Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits

Biscuits are most certainly not a health food and they don't magically become one by whole wheat flour.  However, I also won't deny that I love increasing the nutrition in dishes whenever I can.  I also really like the heartiness that whole wheat adds.

I've made these biscuits twice now and they are a fast, fairly simple way to add a side dish to a meal.  I also love them as a snack or for breakfast with some honey.  Jam would also be great and, of course, you can't go wrong with a smear of butter on top.  I definitely want to use them in a chicken and biscuits recipe sometime in the future, too!

PS - I froze half of these.  When I wanted to cook them, I preheated the oven to 400, placed the frozen biscuits on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and baked them for about 12-15 minutes.  It worked beautifully! I can't wait to load up my freezer with more biscuits for an easy side dish or breakfast.

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits
Taken from: For the Love of Cooking
Makes 12 biscuits

• 1 1/4 cups of whole wheat flour
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 5 tbsp butter
• 3/4 cup of low fat buttermilk (I use leftover whey from making yogurt)
• 1 1/2 tbsp honey

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silpat mat or parchment paper.
2. Combine the flours, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles course meal. Place into the refrigerator for 10 minutes to chill. In a smaller bowl, combine the buttermilk and honey and whisk until well blended. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until mixed.
3. Place the dough on a well floured surface and knead 4-5 times (it may help to have your hands lightly covered in flour as well). Roll the dough into a 9 x 5 inch rectangle using a rolling pin. Dust the top with flour then fold the dough crosswise into thirds (like folding a letter to fit into an envelope). Re-roll the dough into a 9 x 5 rectangle, dust the top with flour, and fold the dough crosswise into thirds again. Gently roll or pat the dough into a 3/4 inch thickness and cut with biscuit cutter to form biscuits. (I used the rim of a small glass that was dipped in flour to cut the biscuits and some people commented that they simply cut the biscuits into squares with a knife.) Place dough rounds 1 inch apart on the baking sheet.
4. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown. Cool two minutes on a wire rack.  Serve warm.