Flaky Whole Wheat Biscuits

The first time I cried in medical school. Not about grades — about a patient. We started clinical observation this week, shadowing at the children's hospital, and I watched a four-year-old with sickle cell have a pain crisis and the mother's face was the face of every mother I wrote about in my capstone — a face that has learned to be calm when calm is impossible, a face that knows the ER wait will be long and the pain will not wait.

I went home and made gumbo at midnight. The stirring was the processing. MawMaw Shirley's gumbo, in the small kitchen, at midnight, sixty miles from Baker, stirring through tears because the child was in pain and the mother was exhausted and the system was slow and I am not yet a doctor but I will be and when I am I will remember this child and this mother and this midnight gumbo that I made because cooking is how I hold what I cannot fix.

I didn’t have MawMaw Shirley’s full gumbo recipe memorized yet — I’m still learning it, still calling her for the proportions — but I had her biscuits, the ones she made to go alongside, and that midnight I made those too, because my hands needed something to do and the warmth of the oven felt like her kitchen in Baker. These Flaky Whole Wheat Biscuits are close to what she makes: simple, sturdy, honest — the kind of bread that asks nothing of you except that you show up and do the work, which is exactly what I needed to believe I could still do.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 14 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 12 biscuits

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 cup cold buttermilk, plus 1 tablespoon for brushing

Instructions

Preheat. Position a rack in the upper third of your oven and preheat to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt until evenly combined.
Cut in the butter. Add the cold butter cubes to the flour mixture. Using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized butter pieces remaining. Do not overwork — those cold butter pockets are what create the flaky layers.
Add the buttermilk. Pour in 3/4 cup cold buttermilk and stir with a fork just until the dough comes together. It will look shaggy and slightly sticky — that’s right.
Shape the dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat it into a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle. Fold it in thirds like a letter, then pat it out again. Repeat the fold once more. This builds the layers. Pat the final dough to 3/4-inch thickness.
Cut the biscuits. Using a floured 2-inch round cutter, press straight down (do not twist) and cut out biscuits. Re-pat scraps once to cut additional rounds. Place biscuits on the prepared baking sheet with sides just touching for soft edges, or spaced 1 inch apart for crispier sides.
Brush and bake. Brush the tops lightly with the remaining tablespoon of buttermilk. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the tops are golden and the biscuits have risen and separated into layers. Serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Flaky Whole Wheat Biscuits — The Comfort MawMaw Left Behind