lemon poppy seed biscuits
In true Girl Versus Dough fashion, I bring these lemon poppy seed biscuits to you only six to eight months after I first thought of them. They’ve been in my phone’s Notes and in my hopes and dreams every day since then, and now here they are, just for you, just in time for Christmas breakfasts and brunches and other holiday get-togethers where biscuits are always welcome.
To be honest, I was waiting so long because I wanted to make them with a very special flour, one that I’ve been wanting to bake with for, like, years now. So to say these biscuits have been a long time coming is a grand understatement. But they were so worth the wait.
See, I first heard about Bob’s Red Mill’s organic Ivory Wheat flour when I visited their facility a couple years ago, but didn’t have a chance to get it in my hands until very recently. It’s a 100% whole grain, stone-ground flour made from organic hard white wheat berries. It’s creamy in color and yields a texture and flavor in baked goods that is lighter than regular whole wheat flour. In short, you get the nutrition of whole wheat flour without the added density and bitterness — two reasons a whole wheat biscuit is a hard thing to come by (especially one that tastes good, anyway). So when I set out to make these lemon poppy seed biscuits, lightly sweet and full of tender, fluffy yet whole-wheat promise, I had high hopes.
Those hopes were met, and then some.
You guys, I cannot believe how well these turned out. They are every bit as light and tender as a biscuit made with regular flour. The tartness of the lemon and the crunch of the poppy seeds is a perfect pairing to the sweetness from the sugar and the flour. Then you brush butter on top and sprinkle them with a pinch of sea salt for even more sweet-salty-flavorful-heavenly-bites-ness. My descriptive vocabulary has improved over the years, I know. I try to stay humble about it.
Perhaps the most pleasantly surprising aspect of this biscuits, above all (yes, even the sweet-salty-flavorful-heavenly-bites-ness), is that they tasted just as good straight from the oven, at room temperature the next day and reheated from frozen the day after that. In fact, I’ve been reheating ones from the freezer every morning for breakfast and they are still fluffy, light and deliciously sweet-salty-buttery. I can hardly believe it. In a time when we are moving, unpacking, settling into a new home, trying to get ready for another baby and a whole host of other exciting-but-stressful events, the fact that these biscuits never fail me is a small but meaningful comfort. My belly agrees.
Whether you make these biscuits for the weekend, for Christmas, for yourself because you just want a biscuit and you want it right now (kindred spirits, you and me), you should definitely give these a go. Don’t wait as long as I did to make them a reality.
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Lemon Poppy Seed Biscuits
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 16 biscuits 1x
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill organic Ivory Wheat flour, plus more for shaping
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter — 10 tablespoons chilled and cubed, 2 tablespoons melted
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 cup cold buttermilk
- Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Arrange oven rack in lower third of oven. Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
- In large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt to combine. Add chilled, cubed butter and, using pastry blender or 2 knives, cut butter into flour mixture until butter is size of small peas. Stir in lemon zest and poppy seeds. Stir in buttermilk until mixture is just moistened.
- Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface. Very gently knead dough 2 to 3 times just until it comes together. Pat dough into roughly 1/2-inch-tall square. Cut into 16 2 1/4-inch squares. Transfer to baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt, if desired. Chill in refrigerator 10 minutes.
- Bake biscuits 18 to 20 minutes until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm.
Disclosure: I received compensation from Bob’s Red Mill for recipe development purposes. All opinions are my own.
LOL!! I laughed at the first sentence, because I do the exact same thing! I’ll conceptualize a recipe then post it like, a year later. #foodbloggerproblems, right? 😉
Looks delicious. Can we make them with regular flour? Thanks!
Sarah — Lol! So glad I’m not alone. 😉
Karen — Sure can!
Thanks for share those recipe. I just start a new blog related to food and recipe. I am hoping your tips will help me to make some good visitor.
Glad we finally get to see this! These biscuits sound amazing!
Looks so delicious. These biscuits sound impressive!
Can these be made gluten free?
Suzy — I think a GF all-purpose flour could work well with these biscuits, yes!
Hi, you said you were waiting for this flour to come out? Is this the white wheat flour that I’ve been seeing in the markets for the past years? Or is this something new Bob Red Mill Brand just come out with? It’s made with white wheat berries, just like the one I was have been buying. I like the white wheat flour, I make pizza dough with I just never heard it called Ivory wheat, just white wheat. I love the flavor of lemon poppy seed! Thank You.
Yum. Lemon Poppy Seed anything, and scones are the best-est of the best!