Lard Biscuit – Gato Lagres

Lard Biscuit – Gato Lagres– is an old fashioned, sinfully light, thin and crispy Seychellois biscuit made with lard.

Gato lagres should in fact be called biskwit lagres (lard biscuit) as it is more of a biscuit that a cake. There was a time when these biscuits were found daily in most village shops. Unfortunately, they have disappeared almost completely, to be replaced by a multitude of other imported biscuits.

So, what is lard?

The word lard is actually a general term that refers to fat from a pig. Typically, when you hear the word lard in regard to cooking or baking, the term is referring to the rendered fat from a pig. Whole pieces of pig fat are usually referred to as raw lard.

In this post, when we refer to lard, we mean the rendered fat from a pig. Lard can technically be rendered from any fat from a pig. However, the premium fat that is used for rendering lard is called Leaf Lard. Leaf lard comes from the fat that surrounds the kidneys and inside the loin of the pig. This fat is very pure and has very little to no meat mixed throughout the fat. This makes these pieces of fat ideal for rendering lard because it will produce the most neutral flavour fat with the least ‘’piggy’ taste.  

Pork back fat can also be used for rendering lard and also produces a fairly high quality fat, however, lard rendered from back fat tends to have a slight pork flavor and smell to it which can make it less desirable for making the biscuits.

Lard-lar– in Seychelles

In Seychelles lard, or lar, also refers to strips of pork fat that is cold smoked for a few weeks over a hearth, or foye, and consumed as an alternative to margarine, especially delicious when eaten on freshly roasted breadfruit.

Not so long ago, lard was commonly used in most Seychellois kitchens. Somewhere along the way, we started believing that lard was worse than other fats and although the invention of shortening, especially vegetable shortening, made lard an outcast, it is slowly making its way back into kitchens and recipes. Lard is readily available and can be purchased in most shops.

Lard has no trans fat

The truth is, while lard can by absolutely no means be called “healthy,” it has less cholesterol and saturated fat than butter, and unlike most vegetable shortening ( see below), it does not contain trans fats because it has not been hydrogenated . Trans fat is considered by many doctors to be the worst type of fat you can eat. In moderation, and in combination with regular butter, lard truly does make the tastiest biscuits with the perfect light and crispy texture.

Lard is used as shortening

Shortening is any type of fat that is solid at room temperature. It’s used to prevent the formation of a gluten matrix in baked goods, allowing for the creation of non-elastic pastries like cakes. Lard, hydrogenated solidified oils, and even butter can be used as shortening. However, in the modern kitchen, the word “shortening” refers mainly to hydrogenated oils, such as vegetable shortening.

What is Hydrogenation?

Hydrogenation is where hydrogen is forced to bond with the carbon chain in a way that mimics a saturated fatty acid. The synthetic compound that results from fatty acids that go through this process is commonly termed “trans fat”. And ,as mentioned above, lard does not have any trans fat!

The Process of Shortening

Biscuits made with lard are flakier because they lack structure. Lard and any other type of shortening work by coating the flour particles and gluten strands in your dough (literally “shortening” the strands, which is where the term comes from), thus preventing it  from forming a strong bond once a liquid is added. The stronger the bond, the tougher the biscuit and vice versa. This process is important for many baked goods that are intended to be flaky, crispy or crumbly, such as this lard biscuit. Gluten creates a gummy or chewy end product, which is desired in elastic “long” doughs, such as that used for pizza crust.

Why is the gato lagres flakier than similar biscuits made with butter?

 Lard also has a higher melting point than butter, melting between 35 and 41° C while butter melts somewhere between 30 and 35° C. A longer render means more air and steam-release, which means more leavening and flakiness. The fat crystals in lard are also larger than those in butter, which means there is more empty space left behind when the fat renders out – more space also means more layers and flakes. 

Oil cannot replace lard as a shortening.

Oil is completely fat, it contains no proteins, solids, water, or air. It doesn’t have the capability of trapping air bubbles and because there is no water, oil doesn’t produce steam and help with leavening. But oil does create very moist baked goods because it is naturally a liquid at room temperature. Some of most moist cakes I’ve had have been baked with vegetable oil.

Making the Gato Lagres

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper. Melt the lard and add the sugar, mix with a spoon and allow it to cool to just above room temperature. Whisk the eggs and add to the lard and sugar mix. Once properly incorporated, stir in the baking powder.

Making the Balls

Add the flour, little by little, and mix with a spoon until the dough is playable and you can mould into small balls without getting it sticking to your hands. Hand-roll a tablespoon of mixture into small balls of approximately 4cm or 55g.

Place the small balls on the baking paper, with enough space between them, about 3 cm, and flatten them with your hand. The balls are flattened in the baking tray because they are very soft and once flattened they cannot be easily lifted.

Flatten the Balls By Hand

This method will give you an irregular surface and shape, which is part of the character of the biscuits. The biscuits will be about 8cm in diameter and about .5cm thick.

Flatten the Balls with a Rolling Pin

If you wish to have a flatter surface and a rounder biscuit, you can choose to use a rolling pin. You may find that you will not be able to flatten all the balls properly because the edge of the baking tray will be in your way. If you choose to use a rolling pin, I suggest that you remove the prepared baking paper from the baking tray and place it on a flat surface. Place the small balls on the baking paper, with enough space between them, about 3 cm, and gently flatten them. Once all the balls have been flattened, bring your baking tray next to the baking paper and slide the loaded paper into your baking tray.

Baking the Biscuits

Transfer the baking tray in your preheated oven and bake at 180º C for about 10-12 minutes for light biscuits or 12-15 minutes for darker biscuits. Please note that the biscuits will be soft when hot, but they will get harder and crunchy when cold. Allow to cool completely and store in an air-tight jar.

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