Biscuits!!!! I love you so. Up until fairly recently though, it may surprise some of you to read that I made pretty subpar biscuits. They were kind of squatty, which made them a bit dense and were missing that flake you get with a properly leavened biscuit. While biscuits are a humble food, there are a lot of little things that can really mess them up. Such a simple thing like you twisted the biscuit cutter which sealed the edges can kill your biscuit’s rise. Thankfully I refused to give up, and with a lot of little changes and things to pay attention to, here I am sharing how you can get sky high puff style flaky lard biscuits too.
Now if you can’t make flaky lard biscuits because you don’t have lard, I guess there are worse things that can happen. War, famine, drought…but it’s up there on the list. You can use all butter instead, but it really isn’t quite the same. There is a reason lard is coveted among pastry chefs! As far as the acidified milk goes, you have various options. Whey leftover from cheesemaking, buttermilk, or just some vinegar splashed into regular ole’ milk will be just fine.
This recipe is based off of Martha Stewarts Test Buttermilk Biscuit recipe, but modified to include lard and whatever other acidified milk you have available. Before we get into the recipe and instructions, there are some distinct biscuit do’s and dont’s that need to be mentioned. While these may seem a little ridiculous, I assure you each one is there for a reason.
Do's
- Make sure your baking powder and soda is fresh and not expired – you won’t get a proper rise!
- Bake in a hot oven, don’t put it in before it’s preheated to 450°- the heat hits the biscuits like a punch and immediately gets that butter and lard steaming to create pockets in the dough aka flake
- Snuggle them together about a half inch between – biscuits are friends and help each other rise
- Immediately put them in the oven after cutting – letting them sit out will allow the fats to start to soften
Don'ts
- Overwork or over handle dough – it will make for a tough biscuit
- Use a twisting action if using a biscuit cutter – you’ll seal the edges which will keep it from properly rising
- Over cut the fat, pea sized chunks is what you’re after – this size is ideal for creating those pockets of flake
- Use warm butter or lard – you want STONE COLD – to create that steam and pockets in dough, aka flake
- Use warm milk – again you want COLD – helps keep everything cold
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 5 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter
- 5 Tablespoons cold leaf lard
- 1 cup whey or acidified milk/buttermilk
- Milk or cream for brushing tops
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F
- Whisk dry ingredients together thoroughly in large bowl
- Cut lard and butter into smaller chunks, sprinkle overtop of dry ingredients and using pastry cutter, cut until fat is pea sized. Quickly toss with fingers to ensure fat and lard chunks are fully coated in flour.
- Drizzle whey all over, and gently toss with rubber spatula until just combined. DO NOT OVERWORK THE DOUGH. Some dry bits are okay.
- What happens next is what makes ALL the difference in the world in the flake factor of your biscuit. We are going to create a “puff” style flaky lard biscuit here, by layering, flattening, and layering (see video below) So, roll your dough out onto a piece of parchment and gently form it into a rectangle and flatten (feel free to use a rolling pin)
- Grab the parchment and fold the rectangle over itself in half, push and flatten it into a rectangular shape again using the parchment if you have hot hands so you keep the fats cold. Dead hands over here can bare hand it with these icicle flanges. Repeat. Repeat. I have done this as few as three times, and as many as five. I feel like the more folds, the higher and flakier the biscuit. But of course there has to be a limit.
- Once the last rectangle has been formed use a knife and cut into squares or use your biscuit cutter. Personally, I am a BIG fan of the square biscuits, as there is zero waste and makes for minimal handling. **By trimming just the very outer edges of the biscuit squares where it’s tapered down, it will help them rise even more. I don’t do this because I can’t bare to cut off “scraps”
- Transfer the biscuits to a butter greased cast iron skillet snuggled up with about a half inch between them. Brush the tops with milk or cream. You could bake them on the parchment on a baking sheet, but why? Bake for 16-18 minutes rotating halfway through until golden brown and cooked through.
- Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool slightly before slathering them unapologetically in salted butter.
Happy Baking,
Yummy
The cutting into squares is awesome
Thanks for your instructions! I never knew why my biscuits generally flop. Now I do! I’m going to give this a try. Sounds delicious.
It’s a real struggle. Such a simple thing but so many little things can really ruin them! Goodluck!
Embrace the butter!
They look delicious! I will make these. My fear is the butter… meaning besides the lard, swiping them with colossal piles of butter before I ate (no less than two) them. (‘Cause i would never be able to eat only one)!
I live in Kingsport Tennessee. Do you know of a reputable place I can order Leaf lard from?
I don’t know of anyone I personally know, but just a quick google search did give a lot of results. I would start there if you don’t know anyone local. Just make sure its 100% leaf lard with no additives, and is pasture/wood raised. AKA not raised in a barn stall.
Would fat recovered from frying bacon work for the lard? Looking forward to making these!
NO!! In baking you only use leaf lard, the fat that is harvested around the kidneys.
If I got a bucket of lard from the butcher when I bought a pig is that leaf lard? It doesn’t say anything just “lard”
You would need to ask them if they combine the leaf with the back fat when they render it. There is no way of knowing otherwise. Unless you use it to make the biscuits and it tastes a bit “porky” then you know it has back fat in it!
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