Savory Biscuit Template and Simple High-Reward Recipes

Many people assume I cook as much as I bake, but in truth my time spent baking usually reduces the time I spend cooking. As I’ve devoted more free hours to baking, my weekday dinners often became simple and quick affairs.

When I commuted to an office—up until a few months ago—I seldom had the energy for elaborate meals. Most nights I’d assemble something minimal, like sliced bread and cheese. On the occasions I did cook, I relied on straightforward comfort-food recipes that required little prep and minimal cleanup while delivering big flavor.

Now that I work from home and spend more time alone, I cook more often, but my approach remains the same: low effort, high reward. The best recipes are those that feel greater than the sum of their parts—simple ingredients transformed into something unexpectedly delicious. Even though my cookbook collection is large, a handful of recipes are my go-tos.

Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen is a maestro of this genre; several of my staples come from her site, including Quick Pasta and Chickpeas, One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes, and Mushrooms and Greens with Toast. David Lebowitz’s French Lentil Salad with Goat Cheese and Walnuts is another favorite—it’s far more exciting than a typical lentil salad. For a bright, sweet-savory contrast, Nigella Lawson’s Watermelon, Feta, and Black Olive salad remains one of my all-time favorites.

One standout that consistently amazes me is Cynthia Chen McTernan’s Ginger-Scallion Chicken and Dumplings from A Common Table. With only six ingredients and a couple hours from start to finish, it delivers surprisingly rich, layered flavors.

Low-effort, high-reward baking exists too. For breakfast I’ve been enchanted by Dutch babies (oven pancakes), and regular pancakes are an enduring simple joy—sourdough discard pancakes have been a recent favorite.

My breakfast habits cycle through phases: months of oatmeal, stretches of egg sandwiches, or long runs of one particular bake. Lately I’ve been craving savory biscuits—quick to mix and fast to bake. For a while I riffed on Bon Appetit’s Sour Cream and Onion Biscuits, but more recently Cynthia Chen McTernan’s Cheddar and Scallion Biscuits (adjusted to what I have on hand) have become my default.

The recipe is wonderfully adaptable. I’ve swapped ramps or garlic scallions for regular scallions, omitted alliums altogether, used gruyère in place of cheddar, and added chopped sage. For liquids I’ve used buttermilk, a milk-and-yogurt mixture, leftover whey from an attempted ricotta, and even a bit of sourdough starter mixed with milk.

When butter is frozen in the freezer I grate it as the recipe suggests; otherwise I cut it in with a pastry blender or rub it in with my fingers. I usually cut rounds with a biscuit cutter, but if I don’t want to re-roll scraps I’ll cut squares or triangles instead.

This choose-your-own-adventure method won’t produce identical biscuits every time—some batches are flakier, others cakier; some richer, some leaner. You’ll discover which variations you prefer. Regardless, when you wake craving a savory biscuit, most versions will satisfy.

Below is a flexible savory biscuit template adapted from A Common Table by Cynthia Chen McTernan. It outlines several methods for incorporating butter and suggests ingredient substitutions so you can tailor the biscuits to what’s available in your kitchen.