Cathead Biscuits

Cathead Biscuits

from marthastewart.com
Bread
35 min

These cathead biscuits are big and delicious. They’re made with just five ingredients, including buttermilk and southern all-purpose flour or cake flour.

Ingredients

  • 4 cupswhite lily or other southern all-purpose flour, or cake flour (not self-rising), plus more for rolling
  • 2 tablespoonsbaking powder
  • 2 teaspoonsfine sea salt
  • 8 tablespoons(½ cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes and chilled
  • 2 cupsbuttermilk

Directions

  1. 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. 2

    Combine dry ingredients; cut in butter: In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.

  3. 3

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

  4. 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.

  5. 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 (do not twist cutter).

  6. 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. 7

    Reroll scraps: Place scraps on top of one another in layeres, then roll out dough and cut out more rounds. Do not reroll more than once.

  8. 8

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