Re: I need a good whole wheat buttermilk biscuit recipe

Recipe: Whole-grain buttermilk biscuits

Dietitian's tip: Buttermilk is made by adding special bacteria to fat-free or low-fat milk to give it more texture and a tangy taste. It may seem like buttermilk is high in fat, but in fact, most varieties aren't.
MAKES 16 BISCUITS
Ingredients

1 cup whole-wheat (whole-meal) flour
3/4 cup all-purpose (plain) flour, plus extra for kneading
3 tablespoons wheat germ
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup low-fat buttermilk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Have ready an ungreased nonstick baking sheet.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to blend. Add the butter to the flour mixture. With a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the buttermilk and stir just until a moist dough forms. Don't overmix. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a generously floured work surface and, with floured hands, knead gently for 6 to 8 times until smooth and manageable.

Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle 1/2-inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut out biscuits. Cut close together for a minimum of scraps. Gather the scraps and roll out to make additional biscuits.

Place the biscuits about 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Bake until the biscuits rise to twice their unbaked height and are lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Nutritional Analysis
(per serving)
Serving size: 1 biscuit
Calories 77 Monounsaturated fat 1 g
Protein 3 g Cholesterol 6 mg
Carbohydrate 11 g Sodium 142 mg
Total fat 3 g Fiber 1 g
Saturated fat 1 g


Source: This recipe is one of 150 recipes collected in The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook, published by Mayo Clinic Health Information and Oxmoor House, and winner of the 2005 James Beard award.

By Mayo Clinic Staff
June 30, 2006