I remember when I was a kid, one of my favorite jobs when helping with dinner was cutting biscuits. Part of it was that I always had an affinity for biscuits. It was my favorite bread side dish. Mom would sprinkle some flour on the counter and let me roll out the dough. Then, I would kneel on a chair at the table and take an upside down glass and cut the dough into circles. I liked the uniformity and neatness of the biscuit circles. At first, I would just stick the glass anywhere in the dough, but overtime I learned how to do it as close to the edge as possible so as to not have to roll the dough out so many times. Now, I’d say I’m a biscuit cutter to be reckoned with.
My mother’s health consciousness has evolved over the years, but even back then she would use half white flour and half wheat. Eventually she switched to all whole wheat flour. I still have a special place in my heart for biscuits. So now, I’m taking it a step further by creating a recipe that uses nutrient rich Spelt flour instead of wheat.
The good thing about all that childhood biscuit making, is that I’m pretty familiar with how biscuit dough should feel. So, although I couldn’t just substitute Spelt flour straight into the biscuit recipe, it didn’t take me very many attempts to get it right. The main difference I noticed was the need for more flour than usual. I first started by doing my mom’s recipe like usual but substituting Spelt flour in place of regular wheat flour. It was like soup. So I had to increase the flour and decrease the milk a little. This ratio will depend on altitude as well. So, pay attention to the consistency.
I hope you enjoy these biscuits. We certainly did. If you’ve got any littles in the house, maybe let them cut out the dough. You never know what could come of it!
Spelt Baking Powder Biscuits
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Coconut Oil (Or Butter)
- 1 Tsp Cream
- 1 Tsp Real Salt
- 3 Tbsp Sucanat or rapadura
- 3 Tbsp Baking powder
- 6 Cups Organic Spelt Flour
(or grind your own Organic Spelt Berries) - 1 Cup Cold Milk
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients except milk.
- Add milk, and mix until it pulls from the sides of the bowl and isn’t too sticky.
- Roll out onto floured surface until it’s about 1 inch thick.
- Cut into biscuits (3-inch diameter makes about 18 biscuits).
- Bake at 400° for 14-16 minutes.
Please let us know how your Spelt Baking Powder Biscuits turned out and share your feedback with us in the comments below.
If you love this recipe then you might also want to try these other recipes:
- Einkorn Parmesan Herb Crackers from Savor the Best
- White Einkorn Sandwich Bread Loaf
- Einkorn Cinnamon Breadsticks
Remember to share your Ancient Grains creations with us on social media using the hashtag #AncientGrainsRecipes and #GrandTetonAncientGrains. We can’t wait to see your culinary eye candy as you capture and share the beauty of your nutritious creations.
looking forward to making these 🙂 thanks
Are you supposed to be using whole grain spelt? Or would it be a sieved, bread flour type?
Hi Jim, I used whole grain for these, but you could sift it or use all-purpose spelt if you have it for something a little lighter.
Hello,
When altering a recipe to incorporate some freshly ground spelt into it along with some all purpose flour, do the other ingredients/rise times, ect require altering as well? I’m new to using freshly ground heritage wheats, and still trying to feel my way through the processes.
Thank you!
Sarah
Hi Sarah!
Good on you for experimenting.
If you are adding whole grain flour to a recipe that was developed for all-purpose flour, it is likely that adjusting the water and rise time will produce a better result. whole grain often needs more water and longer rise times than all-purpose flour. How much you neeed to adjust it depends on the recipe and which grain you are using. Trial and error are usually a big part on figuring out how to adjust recipes for whole flour.
Good luck!