- by Jim Villas
For the right crispy texture, do not substitute butter or margarine for the lard in these biscuits, and serve them with plenty of butter and homemade fruit preserves, molasses, or sorghum syrup.
According to recipe author Jim Villas, cathead biscuits must be shaped by hand, not cut evenly with a biscuit cutter. The dough will be more crumbly than mealy, the texture of the biscuits should be slightly crunchy on the outside, and they should be baked only in a cast iron skillet.
Level
Beginner
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
18 minutes
Serves
12-16
Cook it With Our
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease two 12-inch cast iron skillets and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together. Add the lard and cut it in with a pastry cutter or rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture is just crumbly. Gradually stir in just enough buttermilk to form a soft ball of dough.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, knead about 8 times, then shape by hand into biscuits about 3 ½ inches across and 1 inch high.
- Arrange the biscuits fairly close together in the prepared skillets and bake in the upper third of the oven until golden brown and craggy on the outsides, about 17 minutes.
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