Hearty White Whole Wheat Biscuits
White Whole Wheat Biscuits are just as tasty as the original but made with whole grain. Quick and easy, mix them up in no time, while your coffee brews!
Carbs take a lot of abuse. Which is why I decided to try making biscuits from scratch using white whole wheat flour. As nutritious as regular whole wheat (see below), it has a lighter flavor which is perfect!
Now, it had been a while since I made homemade biscuits–and I’d forgotten how doable it was. Just mix up in a food processor, knead a couple times, cut, and bake! Easy-peasy!
Of course no sooner did I have this done than I spotted a NEJM report about the health benefits of whole grain. “The highest dietary fiber intake was associated with a 15% to 31% reduction in mortality, coronary heart disease (CHD), colorectal cancer, and type 2 diabetes… Higher whole grain intake provided similar benefits, while a low-glycemic-index diet did not.”
Sounds good to me!
What is White Whole Wheat Flour?
While you’re probably familiar with regular whole wheat flour, you may not know a lot about white whole wheat. Per King Arthur Baking, “White whole wheat is a type of wheat — just like Granny Smith is a type of apple. It’s 100% whole wheat; not a mixture of white and wheat flours, and certainly not bleached. Packed with fiber, proteins, vitamins, and minerals, it’s nutritionally equivalent to classic red wheat.”
Of course, we all have heard that whole wheat flour (with its inclusion of the wheat germ and bran plus no bleaching) is healthier. But its strong flavor can challenge your baking results–and this is where white whole wheat flour comes in. It has a flavor that falls between white and (red, aka regular) whole wheat, so works in some recipes where the regular wheat flavor is overwhelming.
And with no loss of nutrition—how good is that!
Now both types of whole wheat flours are heavier and not as high in gluten as white flour. This is why yeast breads (which need gluten) and cakes (which need lightness) usually are made with (at least some) all-purpose flour or even cake flour. But for a baked good like biscuits, white whole wheat is perfect!
Yes, it’s win-win time today!
Why You’ll Love This!
Tasty. Light, fluffy and buttery, biscuits are perfect topped with everything from honey to sausage gravy.
Healthier. I’ve been using white whole wheat (as well as regular whole wheat) flour for decades, err, years. And it still amazes me that it’s just as healthy as it’s darker cousin.
Special. Serve this at your breakfast or dinner table and see what happens. I’ll just have toast instead of that tasty biscuit said no one EVER!
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- White whole wheat flour. This provides nutrition and volume. You can use regular whole wheat flour or white four as well.
- Baking soda, baking powder. These help the biscuits rise and increase lightness.
- Salt. Salt is a flavor enhancer.
- Cold butter. This needs to be cold so that it stays in a crumb-like texture. This will create tiny steam pockets while baking that adds to lightness. For a vegan alternative, stick margarine can be used, but be sure it doesn’t get too soft.
- Buttermilk or yogurt. This moistens and flavors the biscuits. You can also use milk with 1 Tablespoon removed and replaced with lemon juice.
Special Tools
- No special tools required!
Step by Step Directions
Put flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a food processor and blend until combined. Add cubed butter and pulse until butter is broken down to pieces no larger than peas. Mixture should look almost sandy.
Add ¾ cups of buttermilk (or buttermilk substitute) and pulse until mixture almost comes together. Mixture will be clumpy, but shouldn’t feel dry. If it is very dry, you can add additional liquid a little at a time and briefly re-pulse. Dump mixture out on to floured surface and knead until it just comes together.
Form into 4 x 8 rectangle, then cut into 8 biscuits (or 6 if you’d like larger biscuits).
Place on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 400 F until slightly golden, about 15 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
How to Serve
White Whole Wheat Biscuits are a seriously versatile side and can work at any meal!
For a breakfast side, I like to serve them with butter and honey for a treat that is simple but delicious.
And don’t forget biscuits and gravy for a heartier breakfast. We just got back from a road trip out west where almost every hotel-with-breakfast served it. It’s a fun and tasty, and a great place to use a healthier biscuit.
And when it comes to snacking (or a vegetarian breakfast option), I love a whole wheat biscuit with peanut butter!
Finally, team them up with soup for a light lunch. Or pop them into a bread basket to use as a dinner side.
Who’s psyched now!
Variations and Special Diets
In truth, biscuits can actually handle the more intense flavor of regular whole wheat. Yes, I remember the first time I had them this way in a Colorado mountain diner–complete with orange juice serve in ice-filled mason jars. So crunchy-granola!
If you’d like to try biscuits with the conventional (red) whole wheat, this recipe will work, as is.
Leftovers
Epicurious tells of a diner that made all of their biscuits once a week, then kept them sealed in the refrigerator and reheated on a cool griddle. This make me a little nervous and I’d be checking for mold after 3-4 days. But mine would never last more than a day or two!
These whole grain biscuits can also be frozen, well-sealed. They should last at least a couple months and will keep longer in a deep freeze that is below 0F and not frost free.
Hearty White Whole Wheat Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 Tbsp cold butter cubed
- ¾ - 1 cup buttermilk or yogurt, or milk plus 1 T lemon juice
Instructions
- Put flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a food processor (see note). Blend until well combined.
- Add cubed butter and pulse until butter is broken down to pieces no larger than peas. Mixture should look almost sandy.
- Add ¾ cups of buttermilk (or buttermilk substitute) and pulse until mixture almost comes together. Mixture will be clumpy, but shouldn’t feel dry. If it is very dry, you can add additional liquid a little at a time and re-pulse.
- Dump mixture out on to floured surface and knead until it just comes together. Form into 4 x 8 rectangle, then cut into 8 biscuits (or 6 if you’d like larger biscuits).
- Place on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 400 F until slightly golden, about 15 minutes.
- Serve warm or cold.
Notes
Nutrition
Updated from original, published on Jan 20, 2019.
I made these biscuits this morning for the first time and loved the results! These are light and fluffy as promised! The only thing I would change would be the addition of 2 teaspoons of sugar. It’s a personal choice of and not necessarily everyones choice. Can’t wait to make these again! Thanks so much for many yummy mornings to come!
So glad you enjoyed Susan!
Outstanding recipe. Made them with lard instead of butter. Great texture/flavor. Used pastry cutter. Quick & simple. Will be a regular in our family! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed Diane! I’m using lard from our annual half pig for more and more lately. I hadn’t thought of biscuits and I love that idea! Recently I used frozen bacon grease (same pig) for a quiche crust and it was lovely! Thanks for commenting!
The thought of having one of your biscuits with honey with my morning cup of tea has me thinking of morning. 🙂
It is a tasty way to start the morning Karen 🙂
delicious with some honey butter!
Absolutely!
I’m liking the appeal of white whole wheat flour. It does sound like the best of both worlds! These biscuits look so good, Inger! The fact that they are healthier but not heavy on the wheat flavor is something I would want to try 🙂
Yes, and they come together so quickly that I have been making them a lot as a side lately!
I’ve just started baking with white whole wheat flour. I like it a lot, especially when combined with AP flour for yeast bread. I like the gentle wheat flavor! Next time I make biscuits, I will be making these!
It’s been a real game changer for me. It worked well for popovers too!
Inger I love these biscuits!! look wonderful! xo
Thanks Gloria!