In things like biscuits, you really do need to use a hardened fat, I would think, to get the right consistency. I try to avoid butter as much as possible, and when I do use it, I use Land o' Lakes "Light Butter" which is part canola oil. In the GFGCG, butter is "very limited", which means that we can have it once a month. I'd think that is worth it.
I did try sifting the WW flour once, but the pieces of bran got stuck in my sifter (and are still there!
). So don't try sifting...it'll only make you crazy!