Lard Biscuits
Cypress and Artisan Meat Share, Charleston, SC
Craig Deihl serves these biscuits alongside his charcuterie plate at Cypress and includes them in his Artisan Meat Share boxes. We loved them with his homemade pork butter; Craig says they are also great with ham and mustard.
Ingredients
- 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons baking powder
- 1/2 tablespoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 12 ounces very cold lard
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 egg, beaten
Method
Preheat oven to 425ºF. If using a convection oven, turn it on low or off.
In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Use a whisk to combine. Add the lard to the flour. Using your hands, a pastry cutter, or two butter knifes, cut the lard into the flour. There should be pea-sized lumps of fat scattered evenly throughout the flour.
Combine the buttermilk and egg and add to the flour-and-lard mixture. Mix just until it holds together.
Dust a wooden cutting board or the counter with flour. Place the biscuit dough on it. Fold the dough over itself two or three times, until it becomes smooth and firm. Dust the dough lightly with flour and roll out to a thickness of 3/4-inch.
Cut the biscuits using a 3-inch biscuit cutter and place 2 inches apart on a sheet tray. Mix the leftover dough into a ball and roll out again and cut remaining biscuits. Discard any remaining dough.
Bake for 15 minutes, until golden and puffy.
Yield
2 to 2 1/2 dozen biscuits
