Oatmeal biscuits
These biscuits, rendered more hearty and flavorful with toasted oats and black & white pepper, are dropped rather than rolled and cut out. So they’re super simple and quick to make! The slightly peppery taste goes well with coffee in the morning, and even with jam. Pepper makes everything better!!
Here’s the Beastie Boys with Biscuits and Butter
Scant 2 cups flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. white pepper
1/2 t. black pepper (or as much as you feel like grinding!)
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
1 1/3 cups buttermilk (or regular milk with a teaspoon of lemon juice in it, which is what I always use!)
Toast the oats in a small dry saucepan. Then process them so they’re crumb-sized.
Mix the flour, bp, bs, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Cut in the butter, and mix till it resembles crumbs. Don’t be afraid to use your hands!!
Stir in the buttermilk. Mix well. It should be quite thick, but thin enough that you can dollop it, if you know what I mean. You want it to be dollopable.
Drop little mounds of batter on the baking sheet. I use a Tablespoon, and probably do two or three heaping spoonfuls for each one. You can make them as large or small as you like, though. Just watch the baking time!
Cook in a preheated 450 degree oven for about 15 minutes (less if they’re smaller). They should just start to brown on top when they’re ready to be eaten.
Out of the Ordinary 
These biscuits are what we in the UK would call ‘scones’, right?
I’m not sure, TFD. Scones are usually rolled and cut, while drop scones, also known as Scotch pancakes, are not very like the above. I think we might best refer to the above as savoury biscuits. But there might be a better term.
“Biscuit” is one of those words that divides the US and UK.
But Claire’s recipe sounds very nice, whatever you call it!
Hello TFD and Zalamanda! I think they’re very similar, but I think British scones are denser and a bit heavier than American biscuits, which are quite light and fluffy. Perhaps the baking powder makes them that way? Biscuits are more commonly rolled and cut, too, but they’re still pretty light compared to a scone. I think, anyway…
I shall have to do some research next time I’m in the US – when (she boasted) I’ll be visiting New Orleans, which is in a whole other state!
I’ve just consulted two sources:
my husband (aka Sheddi), who has been to the US on business and – crucially! – eaten “biscuit”. He says biscuits are like a savoury scone.
my baking “bible” (a nearly free recipe book from Be-Ro, a flour company), becase I was thinking that scones necessarily have egg in them, and that didn’t tally with the idea I had of these biscuits. I (re)learnt that it is only really rich scones that contain egg. This includes the sort of scones that have fruit in them, and cheese scones. Plain scones (as what are liberally spread with jam and whipped/clotted cream in a cream tea) are apparently usually egg-free. I think I’ve made ’em with egg, though.