Maryland Biscuit
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the dough
In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.
Rub in the lard until the mixture is fine.
Gradually add ice water to form a stiff dough.
Knead the dough on a floured surface for 20 minutes.
Shape and bake
Shape the dough into small round cakes, about the size of a large walnut.
Place the cakes on greased baking pans.
Prick the tops of the cakes with a fork.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) for 20 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
- Forms the gluten network that gives the biscuits their structure.
- Lard
- Coats flour particles to tenderise the crumb and add flakiness.
- Ice water
- Hydrates the flour to bind the dough while keeping the fat cold.
The step that matters
Rubbing in the lard until fine. If the lard is worked in too far or warms up, it blends into the flour instead of staying in small pieces. Those pieces create layers as they melt in the oven, so the biscuits can turn out dense rather than flaky.
“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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