by Melanie Lorick

Easy Beer Biscuits

Name: Easy Beer Biscuits
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 5
Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour; 10 oz beer; 2 tbsp granulated sugar; 2 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (1/2 tbsp reserved to coat bottom of skillet); 4 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1 tbsp cornstarch; 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt; 1 tsp vegan butter (optional); pinch coarse sea salt (optional)

5 people

20 min

A unique biscuit that will have you coming back for (many) more, these easy beer biscuits are delicious and vegan-friendly with easily accessible ingredients. Did you know that many bakers will substitute cake flour for half the flour required in traditional biscuit recipes? That's a neat idea, but I almost never keep cake flour on hand (small kitchen and pantry). So, adding a bit of cornstarch helps give these a fluffy texture that is delightful.

Rather than getting height from layers of butter, these beer biscuits harness the power of beer - or, the yeast in beer - and it's reaction with just a bit of granulated sugar. The best part? This is a drop biscuit, so no need to roll and cut perfect edges. Just scoop, drop, bake, and sip on the leftover brew of your choice.

Want more tips and tricks for the perfect beer biscuits? Come join the fun at: https://inspiredepicurean.com/easy-beer-biscuits/.

See you there!

Hint: Don’t overmix the dough. Drop biscuits are best when their interior is tender, which can only work if you don’t overdevelop the gluten network. The dough should look springy, a little sticky, and contain air pockets…we really just want to avoid flour pockets.

Easy Beer Biscuits

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Recipe details

Yield 5 people
Time spent: Prep time: 5 Minutes Cook time: 15 Minutes Total time: 20 min

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% Daily value

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
10 oz beer
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (1/2 tbsp reserved to coat bottom of skillet)
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp vegan butter (optional)
pinch coarse sea salt (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Add 1/2 tbsp olive oil to evenly coat skillet bottom. Place cast iron skillet in oven to heat while preparing the rest of your ingredients.
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt). Add sugar.
Gently pour in the beer and add olive oil. Stir just until combined, with no large pockets of flour remaining.
Using pot holders, remove the cast iron skillet from the oven. With an ice cream scoop or spoon, scoop and drop the biscuit dough onto the skillet. Biscuit dough will expand slightly during baking, but the biscuits can easily be placed close together.
Bake for 13-15 minutes, until the dough has cracks on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to rest for a few minutes and brush with melted vegan butter, if desired. Sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container, up to 5 days at room temperature or 3 months in the freezer.

Tips

Substitutions:
Self-rising flour in place of all-purpose flour. If using self-rising flour, omit the baking powder and kosher salt.
A neutral-flavored oil of your choice in place of olive oil. Avocado oil, for example, makes a great substitute and has a higher smoke point than olive oil.
To make these biscuits your own, consider adding ingredients as accents. Herbs are a popular choice!
I have used 12 ounces of beer and the biscuits turned out well, so if you prefer not to have beer left over, you can add the remaining 2 ounces and just add a pinch more flour if the dough feels too sticky.

Comments

Naomie Moore aka baileyanddaisey, Castaic CA on Mar 28, 2021

What a great recipe! My first spring herbs are almost ready. With prepare as written and with fresh herbs.

2 Reply
- Melanie Lorick on Apr 18, 2021
  
  Thanks so much, Naomie! Spring herb season is one of my favorites... 😉 Please let me know what you think of them, including with your delicious herbs!!
  
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Cso51108026 on Mar 26, 2022

Hey, kiddo - you're overcomplicating this! 3 c self-rising flour (or flour with baking powder and salt added to make it self-rising!), and 12 oz (1 1/2 c.) beer. Add a pinch or salt or sugar if you like, but that is it. Add herbs, garlic/cheddar/bacon, mix it up with dried fruit and use sprite as the carbonated beverage and call it a dessert bread.

I make bread 2-3x/week, and this lovely dense recipe is fool-proof!!! 3 c. self-rising flour and 12 oz of your favorite carbonated beverage (INCLUDING selzer water, just to make "bread!" NOT club soda, selzer water). It is truly as simple as that! I never add sugar, and since the self-rising flour mixture already has salt, it's literally a 2-ingredient bread OR biscuit mix. Yes! Turn it into drop biscuits! Yes! Turn it into a skillet bread (be sure to cook all the way through!). But it is honestly foolproof!!! Go sweet or savory - and ENJOY!!! Hot from the oven, preferably with butter! But it also makes AMAZING French toast! :) Bake in a loaf pan for about an hour; I don't have toothpicks thick enough, so I use a strand of spaghetti, but when it comes out clean, it's done!

1 Reply
- Melanie Lorick on Mar 29, 2022
  
  Thank you for your comment and I'm glad to hear you're a fan of beer bread, too! Though bakers can absolutely simplify with self-rising flour, I only keep all-purpose on hand for a number of different reasons. I bet your recipe is delicious, and that's what I love about bread - it can take a number of different variations and still be wonderful! Of course, these ingredients have been adapted for this particular recipe to lend a certain taste and texture, but as with many bread recipes variations can be fun to try!
  
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