Buckwheat flour gives these light, fluffy buckwheat biscuits great nutty flavor and a nutritional boost as well!
I’m like a kid in a sandbox when it comes to playing with all the different textures and flavors of whole grain flours. And if you’re only used to lily white biscuits (good for sure) you’re going to be blown away by these buckwheat biscuits. Still soft, still flaky, but with so much more flavor. And how cool to get that nutritional boost as a little freebie benefit ~ I’ll take it!
My buckwheat biscuits are made with a ratio of 1 part buckwheat to 2 parts white flour. The dough has a rich gray color with black specks (the ground up hulls of the buckwheat seed) running through it. It deepens as it cooks and the distinctive specks are beautiful. These are tender and amazing and the flavor is warm and nutty ~ perfect for fall soups and stews ~ I literally can’t wait to have them with my Finnish Salmon Soup, or maybe my Split Pea Soup with Ham.
why bake with buckwheat?
Buckwheat flour is:
- higher in protein, fiber, and essential minerals like magnesium and manganese than all-purpose flour
- it has a lower glycemic impact ( more blood-sugar-friendly)
- buckwheat flour is gluten free and so makes baked goods extra tender
- aaaaand it gives these buckwheat biscuits a rich nutty flavor that AP flour can’t touch!
Buckwheat isn’t actually wheat at all, it’s a seed (called a groat) from a plant in the rhubarb and sorrel family! For a long time it’s mostly been tucked away in specialty food stores, but lately it’s sneaking back into the regular flour aisle, and I’m here for it (Thanks Bob’s Red Mill!)
food processor method for buckwheat biscuits (so easy!)
This same method can be used for other butter based biscuits and scones.
- Pulse dry ingredients in your processor to combine.
- Add cold butter, in pieces, and pulse/process until the butter is incorporated and the mixture is like coarse sand.
- Add the liquid ingredients and pulse/process until the moist dough comes together in a lump.
biscuit cutting tips
Use a sharp-edged metal cookie or biscuit cutter. Do not use a drinking glass or other blunt object.
Cut as many biscuits as you can from the first patting out of the dough. Reformed dough will yield denser buckwheat biscuits.
Cut straight down into the dough and lift straight back up. Do not rotate or twist the cutter because that can seal the edges of the biscuit and prevent a good rise.
Let your cut biscuits chill for about 15 minutes while you clean up. This will ensure they rise well in the oven.
buckwheat biscuit variations
Add 1/2 cup of finely chopped parsley (or a lesser amount of thyme or rosemary) to the dough along with the liquid ingredients.
Sub white whole wheat flour for the AP flour for a truly whole grain biscuit.
Top the biscuits with fennel, caraway, dill, or rye seeds before baking.
Sub maple syrup for the honey.
If you especially love soft biscuits you can bake them fitted into a pie plate or plates. Grease the pie pan and don’t fit them in too tightly, allowing room for them to rise and expand in the oven.
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Buckwheat Biscuits
Equipment
- Sheet pan
- parchment paper or silpat mat
- 2 1/2" biscuit cutter
Ingredients
- 2 cups AP flour
- 1 cup buckwheat flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 12 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces
- 1 1/4 cup cold buttermilk, shaken
- 2 Tbsp honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Put the dry ingredients in the bowl of your full sized food processor, and pulse to combine.
- Drop in the butter pieces and pulse/process to incorporate the butter and create a coarse crumbly texture. There should be no large chunks of butter remaining.
- Add the buttermilk and honey and pulse/process just until the moist dough comes together into a lump. This will happen quickly.
- Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and pat it into a fat disk, about 9", use floured hands if the dough is sticky.
- Cut out biscuits with a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. Cut them as close together as possible. You can gently reform the dough scraps to cut the rest of the biscuits. Place the biscuits in the refrigerator for 15 minutes while you clean up.
- Bake on parchment or silpat mat 2 inches apart for about 5 to 6 minutes until the biscuits start to rise, and then turn down the heat to 400 and bake another 8 to 10 minutes just until fully risen and lightly browned. Don't over bake! Note: I bake my biscuits in two batches for more even baking.
- Enjoy your biscuits warm or at room temperature. They will last covered on the counter for a couple of days, or they can be frozen for up to 3 months. A quick 15 seconds in the microwave will revive a leftover biscuit.
Notes
Nutrition
what we’re serving with buckwheat biscuits
Wonderful! I didn’t have parsley so I used cilantro, which we loved. I didnt’ have buttermilk so I used half whipping cream and half water for that. They are light and delicious! I did the first 6 minutes on 425 and then 8 more minutes on 400. They could have maybe gone the full 10 minutes at 400, but they were just starting to tan on the edges so I took them out. Thank you!
Great, thanks for the feedback Diane!
I used 1.5 cups each of Bob’s Red Mill buckwheat flour and King Arthur Flour unbleached all-purpose flour, I didn’t have buttermilk in the house, so I mixed sour cream and 2% milk to make 1.25 cups. These biscuits are very tender and crumbly and not everyone will go for these, but I thought they were wonderful. My husband isn’t into whole grains like I am, so he didn’t eat any…;more for me! ? I’ll freeze the extras.
Thanks for posting the recipe.
Thanks Mary Jo ~ I agree, they’re not everyone’s cup of tea, but I can’t get enough of the tender texture and that complex buckwheat flavor…yum!
I had left over buttermilk and was dying to use the buckwheat flour, so I googled and these came up. I used whole wheat flour instead of white, and I added a container of the *new* lightly dried basil I just found in Publix. They are very crumbly and fall apart easily but are so delicious and smell great. Thanks. I’m going to freeze them and see how they do. LB
I was just wondering if it makes a difference if using the oven at 450 Convection or just on 450 regular oven, I always seem to over bake.
I now recommend baking these biscuits at 425F, and if you have a convection oven you can drop that down to 400F. Hope this helps, and always feel free to adjust baking time to suit your specific oven, they cary so greatly.
Why the white flour? I’ve made buckwheat biscuits w/o the all-purpose flour. They tasted great.
You can definitely go that way too, Wallace. I like the lighter texture that you get from using both. But I agree, buckwheat flour has amazing flavor all by itself.
What do you think about using a blend of buckwheat and almond flour (trying to avoid white flour)
Thanks!
I’ve never tried almond flour in a biscuit Gina, but I worry that it would be dense, and not fluffy like a biscuit should be.
Can you use almond milk instead of buttermilk?
Sure Kristen.
I just made these completely gluten-free and dairy free. (My daughter is allergic.) My whole family loved them! These will be a staple bread for meals at our house…thanks so much for sharing!
That’s so great to know, if you happen to come back I’d love to know exactly how you did it, Kasonya 🙂
Great recipe, I made biscuits tonight!
I am crazy about buckwheat flour, love the flecks, love the flavor, it’s so tender, too.
I’ve yet to experiment with buckwheat, and I’m not quite sure why. Thanks for reminding me. These look great.
I don’t know why I never use buckwheat! Thanks for the inspiration !