If you are a fan of the super-popular swim biscuits, or even if you have not tried them, you will love this blueberry-filled variation! Biscuit dough packed with fresh blueberries is spooned on top of melted butter until it's "swimming" in a buttery pool, then baked until crispy on the bottom and light and fluffy on the inside!
I must say that I adore swim biscuits because they are so easy to prepare and the buttery crust that forms on the bottom when baked! These swim biscuits are made with whole wheat flour, which gives them a nutty, graham cracker-like flavor that pairs beautifully with the fresh blueberries!
Table of Contents
- Ingredients You Need To Make This Recipe
- How To Make This Recipe
- What Are Butter Swim Biscuits?
- Variations and Substitutions
- What Pan Works Best For Swim Biscuits
- Make-Ahead and Storing Instructions
- A Few Tips For Making These Biscuits
- Recommended Tools For This Recipe
- More Fluffy Biscuit Recipes You Will Love!
- 📖 Recipe
Ingredients You Need To Make This Recipe
- ½ cup unsalted butter. This recipe calls for one stick of unsalted butter. Cold butter right out of the refrigerator works fine. The butter will get melted in the oven.
- 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour. Whole wheat flour gives these biscuits a nutty, graham cracker-like flavor. You can also use all-purpose flour if you like. You will just need to use less buttermilk. I recommend good quality flour such as Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour.
- 1 tablespoon baking powder. Baking powder is the leavening agent that is used to make the biscuits rise. Make sure your baking powder is no more than six months old. Old baking powder can affect the texture of the biscuits and cause them to turn out dense.
- ¼ cup granulated sugar. Sugar is added to the biscuit dough to give it a slight sweetness which really brings out the flavor of the fresh blueberries.
- 1 teaspoon salt. A small amount of salt brings out the flavors of the other ingredients.
- 2 ¼ cups buttermilk. Buttermilk gives the biscuits a delicious tanginess and helps them bake up tender. You can use whole fat or low-fat buttermilk. If you are baking with all-purpose flour you only need 2 cups of buttermilk.
How To Make This Recipe
- Preheat your oven to 450°F. Melt ½ cup, or one stick, of unsalted butter in an 8 x 8 baking pan in the oven. If the butter browns slightly it is fine but be careful not to burn the butter.
- Meanwhile, add the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Whisk the ingredients together until combined.
- Add the blueberries and the buttermilk to the bowl with the flour and use a wooden spoon to mix until just combined, or until all of the flour is moistened and the blueberries are folded in. The batter will be wetter than a typical biscuit batter.
- Spoon the batter into the baking pan with the melted butter and spread it out with your wooden spoon. The butter will spill over the top of the biscuit dough. Use a spatula to cut nine squares into the biscuit dough. This helps with cutting and serving the biscuits after they are baked.
- Bake the biscuits in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they are golden brown on top. Serve the biscuits warm or at room temperature.
What Are Butter Swim Biscuits?
If you are a fan of a good biscuit you are going to LOVE butter swim biscuits! Swim biscuits are biscuits that are cooked in a pool of butter (hence, the name "swim biscuits"), which give them a crispy exterior and a soft, fluffy interior.
Although butter swim biscuits have been around for quite a while, they have become really popular as of late. They are really easy to make and are the perfect option for someone who may find traditional biscuit making intimidating. Not to mention, they are packed with delicious buttery flavor!
Variations and Substitutions
Most butter swim biscuit recipes are made with all-purpose flour, and these can certainly be made with all-purpose flour if you prefer. Just be sure and use only 2 cups of buttermilk in the dough if you are using all-purpose flour. Whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid than all-purpose flour.
Feel free to use other kinds of berries in these biscuits. Try these biscuits with some of the following suggestions:
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Cranberries
What Pan Works Best For Swim Biscuits
An 8 x 8 glass or metal baking pan works best for these biscuits. I like to use a square metal baking pan to get even-shaped squares. I also find that the edges get crispier in the metal pan.
Make-Ahead and Storing Instructions
Because this biscuit dough is wetter than traditional buttermilk biscuit dough, I would not recommend making the dough ahead of time.
You can, however, bake the biscuits a day ahead of time, allow them to cool completely, then wrap them and store them in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Just reheat the biscuits in the oven, but be careful not to overcook them.
Leftover biscuits can be stored in a zip-top bag or an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
A Few Tips For Making These Biscuits
- Whole wheat flour does not make these biscuits dense. Whole wheat flour gets a bad wrap for making baked goods dense, but these biscuits turn out tender and fluffy!
- If you do substitute all-purpose flour, be sure and use ¼ cup less buttermilk. Whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid than all-purpose flour.
- Use buttermilk for the best flavor and texture. Buttermilk gives the biscuits a delicious tanginess and helps them remain tender. You can substitute regular whole milk, but you will need slighly less as it is not as thick.
- Make sure your baking powder is no more than six months old. Old baking powder can affect the texture of the biscuits and cause them to turn out dense.
Recommended Tools For This Recipe
More Fluffy Biscuit Recipes You Will Love!
- Strawberry Buttermilk Biscuits
- Sun-Dried Tomato, Cheddar and Herb Biscuits
- Honey and Thyme Sweet Potato Biscuits
- Cranberry Buttermilk Biscuits
📖 Recipe
Blueberry Butter Swim Biscuits
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter unsalted, one stick
- 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 2 ¼ cups buttermilk whole or lowfat
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450°F. Melt ½ cup, or one stick, of butter in an 8 x 8 baking dish in the oven. If the butter browns slightly it is fine but be careful not to burn the butter.
- Meanwhile, add the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Whisk the ingredients together until combined.
- Add the blueberries and the buttermilk to the bowl with the flour and use a wooden spoon to mix until just combined, or until all of the flour is moistened and the blueberries are folded in. The batter will be wetter than a typical biscuit batter.
- Spoon the batter into the baking pan with the melted butter and spread it out with your wooden spoon. The butter will spill over the top of the biscuit dough. Use a spatula to cut nine squares into the biscuit dough. This helps with cutting and serving the biscuits after they are baked.
- Bake the biscuits in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until they are golden brown on top. Serve the biscuits warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- You can use all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat. Just use ¼ cup less buttermilk in the dough.
- Leftover biscuits can be stored in a zip-top bag or an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Rick
2 1/2 cups flour. 2 1/4 cups buttermilk?
It is thinner than pancake batter.
There is no cutting the dough with a spatula. It’s liquid.
It’s not a dough. It’s a loose batter.
Was this recipe even tested?
Ashley Boyd
Hi Rick, Yes this recipe was tested and the measurements are correct. Did you use whole wheat flour? Whole wheat flour absorbs much more liquid than all-purpose flour. If you used all-purpose flour, you will need less milk but not much less. This is a very wet dough but definitely not the liquid consistency you are describing.
Colleen
Could I use almond flour?
Ashley Boyd
Hi Colleen, I have not tested this recipe so I would not be able to tell you if it would work the same. If you try the recipe with almond flour please let me know how they turn out!