Maryland Biscuit
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare the dough
Mix flour, lard, and salt in a bowl.
Add cold water gradually until dough is very stiff.
Knead dough on a board until pliable and it makes a popping sound.
Shape and bake
Break off pieces the size of an egg and shape them into round balls, about 1 inch thick.
Flatten each ball with a rolling pin and poke 5 or 6 holes with a fork.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake for 30 minutes.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the gluten network that gives the dough its structure and body.
- Lard
- Fat that shortens gluten strands, giving the biscuit a tender, flaky texture.
- Cold water
- Hydrates the flour to form the dough while keeping the fat firm.
The step that matters
Adding the cold water gradually. Adding water slowly lets the flour absorb it evenly, so the dough becomes stiff without becoming sticky or overworked. Keeping the water cold keeps the lard solid, which helps create a tender, flaky texture during baking.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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