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Cathead Biscuits

Source of Recipe

From "Biscuit Bliss" by James Villas


Recipe Introduction

"Since I've eaten cathead biscuits in both the Midwest and the South (where they're also called scratch biscuits in some areas), I have no idea where and how the clever name originated. One theory holds that the biscuits are as big as a cat's head; another that the irregular tops formed by hand resemble fur; and still another that the craggy ridges look like a cat's ears. Whatever the quaint explanation, real catheads must be made and shaped by hand (and never cut evenly with a biscuit cutter), the flour-and-lard mixture should be more crumbly than mealy, and the biscuits must be baked in heavy cast-iron skillets."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 3 cups all-purpose flour
â—¦ 4 teaspoons baking powder
â—¦ ½ teaspoon baking soda
â—¦ 1 teaspoon salt
â—¦ 1 cup chilled lard, cut into pieces
â—¦ 1 cup buttermilk


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 425° F. Grease two large cast-iron skillets and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the lard and cut it in with a pastry cutter or rub with your fingertips till 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 till golden brown, about 17 minutes.

Makes about 1 ½ dozen biscuits







"When I think about my grandmother, I always remember arriving at her home and going to the food chest and getting a cathead biscuit. Her biscuits were good even cold. When we were lucky enough to be there when they came out of the oven, we broke them open and spread fresh churned butter on each side with homemade peach or fig preserves or cane or sorghum."

— Tim Patridge, Atlanta chef, teacher, and food writer