From Cook's Country
Cat Head Biscuits
From Cook's Country
April?/May 2010
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
When we spied “Cat Head Biscuits" on a highway billboard near Greensboro, N.C., we did an immediate double take (not to mention a U-turn) to see what exactly they were. Aside from an unfortunate name, the biscuits themselves were tender and moist, with a golden brown, craggy exterior—well worth reproducing back in the test kitchen.
We discovered that traditional cat heat biscuit recipes were made with lard, but most modern recipes use shortening instead. We found shortening alone to be too artificial tasting, so we replaced most of the shortening with butter. To create a more tender biscuit, we used an equal mix of cake flour and all-purpose. Most cat head biscuits recipes called for cold fat, which was “cut" into the dry ingredients to promote a flaky texture. Because we were after a fluffy texture, softened butter and shortening worked in with warm hands worked much better.
Serves 6
Total time:
If you don't have buttermilk on hand, make clabbered milk by whisking 1 tablespoon lemon juice into 1 1/4 cups milk and letting it stand until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. The recipe will also work with 3 cups White Lily flour in place of both the all-purpose and cake flours.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2cups cake flour
1tablespoon baking powder
1/2teaspoon baking soda
1teaspoon salt
8tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and softened
4tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/4cups buttermilk (see note)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. MIX DOUGH Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 9-inch cake pan. Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Rub butter and shortening into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in buttermilk until combined.
2. PORTION BISCUITS Following the instructions at left, use greased 1/2-cup measure or large spring-loaded ice cream scoop to transfer 6 heaping portions of dough into prepared pan, placing 5 around pan's perimeter and 1 in center.
3. BAKE BISCUITS Bake until puffed and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Serve. (Biscuits can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for 2 days.)
FORMING CAT HEAD BISCUITS
Many biscuits are kneaded, rolled, stamped out, and then baked on sheet pans. For Cat Head Biscuits, we instead scoop the sticky, shaggy dough and nestle the biscuits in a cake pan. (A spring-loaded ice cream scoop does the job neatly and quickly.) All snuggled together, they're forced to grow up, rather than out, and the sides stay soft and white.
FLOUR MIXOLOGY
Southern bakers swear by White Lily all-purpose flour. They say makes biscuits soft and downy, exactly the texture we sought for our Cat Head Biscuits. But what if you don't live in the South and can't easily get your hands on a bag? We found we could replicate it by combining equal amounts of ordinary all-purpose flour (made from a mix of high- and low-gluten wheats) and cake flour (a soft-fine-textured flour).
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Serving Size: 1 Serving (173g) | ||
Recipe Makes: 6 Servings | ||
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Calories: 435 | ||
Calories from Fat: 277 (64%) | ||
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Amt Per Serving | % DV | |
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Total Fat 30.8g | 41 % | |
Saturated Fat 9.5g | 47 % | |
Monounsaturated Fat 12.1g | ||
Polyunsanturated Fat 6.8g | ||
Cholesterol 283.1mg | 87 % | |
Sodium 277.9mg | 10 % | |
Potassium 201.3mg | 5 % | |
Total Carbohydrate 27.1g | 8 % | |
Dietary Fiber 0.8g | 3 % | |
Sugars, other 26.2g | ||
Protein 12.9g | 18 % | |
Powered by: USDA Nutrition Database Disclaimer: Nutrition facts are derived from linked ingredients (shown at left in colored bullets) and may or may not be complete. Always consult a licensed nutritionist or doctor if you have a nutrition-related medical condition. |
Calories per serving: 435
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