Whole Wheat Biscuits
There are so many reasons why I love these biscuits. First of all, they are super easy to make and no special equipment (like a rolling pin or biscuit cutter) is needed. It takes no more than 15 or 20 minutes to make them from mixing the dough to pulling them out of the oven. Then once they are done they are moist and flaky and so tasty (c’mon, look at the picture – you know you want one!). And the best part is that they freeze and reheat beautifully (I just throw the frozen biscuits in the toaster oven on the bake setting). So make a big batch, freeze a bunch in a gallon zip lock freezer bag, and then the next time you want to add a biscuit to your breakfast, lunch or dinner they are ready to go. It honestly couldn’t be easier…so go ahead and throw away that refrigerated tube of dough you bought from the grocery store!
- 2 cups whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur’s white whole wheat organic flour)
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
- 1 cup milk (any kind)
- In a medium sized bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well with whisk or fork.
- Cut the ½ stick butter into little pea sized pieces and then mix the pieces into the flour mixture.
- Using a fork, try to mash the butter pieces as you mix it together with the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. It is okay if the outcome just looks like the same pea sized pieces of butter covered with flour.
- Then pour in the milk and mix it all together. Knead the dough with your hands 8 to 10 times and then turn out onto a counter or cutting board.
- Pat it out flat with your hands until the dough is a somewhat even ¾-inch thickness (sprinkle with a little flour if necessary).
- Turn a drinking glass upside down and cut out biscuit rounds. I have also used shaped cookie cutters (like a heart or star) if you have little ones helping you!
- Then put them on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes or until lightly browned.
Enjoy!
Lard makes the best biscuits but is expensive to buy. We use it when we have the fat to make some. Otherwise we use a whole stick of either butter or margarine. Not sure why so many are having problems with it rising. We grind our own soft white wheat and use it fresh. It’s just bin run wheat with cow peas and kernels of corn mixed in. Don’t even measure stuff mostly and still get good results. Whole wheat flour can sometimes sit on the store shelves for months.
I think freshly ground wheat has gluten in it that is lost in store-bought flour. That’s probably why people are having trouble with the biscuits rising.
I loved these, and so did the kids. They were easy to make, and were actually faster to mix and bake than baking the frozen biscuits I used to buy but will not be buying again! Thanks! Alison
[...] Whole Wheat biscuit with left over ham and fried egg (made into sandwiches – see pictures [...]
I am wondering about butter in general. But mostly wondering because I want to make these. What is the best butter I can get that won’t be so high in fat?
Hi Kaydee. Real butters will vary little in fat content. Butter has a bit less fat than most oils. We buy organic butter or ghee. These posts might help explain: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/05/14/mini-pledge-week-10-no-refined-oils/, and http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/04/15/mini-pledge-week-6-no-low-fat-lite-or-nonfat-food-products/. ~Amy
[...] Whole Wheat biscuit with left over ham and fried egg (made into sandwiches – see pictures [...]
Made these tonight, following the directions EXACTLY. Used whole milk, bc that is what we had in the fridge. Fantastic. Everyone had 2, even the kids, and the hubs had 3. Topped them with local honey. So awesome. And they came together quickly. I made them while I was waiting for the meat to rest!
Please forgive my ignorance on this, but can you freeze the dough after cutting it into biscuits or should you bake them first them freeze them? If they turn out for me, I’d like to keep a bunch in my freezer!
Hi Shawn. I think it is most convenient to bake, freeze, and then thaw over night as needed. ~Amy
The recipe calls for both a 1/2 stick of butter and a 1/4 cup of butter…..which is it?
1/2 stick of butter is 1/4 cup of butter. It even explains that on the packaging.
Thanks so much Ken. A “stick” is not a specific or recognized unit of measurement.
Can someone from the 100 days site please come back with the confirmed cup measurement for the recipe?
1/2 stick of butter = 1/4 cup = 4 tablespoons = 2 fluid ounces
Can you just use salted butter and omit the salt from the recipe?
Hello Michelle. I have done that in other recipes when I’ve not had unsalted butter on hand. Should be okay. ~Amy
I made these for my family and the kids enjoyed them and wanted more….I also enjoyed them, very easy to make and healthy.The ingredients were simple. Thank You. I am also looking for a simple whole grain and whole wheat bread.
[...] – Biscuits and gravy, fruit, breakfast for dinner number one. The biscuit recipe I like is here. Don’t ever make cream gravy from those nasty packets! The very first ingredient in those [...]
[...] Original recipe here [...]
I made these for the first time today (2 May 13). They tasted OK but did not rise and were on the dry side. Sometimes with whole wheat additional liquid is needed, and I’ll add that next time. I’m not sure why they didn’t rise.
Hello Maddie. The most common culprit for biscuits that don’t rise is over mixing. Better luck next time. ~Amy
My biscuits looked great and rose wonderfully, but had a horrible after taste…maybe the 4 tsp of baking powder is too much.
Kristy, are you using aluminum-free baking powder? Before I made the switch, I had the same problem with aftertaste…I was tasting the aluminum, yuck! I’ve made this recipe several times now with the aluminum-free kind, and they taste good to me!
Can I used buttermilk in place of the milk? Thanks!
Hi Kristin. Yes, in fact we have that recipe: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/07/08/recipe-whole-wheat-buttermilk-cheese-biscuits/!
Enjoy. ~Amy
[...] Thursday – Potato soup with whole wheat biscuits [...]
made these. they were amazing!
could you guys try twisting this into a scone recipe? we love scones, but i want to try to make them as ‘healthy’ as possible.
These are fabulous! I’d had other whole wheat biscuits before but they didn’t turn out well. These are SO good.
These are the best biscuits I have EVER made. Thank you for sharing. I love your site!
When you put these in your girls’ lunches, do you put them from the freezer into their lunch bag, or do you thaw first? If you put them in their bag frozen, do they thaw by lunch time? I am about to make a batch of these. I hope they turn out!
Hello Caroline. I would thaw them in the fridge over night. ~Amy
can you use the a butter spread like blue bonnett light instead of stick butter? I could always put it in the freezer a bit to make it “firmer”?
Hi Chesty. No, do not use a spread. They are almost always hydrogenated and not a healthy choice. Butter is really the best choice for a biscuit for both flavor and texture. ~Amy
Awesome recipe super easy and they come out very very good I added honey to mine and it was awesome thank you for sharing this recipe!!:)
Thank you for this recipe – my first batch turned out wonderful! With recently diagnosed thyroid disease I have to eliminate soy, canola oil, corn and walnuts among myriad other things, but these four happened to be in my big ole heavy loaf of ‘healthy’ bread I’ve been eating daily for years, but never again. For anyone afraid of butter, it’s the spreads you should be afraid of. Dr. Oz said last summer ‘throw away your canola spread and eat real butter, and your thyroid will thank you.’ No more Smart Balance for me
) And I just found organic stick butter at Walmart. Everything possible natural and organic from now on, including raw honey on these biscuits 
)