Cake-Flour Biscuits

Cake flour, a low-protein flour that is available in supermarkets from Boston to Chicago, north to Seattle and down to Los Angeles, makes a fine biscuit with a delicate, silken texture that does well with syrups and runny fried eggs.

Ingredients

• 2¼ cups cake flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 scant tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons cold lard
• 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, preferably European style
• ¾ cup whole milk

• Nutritional Information

  • Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

    320 calories; 13 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 43 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 24 milligrams cholesterol; 584 milligrams sodium

  Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
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Serves 6 to 8

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl. Transfer to a food processor. Cut lard and butter into pats and add to flour, then pulse 5 or 6 times until the mixture resembles rough crumbs. (Alternatively, cut lard and butter into flour in the mixing bowl using a fork or a pastry cutter.) Return dough to bowl, add milk and stir with a fork until it forms a rough ball.
2. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and pat it down into a rough rectangle, about an inch thick. Fold it over and pat it down again, as gently as you can. Repeat. Now gently pat out the dough some more, so that the rectangle is roughly 10 inches by 6 inches. Cut dough into biscuits using a floured glass or biscuit cutter. Do not twist cutter when cutting; this crimps the edges of the biscuit and impedes its rise.
3. Place biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake until golden brown, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

15 minutes