Mississippi Delta Cathead Biscuits Recipes

CATHEAD BISCUITS

Steps:

• Work the shortening into the flour until it's like coarse crumbs. (I use a spoon to do this). Add the buttermilk and stir until makes a ball in the bowl. You can either pinch off the dough or cut it with a biscuit cutter. I use a tin can because I like to make these biscuits good size like my mama's biscuits.
• Grease or spray pan. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until brown on top.
• This recipe only makes 8 biscuits if you make them like I do.

CATHEAD BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch cake pan.
• Sift flour and salt together into a large mixing bowl. Make a dent in flour by pushing flour from center toward sides of bowl. Add 2 walnut-size lumps of shortening and a splash of buttermilk to the flour where you made the dent. Work the shortening into the flour using fingers in a twisting motion (rub thumb against pointer and middle finger motion) until the shortening is fully incorporated into the flour.
• Pour buttermilk into the flour about 1/4 cup at a time, continuing to work it in with your fingers until the buttermilk is completely incorporated into a sticky dough.
• Roll dough into 8 large balls and drop into prepared cake pan, working around the outside and putting the last one in middle to fill the pan. Press dough balls with back of fingers to flatten until they touch and are about 3/4- to 1-inch thick.
• Bake in preheated oven until the tops are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Brush tops with melted butter.

SANDY'S MISSISSIPPI DELTA CATHEAD BISCUITS

Steps:

• Blend above ingredients in a mixing bowl.
• Dump a hand full of flour on a pastry cloth or whatever.
• A brown paper sack also works.
• Newspaper also works just fine.
• Dump the blended dough onto the flour.
• Pour a dash of oil into your skillet and smear it around with your fingers.
• Coat the inside of the skillet and the palms of your hands with oil.
• Knead the dough for about 30 seconds, rolling it in the flour and thickening it.
• Halve the dough.
• Halve it again, making 4 pieces of dough.
• Roll each piece of dough between your hands, making it into a ball, then put it in the skillet.
• Use a spoon or a pastry brush and put a little oil or bacon drippings on the top of each unbaked biscuit.
• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Bake 25 minutes.
• Broil/toast for 1 or 2 minutes.

MISSISSIPPI BISCUITS

Steps:

• 1. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Then work in lightly the lard and mix with sufficient milk to make soft dough. Roll thin, cut into biscuits with small cutter and bake in a quick oven.

MISSISSIPPI DELTA CATHEAD BISCUITS

Steps:

• Step #1: Blend above ingredients in a mixing bowl. Step #2: Dump a hand full of flour on a pastry cloth or whatever. As you can see, I use a brown paper sack. Newspaper also works just fine. Step #3: As in the top photo, dump the blended dough onto the flour. Step #4: Pour a dash of oil into your skillet and smear it around with your fingers. Coat the inside of the skillet and the palms of your hands with oil. Step #5: Knead the dough for about 30 seconds, rolling it in the flour and thickening it. Step #6: Half the dough as in the middle photo. Half it again, making 4 pieces of dough. Step #7: Roll each piece of dough between your hands, making it into a ball, then put it in the skillet. Step #8: As you see me doing in this photo, use a spoon or a pastry brush and put a little oil or bacon drippings on the top of each un-baked biscuit. You're ready to start cooking. Preheat oven to 350° Bake 25 minutes at 350° Broil/toast for 1 or 2 minutes Enjoy!

SOUTHERN "CATHEAD" BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F
• Measure 1 cup of buttermilk into liquid measuring cup. I use 3/4 cup whole milk with a splash of Heinz White Vinegar. Let sit a few minutes until you need it.
• In a medium bowl, measure the flour by spooning it into a one-cup measure and leveling off with a knife. (This is very important!) Sometimes I sift it. Most of the time I do not.
• Make a deep well and add the oil and buttermilk.
• Stir gently until moistened. Sprinkle with even flour to allow handling of the dough.
• I shape my biscuits by hand but you could also roll them out and cut them. Place them in a 9x9 Pampered Chef Baker (stoneware.) I have used Pampered Chef stoneware for the last ten years and it has never failed me. However, for those of you still using metal bakeware, just use a regular square baking pan.

CATHEAD BISCUITS

Steps:

• Mix dry ingredients and sift into mixing bowl, then cut in lard or crisco until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
• Stir in buttermilk until it is incorporated with the flour mixture. The dough will be kind of wet and very sticky.
• Flour your hands and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough in the flour just enough to make it handleable - you don't want it to stick to your hands too much, but don't work in too much extra flour either or the biscuits will be heavy and taste of raw flour.
• For each biscuit, pinch off a piece of dough about the size of a large egg or a small lemon and pat out in the ungreased pan with your hands. You don't want it to be really flat, just pat it down a bit so it's relatively biscuit-shaped and about 1 inch high.
• Bake at 475 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes until the tops are golden brown. Keep your eye on them while they're in the oven so they don't burn.
• Brush tops of biscuits with melted butter, if desired.