Maryland Biscuit

This is the ingredient list for a Maryland beaten biscuit, the hard, pale, unleavened roll that stood in for soft bread on Southern tables. Everything about it depends on technique rather than proportion, so the notes below concentrate on what the list alone does not tell you.

• A pint of flourFlour was measured by volume in this period: a pint is 2 cups, or roughly 8 to 9 ounces depending on how it is scooped. Southern flour was typically a low-protein soft wheat; all-purpose works, but the biscuit will likely be tougher and less tender than the original.
• LardOne-third cup is about 2 1/2 ounces. Lard was the usual shortening for these biscuits and gives the characteristic flaky, dry crumb; modern hydrogenated shortening behaves similarly but tastes flatter.
• The liquid is deliberately vague"Milk and water in equal quantities" gives no volume because the dough must be judged by feel. Beaten biscuit dough is very stiff, far drier than a rolled baking-powder biscuit, and takes only enough liquid to bring the flour together, in the region of half a cup.
• No leavening at allThere is no baking powder, soda or yeast in the list, and none is missing. The rise comes entirely from steam and from air worked into the dough by beating, which is why these biscuits stay small, dense and pale.
• The beating is the whole dishThe stiff dough is beaten with a mallet, rolling pin or the flat of an axe head for twenty to thirty minutes, folding it over on itself repeatedly until it blisters and turns silky. Kneading is not a substitute; without the beating you simply have a hard cracker. A food processor run several minutes to a smooth, elastic ball is the usual modern shortcut.
• Shaping and dockingRoll to about a third of an inch, cut in small rounds, and prick each one through twice with a fork. The holes let steam escape so the biscuits split cleanly rather than puffing and collapsing.
• OvenThe list gives no oven direction. Beaten biscuits are generally baked in a moderately hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until firm and only faintly coloured; they should not brown.
• Yield and servingRoughly a dozen and a half to two dozen small biscuits, depending on the cutter. They are eaten split, at room temperature, with ham or butter, and they keep in a tin for several days.