Butter and Lard Biscuits
By Lawman JohnsonPublished on December 16, 2021
Time
40 minutes, plus 50 minutes freezing and chilling
Yield
Serves 9
Ingredients
Before You Begin
We developed this recipe using John Morrell Snow Cap Lard. If you have leftover buttermilk, it can be frozen in ice cube trays, transferred to zipper-lock bags, and frozen for up to a month. Upon thawing, the whey and the milk solids will separate; simply whisk the buttermilk back together before using it.
Instructions
- Cut lard and butter into ½-inch pieces and freeze until firm, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Process flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in food processor until combined, about 3 seconds. Scatter frozen lard and butter over top and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with visible pea-size pieces, about 14 pulses.
- Transfer flour mixture to large bowl. Stir in buttermilk until very shaggy dough forms and some bits of dry flour remain. (Do not overmix.) Turn out dough onto lightly floured counter and knead briefly until dough comes together, 4 to 6 turns. Using your floured hands and bench scraper, shape dough into 8-inch square, about 1½ inches thick. (Dough may be sticky; reflour your hands as needed.)
- Using sharp, floured chef's knife, trim ¼ inch of dough from each side of square and discard. Cut remaining dough into 9 squares (2 cuts by 2 cuts), flouring knife after each cut. Arrange biscuits at least 1 inch apart on prepared sheet. Cover sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.
- Bake until biscuits begin to rise, about 5 minutes. Rotate sheet and reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Bake until biscuits are golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer sheet to wire rack and let biscuits cool for at least 5 minutes. Serve warm.
Time
40 minutes, plus 50 minutes freezing and chillingYield
Serves 9Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
A combination of lard and butter produced flaky, tender, mouthwatering biscuits. We started by processing the dry ingredients separately in a food processor to ensure that they were thoroughly combined. We then added chilled pieces of fat (lard and butter) to the processor and cut them small enough to distribute evenly throughout the mixing and shaping process. Buttermilk hydrated the mixture, turning it into a proper dough while adding a slight tang. Kneading was a necessary first step to activate the gluten in the flour and make the dough more cohesive. We started the biscuits in a 450-degree oven and then lowered the temperature. While baking, the butter (which contains water) melted, and steam filled the small spaces left behind, creating flaky layers. The melted lard (which doesn't contain water), on the other hand, aided with tenderness and flavor. Rolling the dough into a square and trimming ¼ inch off the edges ensured that the biscuits rose unimpeded in the oven. Cutting the dough into nine squares made even-size biscuits and avoided any wasted scraps (or tough rerolls).
Before You Begin
We developed this recipe using John Morrell Snow Cap Lard. If you have leftover buttermilk, it can be frozen in ice cube trays, transferred to zipper-lock bags, and frozen for up to a month. Upon thawing, the whey and the milk solids will separate; simply whisk the buttermilk back together before using it.
Instructions
- Cut lard and butter into ½-inch pieces and freeze until firm, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Process flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in food processor until combined, about 3 seconds. Scatter frozen lard and butter over top and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with visible pea-size pieces, about 14 pulses.
- Transfer flour mixture to large bowl. Stir in buttermilk until very shaggy dough forms and some bits of dry flour remain. (Do not overmix.) Turn out dough onto lightly floured counter and knead briefly until dough comes together, 4 to 6 turns. Using your floured hands and bench scraper, shape dough into 8-inch square, about 1½ inches thick. (Dough may be sticky; reflour your hands as needed.)
- Using sharp, floured chef's knife, trim ¼ inch of dough from each side of square and discard. Cut remaining dough into 9 squares (2 cuts by 2 cuts), flouring knife after each cut. Arrange biscuits at least 1 inch apart on prepared sheet. Cover sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.
- Bake until biscuits begin to rise, about 5 minutes. Rotate sheet and reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Bake until biscuits are golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer sheet to wire rack and let biscuits cool for at least 5 minutes. Serve warm.
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