Maryland Biscuit
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare the dough
In a bowl, mix flour, lard, and salt.
Add cold water gradually until the dough is very stiff.
Transfer the dough to a board and knead 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 ½ inch thick.
Flatten each ball with a rolling pin and poke 5 or 6 holes with a fork.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°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 starch and gluten network that gives the biscuit its structure.
- Lard
- Fat that coats flour particles, tenderizing the biscuit and adding flakiness.
- Cold water
- Hydrates the flour to form a stiff dough that holds its shape.
The step that matters
Adding the cold water gradually. Adding water slowly lets the dough reach an even, very stiff consistency. Too much water at once makes the dough sticky and harder to shape, and it can toughen the biscuits as gluten develops.
“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.
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.