Cathead Biscuits

Contributed By: Terry Borden

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup scallions, chopped
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, plus more as needed, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature and beaten

Method:

1 Position an oven rack in the middle position.
2 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
3 Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4 In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and sea salt. Add the butter, tossing to coat.
5 Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or your fingers. Ideally, the butter should range in size from coarse sandy patches to flat shaggy pieces to pea-sized chunks.
6 Stir in the scallions, cheddar cheese, and pepper.
7 Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
8 Pour in the buttermilk and gently mix until the mixture is crumbly, but starting to come together into a shaggy mass.
9 If the dough still looks too dry, add in up to 1/2 cup additional buttermilk. The overall dough should be moist and slightly sticky.
10 Turn the dough onto itself a few times until it forms a mass.
11 Pat the dough down until it resembles a loaf of bread.
12 Dust the top of the loaf lightly with flour.
13 Using a 3-ounce ice cream scoop, portion the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, placing them 1 inch apart.
14 Gently flatten the biscuits.
15 Lightly brush the top of the biscuits with the beaten egg.
16 Bake, rotating halfway through, until the biscuits are golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
17 Serve hot!

Helpful Hints:

Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 12 servings
Cathead Biscuits get their name for being as big as a cat's head (no word as to who held a biscuit up to a cat's head to make the comparison). Their size and their buttery, flaky, cheesy goodness make them wonderfully satisfying


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