Carolina 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.
Make the dough
Sift the salt into the flour.
Work in the lard until well combined.
Add cold water gradually to form a pliant dough.
Knead the dough for a few minutes.
Beat the dough for 30 minutes.
Shape the biscuits
Flour your hands and pinch off small pieces of dough.
Roll each piece into a ball, pinching one side together.
Flatten each ball to ½ inch thick using a rolling pin.
Bake
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) or heat a skillet.
Place the biscuits in the hot skillet or oven, adding small embers if using a skillet.
Bake until golden brown.
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 structure of the dough as its proteins combine with water.
- Lard
- Fat that shortens the dough, tenderizing the biscuits and adding richness.
- Cold water
- Hydrates the flour to form a pliant dough that can be kneaded and shaped.
The step that matters
Beat the dough for 30 minutes. Long beating works air into the dough and develops gluten, giving a firm, layered texture. Stopping early leaves the biscuits less structured, so keep the dough worked for the full time.
“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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