Old Fashioned Bacon Grease Biscuits
Flaky, buttery biscuits enriched with bacon grease and made using a lamination folding technique. Frozen butter is grated into dry ingredients, then the dough is folded eight times to build layers. Baked in cast iron until golden, brushed with melted butter twice for rich flavor and crisp exteriors.
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 10 ounces all-purpose flour
- all-purpose flour, for sprinkling
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter, frozen, divided
- 2 tablespoons bacon grease, frozen
- 1 cup buttermilk, cold
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F with rack in middle position.
- 2
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- 3
Grate 2 tablespoons frozen butter on the large holes of a box grater onto parchment paper. Leave remaining 2 tablespoons butter on counter to thaw.
- 4
Cut frozen bacon grease into 1/4 inch pieces with a sharp knife.
- 5
Add grated butter and bacon grease pieces to dry ingredients. Gently incorporate with your fingers, breaking up clumps until texture resembles coarse meal.
- 6
Make a well in center of dry ingredients and pour in buttermilk. Stir with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon until dough comes together and no longer sticks to bowl sides. Do not overmix.
- 7
Transfer dough to a well floured cutting board. Pat into a rough rectangle about 1 inch thick, sprinkling with flour as needed.
- 8
Fold dough in half from top to bottom, then gently pat back to original shape.
- 9
Fold left side to right side and pat back to original shape, sprinkling with flour if needed.
- 10
Fold dough up from bottom, then fold from right side to left. Repeat the sequence of folding, patting, and reshaping for a total of 8 times.
- 11
Pat dough into a 6 by 9 inch rectangle. Cut out 6 biscuits using a 3 inch round cutter, re-rolling and folding scraps as necessary.
- 12
Arrange biscuits in a 10 inch cast iron skillet so they touch each other but not the pan sides.
- 13
Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter and brush tops with half of it. Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees F and bake until golden brown, about 14 to 18 minutes.
- 14
Remove skillet from oven and brush tops with remaining melted butter. Cool briefly and transfer to a clean dish towel.
Tips
Use a box grater to grate frozen butter directly onto parchment paper for even incorporation into flour.
Keep all fats frozen until the moment of mixing to maximize flakiness.
Do not overmix dough after adding buttermilk to avoid tough biscuits.
Biscuits should touch each other in the cast iron skillet for optimal rise and soft sides.
Brush biscuits twice with melted butter for enhanced flavor and browning.
Good to Know
Store cooled biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Prepare dough through folding steps up to 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before cutting and baking, or extend bake time by 2-3 minutes.
Serve warm, split and buttered, with jam, gravy, or honey.
Common Mistakes
Do not warm or thaw fats before mixing to avoid dense, heavy biscuits.
Do not skip the lamination folding to avoid losing the flaky layer structure.
Do not overmix dough after adding buttermilk to avoid tough, dense crumb.
Do not place biscuits against the cast iron skillet sides to avoid hard, overbrowned exteriors.
Substitutions
Dairy-Free Swaps
Vegan Options
General Alternatives
no flavor impact