Definition

Noun: A small, soft bread product that rises during baking due to the chemical leavening agent baking powder, rather than yeast. It is typically made from a dough of flour, fat (like butter or shortening), milk or buttermilk, and baking powder, then cut into shapes and baked until golden.

Usage and Examples

• Noun: A baking-powder biscuit is a quick bread, meaning it does not require time to rise before baking.
  • For breakfast, she served warm baking-powder biscuits with gravy.
  • The key to a fluffy baking-powder biscuit is not to overwork the dough.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in recipes and culinary contexts to distinguish this type of quick, chemically-leavened biscuit from other varieties, such as yeast rolls or scones (which may contain other leavening agents like cream of tartar and baking soda).

Variants and Related Words

• Biscuit (U.S. English): In American English, "biscuit" alone commonly refers to a baking-powder biscuit. In British English, "biscuit" refers to a crisp, sweet cookie.
• Buttermilk Biscuit: A common and popular type of baking-powder biscuit made with buttermilk, which reacts with the baking powder for extra lift and a tangy flavor.
• Drop Biscuit: A variation where the dough is softer and dropped onto the baking sheet with a spoon instead of being rolled and cut.

Synonyms

• Quick bread (a broader category)
• Scone (similar, though often sweeter and containing eggs or cream)

Notes on Different Meanings

• This is a specific compound noun. The word biscuit alone has different primary meanings in different dialects of English, as noted in the variants section. "Baking-powder biscuit" specifies the American-style soft bread.

Noun

1. leavened with baking powder