Buzz
The pursuit of the perfect biscuit begins the same way every time—mixing together butter, flour, and liquid—but the results can vary greatly. While dry, crunchy biscuits occasionally make an appearance, the more frequent disappointment is a tough, rubbery biscuit, which happens when the dough is overworked. You don’t have to be a seasoned southern baker to get tender results, though. Even if you tend to play around with your dough for too long, there’s a solution. Swap out the traditional gluten-heavy flour for oat flour to create a softer biscuit.
Oat flour creates a softer, more delicate texture
When making tender biscuits—or any type of pastry, really—the goal is to control gluten development. While gluten is essential for structure, helping the pastry hold shape, maintain air pockets, and support leavening, it’s a delicate balance. If the dough is underworked, it won’t have enough gluten to hold together, leading to dry, crumbly pastry. Overwork it, and the gluten becomes too tough, removing flakiness, height, and the ability to bite through with ease.
To create a less finicky biscuit recipe, I opted to reduce the gluten content by replacing a significant portion of all-purpose flour with oat flour. This change cuts down gluten by approximately 87%, meaning you don't have to stress over every stir or worry about over-folding. While there are various gluten-free flour alternatives, I prefer oat flour here because it yields results similar to all-purpose flour, with a mild oat flavor and a charmingly lumpy texture. Other gluten-free flours, derived from beans or starchy roots, can introduce off-flavors, chewy textures, or require multiple additional ingredients. Oat flour offers a straightforward 1:1 ratio, and you can easily make it by blending old-fashioned oats in a food processor for two minutes.
Just to clarify, this is not a fully gluten-free recipe; it’s more of a low-gluten version. If you're sensitive to gluten or have restrictions, this might not be the biscuit for you. However, if you enjoy oats or struggle with overworking your dough, this could be perfect. While oat flour has better binding properties than many other gluten-free alternatives, due to its starches, it still needs a bit of help. A quarter cup of all-purpose flour is included in the dough to give it structure, along with a dash of cornstarch.
How to prepare oat flour biscuits
The process for making this biscuit dough mirrors the method for traditional buttermilk biscuits.
1. Begin by combining the dry ingredients.
Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and stir them together until they’re fully mixed. Then, add in the cold butter, cut into chunks.
2. Incorporate the fat
Cut the butter using your preferred method—whether by breaking it up, pinching it, using a pastry cutter, cutting with two knives, or grating it—until it’s roughly the size of edamame, or slightly smaller. However, make sure the pieces don’t get any smaller than peas.
3. Add the wet ingredients and shape the dough into biscuits
Pour in the buttermilk and mix it all together using a fork or a plastic bowl scraper until the mixture holds together. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and gently press it into a rectangle, about ½ inch thick. Fold it into thirds like a letter, then use a rolling pin to roll it out to a ¾-inch thickness. Finally, cut the dough into six biscuits using a round cutter or a knife.
4. Bake the biscuits
Brush the biscuits with an egg wash to create a golden crust, then bake them at 425°F for about 15 minutes. When done, the biscuits should be puffed up, golden brown on top, and firm to the touch. Let them cool for five minutes before enjoying.
These oat flour biscuits will fill your kitchen with a warm, toasty aroma that’s hard to place. It’s not quite oatmeal or granola, but the mix of oats and butter creates a deliciously caramelized, nutty scent. The biscuits themselves are incredibly tender, and with just a little pressure, you can peel off a crispy layer. They’re not sweetened because I enjoy the option to add an egg on top, but if you prefer a sweeter touch, you can mix in a tablespoon of sugar with the dry ingredients. For a cozy fall breakfast, top these biscuits with cinnamon-honey compound butter and a pinch of salt.
Oat Flour Biscuit Recipe: Tender and Delicious
Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups oat flour
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold butter (4 ounces)
4 ounces buttermilk
Egg wash (optional)
1. Preheat your oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Cut cold butter into chunks and add it to the dry mixture. Use your fingers or any tool you prefer to break and pinch the butter into the mixture until the butter pieces are about the size of unshelled edamame, but no smaller than peas.
3. Pour in the buttermilk and mix it using a fork until the dough holds together, leaving very little dry mixture at the bottom.
4. Lightly flour a surface and turn the biscuit dough onto it. Use your fingertips to gather any stray bits of dry flour. Press the dough into a rectangle that’s about ½-inch thick. Fold it like a letter to create three layers. Roll the dough out gently with a rolling pin, maintaining its rectangular shape, until it reaches about ¾-inch thickness.
5. Use a round biscuit cutter, or a knife to cut the dough into squares, and create six biscuits. Depending on your preference, you can bake the biscuits either with or without the leftover dough scraps on the lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of the dough with egg wash, but avoid letting it drip down the sides.
6. Bake the biscuits in a preheated 425°F oven for 15 minutes. They should come out golden brown on top, soft yet firm to the touch. Enjoy them warm or at room temperature with butter and honey, or top them with sausage gravy. These biscuits freeze well if wrapped tightly and can be kept for up to three months. To reheat, simply toast them in a 350°F oven for 5-10 minutes.
