I knew this recipe for Cream Biscuits was a hit when my daughter kept saying to me, “Why are these so good?” You gotta love a win like that in the kitchen!
And not only are they good, but they are SO incredibly easy to make – even easier than my original biscuit recipe on my blog and in my cookbook. Now if only I could just keep these on hand for more than a few hours, we’d be in good shape.
My New Obsession
I think part of the reason these are SO good is because of my new baking obsession – Whole-Wheat Pastry Flour! Okay, I’m probably super late getting on this bandwagon, but it sure was convenient to just use one kind of flour for everything (regular whole-wheat flour). And that flour totally works for everything, but then I realized how amazing the texture and taste of pastry flour can be in some recipes!
Long story short – it’s worth the extra effort in some cases.
So, after making this discovery, I’ve been super excited to remake all my old favorites with pastry flour. As I mentioned, it’s amazing in biscuits and also waffles, pie crust (including quiche crust), pancakes, and cakes in general.
But, I did take things a little too far when I used it to make flour tortillas. They were just flaking apart into pieces and this was, of course, on a night when we were having dinner guests over – oops! Anyway, we survived. :)
Have you tried experimenting with pastry flour yet? If so, please share your discoveries with me in the comments!
Melt-in-your-Mouth Cream Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour (plus extra for patting out the dough)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- milk (for brushing the tops (optional))
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, use a fork to whisk together the pastry flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour in the cream and stir to combine just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
- Pick up the dough with your hands and pat it down into one big square about 1/2 inch thick on a large baking sheet. Use extra flour if necessary to keep it from sticking to your hands.
- Cut the dough into 16 equal squares, and then spread them out on the baking sheet so they are all at least a couple inches apart. Brush the tops with milk if desired (for browner tops).
- Bake until a deep golden brown on the bottom, about 10 – 12 minutes. Serve warm with butter and jam or store at room temp in an air-tight container.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
I am so sad—I was excited to try these. I did everything exactly as instructed, and even checked on the biscuits a minute early and they were so burnt :(
I made these last night, they were tasty, but they came out more like a scone than a biscuit. I am planning on making your fluffy WW biscuits this weekend, I am not a fan of buttermilk, but I am going to give them a try. Thanks for the recipes!
Please let us know how those turn out. – Nicole
It’s amazing and my son loved it… Thank you for the tasty recipe
Just made these and they were amazing! I did nothing different. I’m definitely going to save these as my go-to biscuit recipe. These are a million times more delicious and just as flaky as Pillsbury Grands. Thank you!
Hi, I’ve never made biscuits before. Should I use a non-stick baking sheet? Thanks!
I do not but I do lightly grease the baking sheet.
Hi,
Once cooked and cooled down, can these be frozen, defrosted then eaten?
They can.
These tasted great although I found the dough to be very wet and had a difficult time separating the squares. I used half and half instead of the heavy cream, would that make the difference? They were a hit in our house so the next time I make them I’d prefer the dough to be less wet and have them rise a bit more. Keep the great whole food recipes coming!
Hi. Half and half is thinner. Next time reserve a bit of the liquid until you have the consistency you desire.
I have so far loved all your recipes, but this one didn’t work for me. For being so heavy, I expected it to taste better. It was kind of bland and the texture was mealy. I wonder if I did something wrong? I followed the recipe exactly. I’ll keep looking for a biscuit recipe. Thanks anyway, love all other recipes so far and your cook book :-)
So freaking good! Woke my teenage son up to try one and expected a one word response. I got “can I have three more with jelly?” :):)
Hi, any ideas for dairy free substitute for heavy cream?
Do you mean non-dairy?
yep :)
My go-to is coconut cream but it does alter the flavor.
Has anyone used gluten free flour for this recipe and if so did it work?
Sorry. We have not tried this one with gluten free flour.
How do you prepare the baking sheet for cooking? Butter and flour? Cooking spray?
I lightly grease with butter.
I love your recipes and We (Alda and me) use organic vegetables and fruits. Google the (Dirty 12) All about food that is bad
Followed the recipe exact and they were neither fluffy or any more moist than other biscuits. They were flat tasting and in shape.
Question – I’ve made these before and they were amazing! But just made them tonight and the had a very “tinny,” iron, salty taste to them. I double checked that I had the right amount of ingredients, and I confirmed that all my ingredients were still within expectation dates. (Only thing I couldn’t double check was my flour – It wasn’t in original bag). Any thoughts what could have gone wrong? Thanks!
A metalic taste is often rancid flour.
It could be that the kind of baking powder you use contains aluminum. Rumford specifically says “aluminum free”, and I make sure to use it in all of my whole wheat recipes because whole wheat typically calls for more leavening.
13 kids & 2 adults LOVED them ! Had them on the pan before the oven was preheated! Forgot to brush the tops, used goats milk (because I didn’t have enough heavy cream) doubled the recipe, greased the pan. Served with a dollop of peanut butter & honey. Cut in half beautifully !!!
I’ve been experimenting with making whole wheat sourdough from scratch (fermenting a starter). I use whole wheat pastry flour alot instead of regular whole wheat but haven’t tried it with bread. Any thoughts on how it might help or hurt a sourdough starter?
Pastry flour will not work for a sourdough. It lacks the gluten needed to raise bread.
Any vegan milk alternative? Coconut cream?
Yeah, give it a try and let us know. The flavor will somewhat be different, of course.
I keep whole-wheat pastry flour in the pantry instead of regular whole-wheat flour. I find it works as a better substitute for all-purpose flour in most recipes, and it makes wonderful cookies, brownies, and pancakes. I get mine from the bulk bins at my local co-op (New Orleans Food Co-op) because it is more perishable and I can buy just enough for a couple of weeks.
I’m going to try this recipe soon. Has anyone had luck using the soaking method with these biscuits?
Could I use white whole wheat flour?
You can but your texture will be different/not as light.
These were not a hit at my house. My husband referred to them as dog biscuits. :( I think I should have added more cream. I didn’t think they were bad, but not good either.
Could the pastry flour be used in all of your muffin recipes?
It can. :)
I haven’t been able to find while wheat pastry flour- who makes it?
Thanks!!
There are several brands but King Arthur is the one I see most often. You can also purchase it online.
I found Sprouts brand whole wheat pastry flour at Sprouts.
Sorry, it’s actually Bob’s Red Mill brand, but I did buy it at Sprout’s.
In the bulk bins at winco aka windixie I found whole wheat pastry flour for ~0.76 a pound
These biscuits are AMAZING and amazingly simple to make! I love your biscuits from your cookbook, but these are even more simple (no cutting butter into small chunks) and taste great even just plain by themselves! Love them!
I like this one more in comparative to last some post.. Really Good and easy recipe..
Thanks for sharing such a great post with us.
Have you tried freezing these biscuits? Would they freeze well?
Sure, they should freeze well.