Whole Wheat Biscuits (Fresh Milled Flour)
These Whole Wheat Biscuits (Fresh Milled Flour) bake up tall, soft, and golden. They’re the biscuits that surprise anyone who thinks whole wheat can’t be light and tender.
Looking for more Freshly Milled Flour recipes? Try our Whole Wheat Bread, Fresh Milled Flour Dinner Rolls, or Fudgy Spelt Brownies.
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Sometimes you just need a warm, soft biscuit to go with breakfast, soak up gravy, or split open with a little honey. These whole wheat biscuits are perfect for all of it!
I purposely make extra biscuits just so I can make this Biscuit Bread Pudding [RECIPE COMING]. It’s filled with cinnamon and chocolate chips and topped with warm caramel sauce. It’s soooo amazing!!!!!
What you’ll love about wheat biscuits
Recipe Ingredients:
You’ll need the following ingredients to make these fresh milled flour biscuits
- Freshly milled flour – soft white wheat flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Butter
- Buttermilk
- Maple syrup
Ingredient Notes:
- Freshly milled flour: I recommend soft white wheat for this recipe because it creates a lighter, more tender biscuit. Measure the flour after milling, not before.
- Butter: Keep it cold, then freeze it. Frozen butter, grated straight into the flour, is what gives these biscuits their rise and soft crumb.
- Buttermilk: Use it cold, straight from the fridge. Cold buttermilk helps keep the butter from softening too much before the biscuits hit the oven.
How to Make Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits with Freshly Milled Flour
STEP 1: Place the flour and butter in the freezer separately for 30 minutes. Freshly milled flour comes out warm from milling, and warm flour will soften the butter before you even start mixing, so both need to go in cold. If your flour is already cold from the refrigerator or freezer, you can skip chilling the flour and just freeze the butter.
Step 2: Preheat oven to 450°F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
Step 3: Using a box grater, grate the frozen butter into the flour mixture. Stir gently with a large silicone spoon.
Step 4: Stir the buttermilk and maple syrup together, then pour into the flour mixture. Stir just until a shaggy dough forms.
Step 5: Cover and refrigerate the dough for 12 to 15 minutes. This gives the bran time to hydrate and firms the butter back up.
Step 6: Turn the dough out onto a well floured counter or silicone mat. Pat into a rough rectangle, about 5×7 inches. Fold the top third down to the middle, then the bottom third up to the middle, turn, and pat back into a rectangle. Repeat this fold twice more, then pat into a final rectangle about 3/4 inch thick, smoothing the top lightly with a rolling pin.
Step 7: Cut biscuits with a 2 1/2-inch cutter, pressing straight down without twisting. Gather the scraps, pat back out, and cut again until all the dough is used.
Step 8: Arrange the biscuits on a baking sheet with a little space between them. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until the tops are golden and the biscuits have risen tall.
Step 9: While the biscuits bake, melt the butter for the drizzle. Brush it over the hot biscuits as soon as they come out of the oven.
How Do You Get Tall Biscuits with Fresh Milled Flour?
Keeping the butter cold is important for getting tall biscuits. I freeze and grate the butter so it’s evenly distributed throughout the dough, then refrigerate the dough for 12 to 15 minutes. This gives the freshly milled flour time to absorb the buttermilk while also firming the butter back up before shaping.
When folding and shaping the dough, handle it gently and avoid working in too much extra flour. Press the biscuit cutter straight down without twisting, then bake the biscuits right away.
PRO TIP:
Keep the dough thick when you pat it out, around 3/4″. If you start with thin dough, no amount of cold butter is going to give you a tall biscuit!
Storage and Reheating:
Storage: Store leftover biscuits in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Warm in a 300°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or microwave for 15 to 20 seconds.
Freezing: These freeze great! Freeze the baked biscuits for up to 3 months, then thaw at room temperature or warm them in a low oven straight from frozen.
Additions and Substitutions:
ADDITIONS:
- Shredded cheddar: Fold a cup into the dough after the butter is grated in for a cheesy biscuit.
- Fresh herbs: A tablespoon of chopped chives or rosemary folded into the dough works well too.
SUBSTITUTIONS:
- Buttermilk: I don’t recommend swapping in regular milk with lemon juice or vinegar for this recipe. Real buttermilk is thick, and that thickness matters here. Regular milk stays too thin even with an acid added, and you’ll notice the difference in the dough.
- Maple syrup: Honey works in the same amount, and either one is just there to round out the tang from the buttermilk, not to make the biscuits sweet.
FAQs about these Freshly Milled Flour Biscuits
Why did my biscuits turn out short and dense instead of tall? This usually means the butter wasn’t cold enough, or the dough wasn’t given the fold in step 6. Both of those are what create the steam pockets that push the biscuits up.
Can I make the dough ahead of time? Yes. Cut the biscuits, place them on a baking sheet, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. You can also freeze the cut biscuits and bake straight from frozen, adding a couple extra minutes to the bake time.
Do I have to use a box grater for the butter? I recommend it since it gives you those small, even shreds of butter that help the biscuits rise tall. A pastry cutter works in a pinch, but you’ll lose some of the height.
Do the biscuits have to touch before they go in the oven? Not exactly. A little gap between them is fine when you first place them on the pan. As they bake, they’ll puff up and spread just enough to touch their neighbors, which is what helps them rise tall instead of out.
What can I serve with these Wheat Biscuits?
These fresh milled biscuits are perfect for breakfast, dinner, or with a big pot of soup or chili. My twins love them warm with butter and honey, but they’re also perfect covered in Bacon Gravy or Tomato Gravy.
My favorite way to use them? Biscuit Bread Pudding. That dessert has won my heart!
Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups freshly milled soft white wheat flour (281g) plus extra for rolling out
- 1 tablespoon baking powder (11 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (3.5 g)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt (5 g)
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup buttermilk cold
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Topping
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
- Place the flour and butter in the freezer for 30 minutes. Skip if the flour is already cold.
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. 2 1/2 cups freshly milled soft white wheat flour (281g),1 tablespoon baking powder (11 g),1/2 teaspoon baking soda (3.5 g),3/4 teaspoon salt (5 g).
- Using a box grater, carefully grate the frozen butter into the flour mixture. Gently stir with a large silicone spoon. 6 tablespoons butter.
- Stir the buttermilk and maple syrup together, then pour into the flour mixture. Stir just until a shaggy dough forms. 1 cup buttermilk,1 tablespoon maple syrup.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 12 to 15 minutes. This gives the bran time to fully hydrate and firms the butter back up after handling.
- Turn the dough out onto a well floured counter. Pat into a rough rectangle, about 5×7 inches. Fold the top third down to the middle, then the bottom third up to the middle, turn, then pat back into a rectangle. Repeat this fold twice more, then pat into a final rectangle about 3/4 inch thick, smoothing the top lightly with a rolling pin.
- Cut biscuits with a 2 1/2-inch cutter, pressing straight down without twisting. Gather the scraps, pat back out, and cut again until all the dough is used.
- Arrange the biscuits on a baking sheet with a little space between them. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until the tops are golden and the biscuits have risen tall.
- While the biscuits bake, melt the butter. Brush it over the hot biscuits as soon as they come out of the oven.2 tablespoons butter.
Notes
Nutrition
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About Vicky Hadley
Vicky Hadley is a professional food photographer and creator behind Little Chef Within. As a mom of 6 boys, there’s always plenty of noise and plenty of food! She relies on filling meals to keep her crew happy and loves creating recipes that real families can count on.