Cathead Biscuits

Directions

  1. Preheat oven and prepare baking sheet:

    Preheat oven to 500°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat. (You can also bake the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet.)

  2. Combine dry ingredients; cut in butter:

    In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.

  3. Add buttermilk:

    Pour in buttermilk and mix until just barely combined. It will be a shaggy mass.

    Food processor method: Pulse to combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add butter and pulse until it resembles coarse meal. Pour in buttermilk through feed tube and pulse until just barely combined.

  4. Knead dough:

    Turn shaggy mass out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead lightly, using the heel of your hand to compress and push dough away from you, then fold it back over itself. Give dough a small turn and repeat four or five times.

    You want to just barely activate the gluten, not overwork it.

  5. Cut out biscuits:

    Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out dough 1 inch thick. Using a 3 1/2-inch round cutter dipped in flour, cut out rounds.

    Be sure to press the cutter straight down without twisting so the biscuits will rise evenly when baked.

  6. Bake:

    Place biscuits on prepared sheet. (If biscuits are baked close together, sides will be tender. If biscuits are baked farther apart, sides will be crisp.)

  7. Reroll scraps:

    Reroll scraps once. (Do not simply roll them into a ball; this will create a knot of gluten strands. Instead, place the pieces one on top of the other in layers, then roll out dough and cut out more rounds.)

  8. Bake:

    Bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool just slightly. Serve warm.

    Cathead Biscuits
     

Storing

Cathead biscuits are best enjoyed on the day they are made. If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container and use them the following day.

Reheating Leftover Biscuits

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the biscuits on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and bake for 5 to 6 minutes.

Freezing

Cool the biscuits completely, then wrap biscuits in foil and place in a freezer bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to three months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do biscuits have to be made by hand?

Traditionally biscuits were mixed by hand but our cathead biscuits can be made using the food processor method outlined above.

Why are my biscuits flat and dense?

There are a number of reasons why your biscuits are flat and dense. Using the wrong flour, a flour with too much protein, is one. Overmixing the dough, which also promotes gluten, is another. Rerolling the dough more than once is another way of creating too much gluten and can also create tough biscuits.

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