Buttermilk Spelt Biscuits
/A simple, flaky buttermilk biscuit recipe with nutty spelt flour perfect for smearing with butter and jam. Plus, tips on how to cut butter into flour without a pastry cutter.
I have a running list on the Notes App on my phone where I jot down recipe lists and flavor ideas as they pop in my head. The word “biscuits” has been at the very top of that list for a long time. Everyone needs a good biscuit recipe and I realized that I didn’t have one here on the blog, so it’s time to remedy that.
Last summer, I was working in a restaurant that was known for these little pimento and cheddar biscuits served with chive butter. They were by far the most popular appetizer, making the biscuit-making process a daily project in the pastry kitchen. During slow periods of service, we prepped biscuit ingredients for the next day which often meant grating about 8 pounds of cold butter every night. Let me go ahead and tell you that doing this in a sticky, humid Florida kitchen was the opposite of fun. Because of this, I took a little hiatus from biscuit-making at home. But now, we’re back and I’m so happy to have biscuits in my freezer again.
an easy buttermilk biscuit recipe
The theme of these biscuits is simplicity. You could easily stir in some herbs or shredded cheese if that floats your boat, but I wanted to keep them fairly simple. This way, you can use them as the base for breakfast sandwiches or enjoy them sweet with some fruit or jam. We start by whisking together flours, baking powder, and salt and then cut in cold butter (see below for specifics). We’ll stir in some cold buttermilk and then gently laminate the dough to get those extra flaky layers. After a quick chill, the biscuits are rolled, cut, and baked until golden.
A hot take: I like to bake my biscuits in squares for a few reasons. 1) Wayyyy less rolling. With squares, you won’t be left with excess scraps that have to be pushed back together and re-rolled. These scraps are often overworked anyway resulting in tougher biscuits so we’re just leaving them behind all together. 2) You only need a sharp knife, no biscuit cutter or glass. Using a sharper tool will also help keep your tall, fluffy layers in tact. 3) I think they are more cohesive to breakfast sandwiches, that’s just personal opinion.
how to cut butter into flour
Often when working with pie doughs and biscuits, a recipe will tell you to “cut in the butter” which simply means to work cold butter into the flour until it’s broken down into small pieces. You can do this with a pastry cutter if you have one, but if not, no worries. You can also do this with two sharp knives, a fork, or even your fingertips.
Two Knives: If you choose to use two knives, simply place them in a criss-cross pattern and cut into the flour repeatedly until butter is broken down.
A Fork: Just use the back of a fork to smash and break up the butter into small pieces.
Your Fingertips: This is my preferred method because it uses the least amount of tools and I feel like I have better control over the final product. Simply place the butter cubes in the flour, toss to coat and then use your thumb and forefinger to smash the butter cubes flat. Then, you can go back and use your fingers to break the butter into smaller, pea-sized pieces, if needed.
And here’s a video of all of that if you’re a more visual learner! Whichever way you choose, just remember not to overwork the dough- you are aiming for butter pieces the size of peas or oatmeal, and remember to keep everything cold!
Buttermilk Spelt Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (60 g) spelt flour
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, cold
- 1 cup (227 g) buttermilk, cold
- 2 tbsp heavy cream or egg wash, for brushing
- Flaky salt
- 1 tsp flaky salt
Instructions
- Cut butter into cubes and freeze while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, spelt flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until butter is broken down into pea and oatmeal-sized pieces.
- Make a well in the center of the bowl and add the buttermilk. Use your hands to toss the mixture together until all of the flour has been hydrated, the buttermilk is mixed in, and a shaggy dough begins to form. Turn the dough onto a clean work surface and gently knead the dough, just until it comes together in a rough rectangle.
- Pat the dough into a rectangle 1” thick. Fold the dough in half and then pat it back down to 1”. Turn the dough 90° and repeat the fold, patting the dough back into a rectangle about 1” in thickness. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 20-30 minutes.
- While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Unwrap the dough and use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 12 even pieces. Place biscuits on your prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with heavy cream (or egg wash). Bake for 14-16 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the bottoms are deeply browned.
- Remove the biscuits from the oven, brush them with melted butter, and sprinkle with flaky salt. Enjoy warm with lots of butter.
Notes:
You can leave out the spelt flour use just all purpose flour for this recipe without an issue. You could also easily substitute whole wheat flour or rye flour in place of the spelt.
