Is there anything more glorious and deeply satisfying on a visceral level than a humble fresh-baked biscuit?
I'd venture a resounding "no," especially when the fluffy squares or circles of dough are super-sized to allow a generous canvas for building breakfast and lunch sandwiches, or paired with a creamy, hangover-curing Southern-style sausage or red-eye gravy.
Pennsylvania native Carolyn Roy definitely decided bigger is better when she and her former husband and now business partner, Jason, opened their first Biscuit Head eatery in Asheville, North Carolina, in 2013.
The couple had worked in various restaurant settings for years after meeting in Colorado in the early aughts — everything from fine dining to breweries to catering gigs. They moved to Asheville 15 years ago after seeing how much fun family and friends were having there.
Known for its vibrant arts scene, exciting beer culture and myriad outdoor activities in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville "had the same great vibe and funky feel of Boulder," says Roy, but was much less expensive. That suited the couple's long-held desire to one day open their own restaurant. Jason, who trained to be a chef at the Art Institute of Atlanta, designed and executed the menu.
When the pair took the actual plunge 11 years ago, they decided to go for something as fun, welcoming and big-hearted as the town itself — a breakfast restaurant centered around Southern-style "cathead" biscuits, so called because of they're as large as a cat's head.
"We had a young son young at the time, and working places open at night, it was getting really hard for family life," says Roy. "So we honed in on breakfast." That way, they could open early in the morning and close by midafternoon.
They chose to feature drop biscuits — so named because they can be made in a flash by dropping dough onto a pan instead of rolling or cutting it due to greater liquidity in relation to fat and flour in the bowl — because they're faster and more efficient to make. "And they have a really great texture that just soaks up gravy," she says.
The restaurant was a hit almost as soon as its doors opened. Two more locations soon followed, along with a fourth restaurant in Greenville, South Carolina. To this day, the original location on Haywood Road in West Asheville still draws lines that sometime stretch around the block.
Their cookbook "Biscuit Head: New Southern Biscuits, Breakfast and Brunch" hit store shelves in 2016. In addition to the recipe for its title character, it includes recipes for many of its homemade jams, gravies and infused butters. It also offers instruction on how to use biscuits as the base for all kinds of knife-and-fork sandwiches.
"It might sound simple, but we believe cathead biscuits are magical," the couple write in the book's foreword. "They are humble but delicious, and they are wonderfully versatile as the base for a menu."
More rustic than their flaky rolled-and-cut counterparts, cathead biscuits are a staple in Appalachian cuisine. People have been known to make them as early as the late 1700s, according to Southern food historian John Egerton in "Southern Food: At Home, On the Road, In History," with pearl ash from fires used as a leavening agent.
The couple have continued to tweak their original recipe over the years and have also grown a pretty substantial line of jams and hot sauces to go on top, which at their restaurants are always at the ready at a self-served jam bar. They also offer a packaged mix of both their buttermilk and gluten-free biscuits featuring grains milled in North Carolina. In 2022, the buttermilk version — originally sold in Mason jars with instructions attached on a ribbon — won Garden & Gun magazine's Made in the South Award in the food category. You can find it online at biscuitheads.com.
And when you're ready to roll up your sleeves and make a batch? Roy has a couple expert baking tips.
One of the easiest ways to take a wrong turn when it comes to biscuits is to overmix the dough. "We are always careful to just mix it just enough so you don't see powdery chunks," she says.
The biscuits should also be snuggled beside each other in a cast-iron pan or lined up like soldiers, shoulders touching, on a baking sheet before they go into the oven. That assures they'll rise high in the pan by pushing against each other. At Biscuit Head, they use an ice cream scoop to portion, but you can also gently roll them into a ball by hand or use two spoons.
"It's just one of those comforting, feel-good foods," says Roy. "[Biscuits] are homey, and I feel like almost everyone likes them because you can dress up them up or have it plain."
Classic Cathead Biscuit
If you can stir together pancakes, you can make these traditional drop biscuits. Their name refers to the size of a biscuit; scooped onto a baking sheet instead of rolled and cut, they're as large as a cat's head. For fluffy layers, be sure to use very cold butter and don't overmix; add flour bit by bit, just until it reaches a workable dough.
For a gluten-free version, substitute 5 cups Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose flour.
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
2 cups whole buttermilk
Heat oven to 375 degrees, making sure you have one of the racks in the middle of the oven. Grease a baking sheet or cast-iron skillet.
In large mixing bowl, combine both kinds of flour, the salt and the baking powder. We strongly recommend sifting the dry ingredients to combine them.
Cut into the butter with a sharp knife and then "snap" it in by rubbing the butter between your forefinger and thumb with a snapping motion. (This makes thin sheets or ribbons of butter that will fold into the dough perfectly and then rise in the oven in beautiful layers.)
Add the buttermilk, and stir gently to fold in. Take care not to overmix!
Scoop the dough into your pan or skillet, making sure to keep the dough scoops right next to each other on the pan. (A large ice cream scoop works well.)
Bake the biscuits for 20 to 25 minutes or until they are golden brown and fluffy.
Makes 6 large (5-ounce) biscuits.
— "Biscuit Head: New Southern Biscuits, Breakfasts and Brunch" by Jason and Carolyn Roy
A staple of the South, drop biscuits can be made quickly in a cast-iron pan. They serve as a delicious base for all kinds of sandwiches. / Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNSFor a vegetarian version, replace the sausage with 1/2 cup butter.
1 pound breakfast sausage, hot or mild
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Pinch of finely chopped fresh thyme, optional
4 cathead biscuits
In a saucepan or large skillet over heat, cook the sausage all the way through. Continue to cook until the meat browns slightly. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a bowl or plate. Leave the grease in the pot.
Still over medium heat, whisk the flour into the sausage grease until a doughy paste has formed (a roux).
Slowly whisk the milk into your roux. Pour only about 1 cup of milk at a time, and whisk well before adding another cup.
Lightly simmer for 3-5 minutes while stirring continuously. This will cook out the taste of the flour.
Return the sausage to the gravy, and finish by adding your salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and thyme, if using. Bring this mixture to light simmer, then remove from heat.
Pour over a fresh-from-the-oven biscuit, and serve.
Serves 4, with leftover gravy,
— "Biscuit Head: New Southern Biscuits, Breakfasts and Brunch" by Jason and Carolyn Roy
Chile Garlic Honey
This garlicky, slightly spicy sauce, made with an Indonesian chili sauce, is the perfect topping for a fried chicken biscuit.
1 cup honey
1/4 cup sambal oelek
Juice 1/2 lime
1 clove garlic, minced
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan, and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Pour into a Mason jar to serve, or store with a tight-fitting lid. This honey keeps at room temperature for up to a month.
Biscuit Head Macaroni and Cheese
Has anyone ever said no to a bowl of homemade macaroni and cheese? This comforting dish benefits from a crunchy topping of crumbled biscuits. It's easily adapted for those with wheat allergies. I made a gluten-free version by using leftover gluten-free biscuits, chickpea macaroni and Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose flour for the roux.
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
1/4 cup bacon grease or butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon salt, plus extra for pasta water
1 tablespoon hot sauce
2 1/2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded, divided
2 leftover biscuits, crumbled
Heat oven to 400 degrees, and grease a large casserole pan.
Boil the elbow macaroni in salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta, and set aside.
Heat a medium-size stockpot or large skillet over medium heat, and add the bacon grease or butter. Stir in the four slowly. Let this roux cook for 1 minute while stirring with a whisk.
Slowly add the whole milk to mixture while continuing to stir. Once milk is fully incorporated with the roux, stir in the cream. (This is now a béchamel, or cream sauce.)
Add salt, pepper and hot sauce, then slowly stir in 2 cups of the shredded cheese, saving 1/2 cup of cheese for the topping. If the sauce seems too thick, add a little more milk or water to desired consistency.
When the sauce is smooth and all the cheese is melted, stir in your cooked pasta. Once everything is well mixed, pour the mac 'n' cheese into your greased casserole pan.
Top with the crumbled biscuits and remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden-brown and delicious.
Serves 6-8.
— "Biscuit Head: New Southern Biscuits, Breakfasts and Brunch" by Jason and Carolyn Roy
Buttermilk biscuits are a Southern food staple. / Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS