Cat Head Biscuits

By tcasteel2000

Ingredients

• Ingredients
• 1 1/2 1 1/2 1/2 1/2-inch all-purpose flour1 1/2 cups cake flour1 tablespoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon salt8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and softened
• 4 4 1/2-inch tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 1/4 1 1/4 1/4 cups buttermilk (see note)

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from cookscountry.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. MIX DOUGH Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 9-inch cake pan. Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Rub butter and shortening into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in buttermilk until combined.
2. PORTION BISCUITS Following the instructions at left, use greased 1/2-cup measure or large spring-loaded ice cream scoop to transfer 6 heaping portions of dough into prepared pan, placing 5 around pan's perimeter and 1 in center.
3. BAKE BISCUITS Bake until puffed and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Serve. (Biscuits can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for 2 days.)
Forming Cat Head Biscuits

Many biscuits are kneaded, rolled, stamped out, and then baked on sheet pans. For Cat Head Biscuits, we instead scoop the sticky, shaggy dough and nestle the biscuits in a cake pan. (A spring-loaded ice cream scoop does the job neatly and quickly.) All snuggled together, they're forced to grow up, rather than out, and the sides stay soft and white