Cathead Biscuits Recipe Video

Why We Love Cathead Biscuits

There are biscuits, and then there are biscuits. The jaw-dropping, mind-blowing, knee-buckling, eyes-roll-back-in-your-head kind of biscuits made from scratch. Although there’s nothing wrong with popping open the canned variety on occasion, nothing compares to a buttery scratch-made biscuit straight out of the oven. After much trial and error, I learned that light airy biscuits come from gentle, yet speedy, hands. Our Fluffy Southern Cat Head Biscuits have the most delicate texture on the inside, yet are crispy and flaky on the outside. The light airy flavor of butter and wheat creates a perfect platform for all sorts of toppings. Basically, they are what all biscuits aspire to be.

Why Are They Called Cathead Biscuits?

In the south, cathead biscuits are all about size… They are roughly the same dimensions as a cat’s head. Meow. Weird name and association, but ridiculously enormous biscuit perfection! I mean, who wants a scrawny biscuit? Not me. As far as biscuit recipes go, the bigger the better!

Ingredients You Need

All-Purpose Flour Granulated Sugar – for just a hint of sweetness Baking Powder & Baking Soda – so the biscuits get super fluffy Sea Salt – or regular salt Butter – make sure to use cold butter Butter-Flavored Shortening – also known as Crisco, alternatively you can use lard Buttermilk – to create tangy, moist buttermilk biscuits

How to Make Southern Cathead Biscuits

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and grease a 12 inch deep dish cast iron skillet and set aside. Next, prep the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, then scoop and level to measure the accurate amount. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to mix. Add in the cold shortening and 1/4 cup cold butter. Pulse again until the fat is mixed into the flour creating a pebble texture. Continue pulsing as you add in the buttermilk. Once the dough is thoroughly mixed, stop pulsing. The dough should look wet, but even. Dump the dough onto a floured surface. Press and pat it flat with your hands until it is smooth, in an even 2-inch thick disk. Use a drinking glass, or a 3-inch biscuit cutter, to cut out 8 biscuits. If needed, cut out 7 and then gather the dough and cut out the last biscuit. Place the biscuits in the skillet. Then brush the tops with melted butter and place in the oven immediately. Bake in the center of the oven until the tops are golden brown and the biscuits have risen at lease 1 inch above the top of the skillet. Around 30-35 minutes. Make sure to move the oven racks, if needed, to allow room for growth. Use a spatula or knife to separate the biscuits before lifting them out of the pan. Enjoy!

Tips & Tricks

Fluffy Southern cat head biscuits have the best texture and taste when the dough is cold as it goes into the oven, it hasn’t been over mixed, and the flour is well sifted prior to adding it to the dough. So use cold ingredients and move fast to get these into the oven! If the dough isn’t cold anymore after mixing and cutting them out, you can place the biscuits covered with plastic in the refrigerator until the dough is cold again, then pop into the hot oven! Using cold ingredients like buttermilk, butter, and refrigerated shortening creates a cold dough. When the cold dough is placed in the oven, it quickly creates an outer crust while the dough is still cool on the inside. The outer crust causes the biscuits to grow up, instead of flattening out, once the insides start to bake. Cold dough, that hasn’t been over-worked, is the secret to making the best biscuits ever! Baking this Fluffy Cat Head Biscuit recipe in a deep skillet serves two purposes. First, the sides of the skillet offer support so that the biscuits rise to ethereal heights. Second, the biscuits edges on the outside of the pan turn crispy, while the center edges are soft and feathery. That way you get a little crunch and a whole lot of tender goodness.

Biscuits for Every Occasion

The holidays are quickly approaching. Why not give these big beauties a try? Fluffy Southern Cat Head biscuits are perfect to serve a crowd for any special occasion. You might decide these jumbo biscuits need to be on your Thanksgiving table or at Christmas morning brunch this year!