Step by step

Method

4 steps

1. 1

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter a baking dish (8–9 inch works). Toss 5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries with ½ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch until coated and the cornstarch vanishes. Spread in the dish.

2. 2

   Whisk 1 cup flour, remaining ¼ cup sugar, 1½ teaspoons baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cut in 6 tablespoons cold cubed butter until crumbly with pea-sized bits. Stir in ½ cup milk and ½ teaspoon vanilla to a thick drop-biscuit batter.

3. 3

   Drop spoonfuls of batter over the blueberries, leaving gaps for the fruit to bubble through. Bake 35–40 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the berries are bubbling hard at the edges.

4. 4

   Cool 15 minutes so the juices set from soup to jammy. Serve warm. You want juicy lemony blueberries under a tender golden biscuit top — not raw dough in the middle or a watery fruit pool.