mamaliga which is a cornmeal porridge that is very common in Romania. If you’ve had polenta then you know what I am talking about.
I’ll eventually post my mamaliga recipe one day but for now I am sharing these cornmeal biscuits! Buttery, airy, and a delightful toothsome texture from the cornmeal. I love these on the side of a wholesome stew in the wintertime.
I first encountered these biscuits through Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen, she in turn got it from Land o Lakes. Oi vey! The never ending source rabbit holes of internet cooking! The only thing I changed was to up the amount of cornmeal in the recipe because come on people, these are CORNMEAL biscuits okay! Second I also add a sprinkling of cornmeal on the bottom of the pan before placing the biscuits (I was inspired by pizza places) and on the top for a bit more crunch. YUM.
I upped the cornmeal from 2/3 cup to 3/4 cup. That combined with the extra sprinkled on the bottoms and tops makes for one delightful cornmeal biscuit.
Also, these are drop biscuits meaning while your main meal is simmering away you can easily stir these up, plop em on a tray, and have fresh biscuits as a side for dinner! I like to measure them with a cookie scoop. My scoop is about 1 tablespoon and each biscuit gets 3 scoops to make for a decent sized biscuit. We don’t want like scrawny biscuits here!
I’ve made these for family and friends and they all really enjoy them. The only exception is my brother-in-law Terry but he isn’t a fan of American comfort food so you’ll just have to excuse his tastebuds. LOL.
I do hope you’ll try this recipe soon. It is simple and no-fuss. If you’ve never bought cornmeal before then I recommend the brand Bob’s Red Mill. They are an employee owned company and their products are truly spectacular!
Try these cornmeal drop biscuits with some of my other recipes!
Spicy Lentil Kale Stew (Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker). This has got to be my fave pairing for this biscuit. I ate this throughout the winter of 2020 while working for the Employment Development Department. Talk about STRESSFUL but knowing I had a savory stew and buttery biscuits for lunch got me through it!
Lighter Chicken Pot Pie Soup (Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker)
20 Minute Vegetarian Chickpea Minestrone Soup (Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker)
Cornmeal Drop Biscuits
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour (230 grams)
- 3/4 cup cornmeal (90-120 grams) Plus more for sprinkling, See Note 1
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon table salt I also add extra salt to the tops before baking
- 1/2 cup butter (115 grams) See Note 2
- 1 cup buttermilk See Note 3
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 450°. Line pan with parchment paper and sprinkle sheetpan with a bit of cornmeal.
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Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or similar tool until you get coarse crumbs. I use a large fork and/or my hands to do this.
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Add the buttermilk and stir until combined.
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Measure out 6-8 biscuits onto the pan. I use either a 1/4 measuring cup or a tablespoon scoop and do 3 scoops per biscuit. Sprinkle a bit more cornmeal, and salt, on the tops.
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Bake for 13-14 minutes. Biscuits are done when they've risen, spread out a bit, and developed some golden edges on top.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: I’ve given measurements in both grams and cups. The grams measurement will differ based on the size of the grain. Coarse cornmeal fills up a cup faster than fine cornmeal, etc. I like to use a blend of cornmeals for this such as fine and medium grind.
Note 2: I’ve run out of butter and used vegetable shortening in this recipe just fine. You lose out on the butter flavor but shortening gives you a fluffier and more tender biscuit.
Note 3: I rarely stock buttermilk in the fridge. I add 1 tbs white vinegar to a measuring glass then add milk until it reaches 1 full cup. Let it sit for a few minutes to “sour” then use it in lieu of buttermilk.