In my new Vegan buttermilk Biscuits recipe, spoiler alert, I used Bobs Red Mill unbleached pastry flour. But I absolutely tested that recipe a few different ways and with specifically, two different flours. Including the famous White Lily brand. The results: they both created delicious biscuits with a few subtle differences. Im excited to share my views with you today…
Yes. You can substitute White Lily Traditional All-Purpose Flour for other all-purpose flours, but the lighter texture requires you to use more in the recipe. According to their website, every cup of all-purpose flour requires one cup and two tablespoons of White Lily Traditional All-Purpose Flour.
What Makes a Biscuit, the “best?”
I have to agree with the southern grandmas on this one. I do think that special, lower-gluten flour makes the best biscuits. And by “best” I mean super fluffy and light and melt-in-your-mouth buttery.
I used to make biscuits using only all-purpose flour and they definitely had a chewier texture and less fluffiness. Still delicious, but I do prefer a finer, lighter flour for biscuits.
But again, everyone has different tastes, and today Im just sharing mine.
Best Biscuit Flour Consensus
Do a little research online about how to make the best, authentically-southern biscuits and a flour brand war will start raging.
“You cant use just any flour,” is what most experts agree. And I generally agree on this as well.
But some biscuit experts agree that specific brands yield the best biscuits. One very popular/infamous biscuit flour brand is White Lily…
SouthernKitchen.com says, “Ask any Southern chef or sagacious biscuit grandma and you’ll hear a pattern emerge: they all swear by White Lily flour.”
However, one contrasting viewpoint comes in this article on NPR.org, that says maybe the flour isnt as important as everyone has always said. A common all-purpose flour could maybe, maybe work just as well. Chef Carla Hall said they did a little test in their kitchen, “..(made biscuits) with each type of flour and, surprisingly, the hard wheat flour won for both.”
Bread Making Tips with White Lily Flour
FAQ
What is White Lily flour best used for?
Can I use White Lily instead of cake flour?
What is the best brand of flour for baking cakes?
What’s so special about White Lily Flour?
Unlike other flours, White Lily is milled from the purest part of 100 percent soft red winter wheat, once grown primarily in Tennessee, Georgia, and the Carolinas, and has a lower protein and gluten content.
What can be used instead of white flour?
Instead of white flour, you can use whole wheat flour, add oats to the flour, or add seeds. You have to take into account that some recipes need white flour.
Is White Lily Flour good for biscuits?
Not only are they filled with more love and butter (or shortening), but more often than not, they’re also made with White Lily flour. While there are plenty of flour varieties to choose from, White Lily reigns above all else for Southern bakers and is the crème de la crème when it comes to the flour we use for any biscuit recipe .
Where can I buy White Lily Flour?
If you happen to live in a part of the country where White Lily flour is unavailable, you still have options. First, just order it off the internet. Big-box suppliers like Amazon can easily ship dry goods throughout the country, and you can order enough to keep your shelves biscuit-ready for quite some time.