Food & Cooking Recipes Breakfast & Brunch Recipes Bread Recipes Cathead Biscuits 4.7 (6) These giant buttermilk biscuits are light, soft, and so flaky. Close Credit: Jason Donnelly Prep Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 10 mins Total Time: 35 mins Servings: 9 Yield: 9 biscuits Jump to recipe This recipe for cathead biscuits comes from chef Virginia Willis and is featured in her book Secrets of the Southern Table. Willis recalls her grandfather talking about cathead biscuits—biscuits as big as a cat’s head. Her extra-large buttermilk biscuits are a rolled and cut-out biscuit, not a drop biscuit. Willis uses a 3 1/2-inch round cutter, but you can use a smaller one if you’re looking for a larger yield or simply don’t have that size on hand. The biscuits can be made by hand or using a food processor to cut down on time. If the biscuits are baked close together, their sides will be tender. If the biscuits are baked farther apart, their sides will be crisp. Either way, their tops bake up golden brown, and the biscuits are light and airy inside. Note that you’ll need either Southern all-purpose flour or cake flour—not standard all-purpose flour—for this recipe. Enjoy these biscuits warm from the oven and serve with plenty of butter, honey, or jam. Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder: What's the Difference? What Are Cathead Biscuits? As with many foods, there are competing ideas about what makes a biscuit a cathead biscuit. Sure it needs to be large—though maybe not literally quite as big as a cat’s head. Where the controversy comes is about the type of biscuit. Some sources say cathead biscuits are drop biscuits, but this recipe from Virginia Wilis is one of the many that call a rolled and cut-out biscuit a cathead biscuit. Buttermilk substitute: If you can't locate buttermilk, make your own from a combination of milk and either lemon juice or white vinegar. Stir together 2 cups of milk and 2 tablespoons of either acid and let the mixture sit until it curdles slightly, about 5 minutes, before using. The Best Flour for Biscuits Southern all-purpose flour is different to all-purpose flour in the rest of the country. It is milled from soft red winter wheat that has less gluten-forming protein. It is typically bleached, which makes it whiter, but this does not affect the protein. Willis says her family has always used White Lily flour, a staple across the South; another dependable Southern brand is Martha White. If you don’t have access to those southern flours, do not substitute your usual all-purpose flour. Most national brands are made with a combination of soft winter wheat and higher-protein hard summer wheat. They are higher in protein and develop more gluten, which is great for some baking, but not for biscuits. Rather, follow the recipe and make these cathead biscuits with cake flour (but be sure not to use self-rising cake flour). Dos and Don'ts for Making Cathead Biscuits Don't overwork dough: When stirring and kneading the dough, you'll want to work it just enough to activate the gluten without overworking it, which will result in tough biscuits. Use a light touch and don't worry if you see clumps of butter after kneading—they're key to those flaky layers. Don't twist the cutter: Press the cutter straight down, then pull it right back up without twisting it, which can impact the biscuits' ability to rise in the oven. Do re-roll scraps (but not into a ball): After cutting out the first round of biscuits, you can use the scraps once more—but don't just squeeze them into a ball before rolling out. Instead, stack the scraps on top of one another, then roll out dough and cut out more rounds. Directions Credit: Jason Donnelly Preheat oven and prepare baking sheet: Preheat oven to 500°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat. (You can also bake the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet.) Combine dry ingredients; cut in butter: In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Credit: Jason Donnelly Add buttermilk: Pour in buttermilk and mix until just barely combined. It will be a shaggy mass. Credit: Jason Donnelly To make the biscuits in a food processor: Pulse to combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add butter and pulse until it resembles coarse meal. Pour in buttermilk through feed tube and pulse until just barely combined. Knead dough: Turn shaggy mass out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead lightly, using the heel of your hand to compress and push dough away from you, then fold it back over itself. Give dough a small turn and repeat four or five times. Credit: Jason Donnelly Cut out biscuits: Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out dough 1 inch thick. Using a 3 1/2-inch round cutter dipped in flour, cut out rounds (do not twist cutter). Credit: Jason Donnelly Bake: Place biscuits on prepared sheet. (If biscuits are baked close together, sides will be tender. If biscuits are baked farther apart, sides will be crisp.) Reroll scraps: Place scraps on top of one another in layeres, then roll out dough and cut out more rounds. Do not reroll more than once. Credit: Jason Donnelly Bake: Bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool just slightly. Serve warm. Credit: Jason Donnelly How to Store and Reheat Biscuits Cathead biscuits are best enjoyed on the day they are made. If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container and use them the following day. For longer storage, let the biscuits cool completely, then wrap in foil and place in a freezer bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Reheating Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the biscuits on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and bake for 5 to 6 minutes. How to Serve Cathead Biscuits Enjoy these biscuits spread with butter and jam, or try a drizzle of honey. For a decadent breakfast, slice them in half lengthwise and sandwich with eggs, sausage, and cheese for a decadent breakfast. Or try the biscuits stacked with Southern-inspired fillings like pimento cheese, country ham, or spicy fried chicken. 5 More Biscuit Recipes to Try Test Kitchen's Favorite Buttermilk Biscuits Airy Angel Biscuits Sweet-Potato Biscuits Breakfast-Sausage-and-Gruyere Drop Biscuits Cornmeal Biscuits Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.