Cat Head Biscuits
You only need 5 ingredients to make these flaky pre-Civil War era buttermilk biscuits.
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These cat head biscuits give regular buttermilk biscuits a run for their money. They are buttery and flaky, with a delightful tenderness and the perfect amount of tang from the buttermilk.
“Cat head” biscuits are a pre-civil war area concept. The name comes from the size of the biscuits, which people said was as big as a cat’s head. I think they are more kitten head sized, but that doesn’t have the same ring to it. 🙂
You’ll need only 5 ingredients to make this recipe. Unlike my old-fashioned biscuits, the dough for these is folded a few times after being rolled out. This gives the finished biscuits these lovely layers that pull apart easily when you split the biscuit. Serve them with sausage gravy for a classic Southern breakfast, or slather them with butter and your favorite jam. There are endless ways to enjoy these golden beauties.
Some Tips for Perfect Cat Head Biscuits
Biscuits are a marvelously simple thing. That being said, there are some important tips and tricks to keep in mind if you want to get them right:
Keep the butter cold. Cold butter will release steam as it cooks, giving loft to the biscuits and making them flaky. So keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
Aim for pea-sized butter. When mixing the butter with the dry ingredients, do not let it break down into too-small pieces. The larger chunks of butter are largely responsible for the flaky texture you are aiming for.
Cold buttermilk. Keep the buttermilk in the refrigerator all the way up until adding it to the dough. This will help keep the temperature of the dough down and the butter from melting.
Don’t overwork the dough. When mixing the ingredients together, mix just until incorporated. No more. Otherwise, the gluten in the flour will overdevelop and leave you with tough biscuits.
Work quickly. When rolling the dough out, note that hands give off a lot of heat. Handle the dough as little as possible to avoid melting the butter.
Chill the dough. If you feel the dough has gotten too warm, pop it in the refrigerator before cutting and baking. It is important that the biscuits start their journey in the oven as cold as possible.
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