Yes, I teach online classes in traditional cooking and fermentation, sourdough, cultured dairy and cheese. Yes, I’ve had lots of practice at those things! Still, I know that I am a facilitator of kitchen-transforming information, rather than an expert. I am always learning something from others here on the blog or in the classes, and I’m grateful for every bit of advice and encouragement you all share.
Brandi, an eCourse member, taught me how to fold biscuits. Her folding technique creates the most luscious layers! She sprinkles the leavenings on the dough and works them in by folding the dough over on itself about 15 times. She also cuts her biscuits much thicker than I do — yielding biscuits that are 2+ inches thick! They are a sight to behold; she shared a picture on our forums. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us, Brandi. My biscuits will never be the same again. 
The following recipe is for buttermilk biscuits, and the directions include Brandi’s folding method. I shared this recipe in the traditional buttermilk and sour cream lesson of the Cultured Dairy and Basic Cheese eCourse. These biscuits are family favorites; each time I serve them, my husband declares they’re the best biscuits ever. A declaration like that is worth its weight in gold!
As you may know, I’m partial to spelt flour, so that’s my first choice for these biscuits; whole wheat pastry flour is a close second. Feel free to use hard wheat (red or white) but the biscuits will be more dense.
Soaked Buttermilk Biscuits
- 6 to 8 tablespoons cold butter or solid coconut oil
- 2-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or 2-3/4 cups spelt flour (cannot be warm from grinding)
- 3/4 cup+ buttermilk (preferably whole milk buttermilk with active cultures)
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Cut fat into flour. Mix with buttermilk to a dough that is just wet enough to hold together. Don’t overmix. Cover. Let soak for 8 to 12 hours at room temperature.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Sprinkle on leavenings and salt, and fold over repeatedly to incorporate, without overmixing. Flour a cutting surface. Roll dough out to a 3/4” thick rectangle. Cut into squares. Put on baking trays. Bake for 8 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with butter.
Have you tried the folding technique with biscuits? If you give it a try, let me know in the comments how yours turn out!
About Wardee Harmon
My only thought is to add a bit of baking soda just before you shape the loaves. I...
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Two hard 'g's and stress the middle syllable. 
How many tablespoons of fat?
Shelley recently posted… Free is good!
Oops! Somehow that got deleted! 6 to 8 tablespoons.
Looks a lot like my biscuit recipe! Why do you use pastry flour?
Sylvia recently posted… Homekeeper’s Journal 3-8-11
Sylvia — I actually prefer spelt. But whole wheat pastry flour is so light and fluffy — much like white flour. So it works great for more delicate baked goods like biscuits, cookies, muffins, and things where you don’t necessarily want a dense texture.
I love spelt the best because it ends up delicate for things like biscuits, but it also makes great hearty bread.
Isn’t it a joy to have the appreciation of your husband? Mine is a food-hound, so he pretty much loves everything that I make. It’s when I make things that he says, “THIS is better than my MeeMaw (his grandmother) made!” THAT’S when I know I’m onto something good. The biscuits we learned to make in the fundamentals class are among the honored items, and I didn’t know it, but was making the folded layers because that’s just how I mix stuff in. Since the time I worked that lesson, I always made them a little thicker, and OH MY how wonderful they are!!! Thanks for sharing the buttermilk version!
Dani — Now that is high praise if you’re exceeding MeeMaw!
I used half buttermilk and half yogurt, freshly ground and cooled whole spelt flour, and 7 T of Melt (a coconut oil blend). I had to increase the baking time to 17 minutes at which point they were perfect. (This discrepancy may have been because I was using the convection option on my microwave because my regular oven is down.)
I thought they were great tasting except for a little too salty, so next time I’ll use1/2 t. salt and 1/4 t. soda. I’ll definitely be making these again!
Shelley recently posted… Free is good!
Ooh, good feedback! We do like ours a bit salty.
My husband just told me he likes them the way I made them so I guess I won’t be changing that recipe!
Shelley recently posted… Free is good!
I have tried several soaked biscuit recipes and almost gave up until I saw these. Am definitely going to give these a try this weekend and let you know how it goes. I grew up in the South, so biscuits are like their own food group – ha ha! I have been using sprouted spelt flour to replicate my grandma’s biscuits, but sprouted flour is much more expensive. Can’t wait to give your recipe a try! Blessings, Kelly @ The Nourishing Home
Kelly — Oh, the pressure!
I hope this one will live up to your expectations. Let me know, either way — okay?
I’ve made these biscuits using the fold technique and my family loved them as well, especially my older son Peter, age 12. I’m looking forward to trying it again soon since I’ve, as of recent, been able to tolerate spelt (PRAISE THE LORD!!)! I did bite into one when I made them. I spit it out since I was still reactive at the time, but was impressed at the light texture which I do not usually associate with whole grain products. I’m thinking spelt is my favorite grain now since this may open new doors for me in terms of nutrition for me and my family while satisfying my family’s desire for light soft baked goods. The buttermilk ingredient in this recipe gives me a place to use up the buttermilk leftover from buttermaking, so it’s a win-win recipe. I’m SO grateful you shared this one Wardee and Brandi!
Pam
Pam — Of course I love hearing that someone else likes spelt best!
And yes, Praise the Lord, that you’re tolerating it!
It makes me so happy that everyone likes the folding technique! Thanks Wardee for mentioning me.
Brandi — This is seriously one of the best things I’ve learned in the kitchen. Thank YOU!
Can’t wait to try these! They sound fantastic.
Meg — I hope you like them.
Shalom Wardee,
How many biscuits does this recipe make?
Is there any chance of getting to see a (free) video demonstration of Brandi’s folding technique? I am a visual learner
Pweeze??
I have the flour, butter and dairy kefir resting right now and I’ll bake them off in the morning. I used hard white wheat. I’m excited to see how they turn out! Thank you for the recipe!
~~IN Messiah Yeshua,
Vickilynn
C. 6:8
Vickilynn — Let’s see! It really depends on how thick you roll them out and how big you cut them.
I end up with between 12 and 18.
Thanks for the video suggestion!
I hope your biscuits turn out lovely!
Shalom Wardee (and Brandi),
OK, hands down, these are the BESTEST whole-grain biscuits I have EVER made, period!
Thank you for the great recipe Wardee and thank you Brandi for the fantastic technique! (I’m still not sure I did it right and hope one day to see a video of it! (hint – hint, LOL!), but it WORKED!
These babies rose high and light and hubby said they were “fantastic” and “the best.”
Thanks again!
~~IN Messiah Yeshua,
Vickilynn
C. 6:8
Vickilynn recently posted… Vickilynn back on the radio!
Vickilynn — That’s awesome!!!!
Vickilynn– I am so glad you and your husband enjoyed your biscuits!
I can’t wait to try these. Thanks!!
Marci recently posted… No Naked Sheep Yet!!
Many thanks for sharing the recipe!
Writing my shopping list…
Item 1 – Whole wheat and spelt flour (will try both ways)
Item 2 Buttermilk…
I very much enjoy reading your posts!
Blessings,
Patricia Jones recently posted… Singing in the Rain- Treasures and Dreaming
Didn’t know if people knew how to culture their own milk with buttermilk so that you don’t always have to buy buttermilk…..basically, if you put about a cup of cultured buttermilk in a quart jar and then fill with milk, shake it up and let it sit on your counter, it will culture and make you more buttermilk!
Debra — That’s right!
And we also teach it in the Cultured Dairy eCourse: http://gnowfglins.com/ecourse/127.html
Does this mean you can use buttermilk from the store to start your own buttermilk culture? (add 1 c storebought buttermilk and fill jar with regular milk?)
Rhonda — Yes, you can. The buttermilk must have active cultures and it may not rebatch forever. But, yes, you can do this! Also — don’t use UHT (ultra-pasteurized) milk as it won’t support a culture.
Cool! Can’t wait to try it
How long does homemade buttermilk last in the fridge? (I will be using fresh raw milk)
I made these for breakfast today and they were tasty! I had been looking for a whole-grain biscuit that everyone in the family would like and now I have one! Only one question–when do you add the salt? I actually forgot to add the salt because it wasn’t in the directions, so they turned out a bit bland. Thanks for sharing!
This recipe can be gluten free, too! I just used 8.5 ounces of Gluten Free Girl’s whole grain flour blend and followed the rest of the directions as listed. ( http://glutenfreegirl.com/gluten-free-whole-grain-muffins/ )
Oh man, they are GOOD. Someone should probably take them away from me before I eat the whole batch…
We LOVE these biscuits! I made them for breakfast this morning and my husband couldn’t stop praising their pure goodness!!! I’m thinking they’d be great as a roll substitute at dinner too!
P.S. I used one cup of fresh ground (My husband bought me a Golden Grain Grinder for Christmas!!. . . oooh and thanks for your tips on food dehydrators! My Excalibur is on it’s way! I gift from my dad. I’m so thankful for God’s many blessings!) and one and a half of Bob’s Whole Wheat (still trying to use up what I’ve had- waste not, want not). Still turned out fabulous. Just thought I’d share for those who were worried about having the exact flour. =)
Why are these soaked if you use sprouted flour?
Pamela — I’m not using sprouted flour here? Please tell me where you got that impression so I can correct it.
Sorry, my mistake. I saw “spelt” and “not warm from grinding”, and assumed sprouted, too, because that’s what I’ve been doing this past few days…grinding sprouted spelt! LOL!
I am learning so much from you Wardee! I Would love to try these with coconut milk, because I am not supposed to have dairy. Would I use coconut milk and apple cider vinegar so it can soak overnight?
Kristie — Go for it!
Vickilynn– I am so glad you and your husband enjoyed your biscuits! Sylvia — I actually prefer spelt. Just thought I’d share for those who were worried about having the exact flour. Also — don’t use UHT (ultra-pasteurized) milk as it won’t support a culture.
Oh my word…these are the best biscuits I’ve made using fresh ground flour. The spelt worked wonderfully, WAY better than the soft white wheat! I used kefir because it’s what I had on hand. These biscuits are so light and fluffy!
I made these with fresh ground white wheat, butter, and plain yogurt/milk mixture (I live in China and have to use what I can find) and they were amazing! Better than any white flour biscuits I’ve ever had! Thanks so much for the yummy recipe.
I used half buttermilk and half yogurt, freshly ground and cooled whole spelt flour, and 7 T of Melt (a coconut oil blend). I had been looking for a whole-grain biscuit that everyone in the family would like and now I have one! Please tell me where you got that impression so I can correct it.