Leaf Lard Biscuits Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

Is lard or crisco better for biscuits? ›

That's a matter of taste. Personally I like lard better. It makes a more tender biscuit and more flavorful too. I think if you are looking for a big, fluffy biscuit with a more crisp exterior that's probably easier to do with shortening.

In terms of flakiness, the best fat for making biscuits is probably lard, and vegetable shortening is the next best. In terms of flavor, however, butter is undoubtedly the best, with lard a close second.

THE BOTTOM LINE: You can substitute leaf lard for butter in biscuits for tender, savory results, but they won't be quite as flaky as biscuits made with butter.

Improved texture: When used in baking, lard can improve the texture of some foods, such as pie crusts and biscuits, resulting in flaky crusts and tender dough. Versatility: Lard can be used in a variety of preparations, from frying to baking, and in many different recipes.

Yep! as a child, I worked at cracker barrel all the time, and I used to mix the lard into the biscuit mix.

Just as important as the fat is the liquid used to make your biscuits. Our Buttermilk Biscuit recipe offers the choice of using milk or buttermilk. Buttermilk is known for making biscuits tender and adding a zippy tang, so we used that for this test.

White Lily brand flour, especially the self-rising flour, is the gold standard among Southern cooks who make biscuits on a regular basis. White lily, self rising. I use it for everything except those thing I make using either cake flour or yeast. If I'm using yeast I use King Arthur flours.

A flour sifter was a necessary item to have if the home cook wanted tender cakes and biscuits. Today's recipes usually don't call for sifting flour, but it is still a good idea to have a sifter on hand for those few occasions when you do need it.

Make sure your butter is at the correct temperature – use unsalted butter softened to room temperature for creaming and cold, unsalted butter for biscuits and pastries that require butter to be rubbed into the flour.

Leaf lard is already a specific variety of lard in that it is made only from certain fat areas of the pig, and for this reason, is not as readily available as other types of lard.

Does lard need to be cold when making biscuits? ›

Add the cold lard to the mixing bowl and cut it into the flour mixture. I like to use a pastry cutter to cut the fat through. You could also use a fork or even your hands but you want to make sure the fat stays very cold and your hands can start warming the temperature.

There is some actual science behind why White Lily flour is lighter than others and, thus, better suited for items like biscuits and cakes.

By the late 20th century lard began to be considered less healthy than vegetable oils (such as olive and sunflower oil) because of its high content of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol.

So what's the final verdict? Butter is the winner here. The butter biscuits were moister with that wonderful butter taste and melt-in-your mouth texture. I'd be curious to test out substituting half or just two tablespoons of the butter with shortening to see if you get the best of both.

Leaf lard specifically is rendered from the visceral fat surrounding the pig's kidneys and loin, which keeps it un-hydrogenated in its purest form, making very easy to spread even at room temperatures. Leaf lard also has a high smoking-point, which makes it ideal for frying, searing, or baking!

Any brand of vegetable shortening will work, however Crisco is a popular and trusted brand. Recipe makes a large batch, about 18 dozen biscuits so cut in half to make a smaller batch.

Biscuits made with lard are incredibly tender, soft, and the most flaky kind of biscuit you will ever have. Lard biscuits can be enjoyed sweet or savory! Top them with sweet jam, savory eggs, or (my favorite) sausage gravy.

The stronger the bond, the tougher the crust and vice versa. Lard also has a higher melting point than butter, melting between 109 and 118° F while butter melts somewhere between 90 and 95° F. A slower render means more air and steam-release, which means more leavening and flakiness.

When it comes to biscuits, lard gives them the perfect texture. Easy to make, these savory biscuits can be on your table in less than 20 minutes. Ideal to accompany soups and stews, the biscuits are also great with eggs and sausage, and any leftover biscuits can be reheated on a skillet.