There are so many reasons why I love these homemade 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!
Super Easy Whole Wheat Biscuits
This biscuit recipe is so quick and easy - plus it has only 5 ingredients!
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole-wheat flour, or whole-wheat pastry flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter, cold, unsalted
- 1 cup milk, any kind
Instructions
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In a medium sized bowl combine the dry ingredients. Mix well with whisk or fork.
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Cut the ½ stick butter into little pea sized pieces and then mix the pieces into the flour mixture.
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Using a fork or pastry blender, try to mash the butter pieces as you mix it together with the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. It is okay if the outcome just looks like the same pea sized pieces of butter covered with flour
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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 floured surface (like a counter or cutting board).
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Pat it out flat with your hands until the dough is a somewhat even ¾-inch thickness (sprinkle with a little flour if necessary).
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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!
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Then place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet or in a cast iron skillet and bake at 450 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
If you like buttermilk biscuits, use buttermilk in place of regular milk.
those sound so good and nutritious. i have a kitchenaid mixer. can i use the dough hook instead of mixing them by hand?
Yes that would definitely work to use your kitchen aid mixer with the dough hook or even a food processor with the dough blade. I love to use my mixers, but with this recipe the stirring was really so easy and quick that I personally didn’t find it worth it to get one of them dirty.
These sound delicious. I was curious about the whole wheat flour (having just read your post about store-bought breads). If making these from scratch (or making bread at home) using store-bought whole wheat flour is as good as, say, the bread from GH where they mill their own wheat? Also, do you happen to know if they sell their own raw materials? Thanks!
Sherry that is a great question! I just got off the phone with the Whole Grains Council and a very knowledgeable person there shared with me that for the most part the nutritional value of freshly ground whole wheat flour vs. store-bought whole wheat flour is just about the same. She said that after the flour is ground in a factory it is stabilized to make sure no important nutrients are lost. You may get a very minimal amount of extra nutrients out of the flour you grind yourself, but the difference is so small it would not even make a difference to the health of your body. She said it would be similar to eating a green bean you picked yourself today vs. leaving it in the fridge for 2 days before eating it – the difference is so incredibly minimal that there would be no added benefits for your body if you ate it right away instead of waiting. I hope that makes sense!
Lisa, that is not necessarily true. I think they just want you to buy flour instead of grinding it yourself. Ground flour loses it nutritional value after 24-36 hours. When you grind your own and use it immediately or freeze it, it keeps it’s nutritional value and is not lost. The wheat germ and oils are all still intact. The bread does taste better and actually lasts longer in loaf form than it does when you use store bought flour.
Here are some resources:
http://www.healthbanquet.com/fresh-milled-flour.html
http://www.nutritionlifestyles.com/homemill.htm
Stacy – I spoke to the council about this again recently and the reason for their answer is that they don’t want people to lose focus of what is really important…which is eating whole grains. There is a small difference between freshly ground and store-bought flour, but they say that difference is very minimal and as long as the eater is eating whole grains in some form they will benefit from all the goodness available in a grain. I hope that makes sense! (PS – I grind my own flour b/c I agree with you…it tastes much better than the store-bought stuff!)
I agree whole heartedly! I grind my own oat flour in food processor or high powered blender (Vitamix) for all recipes not requiring gluten (bread) ie muffins, cookies. As soon as I can get the Vitamix grain mill, I intend to grind my own wheat too.
We grind our own flour for these very reasons, Stacy. We have been convinced after reading about the research that has been done on how quickly nutrient value is lost after the wheat is ground. Sure, it is still a whole grain, but we want all those vitamins and minerals please!
I will add that some say the taste of bread may be better and “fresher” if you are grinding the wheat fresh – but that would just be a personal preference with no affect on your health!
Excellent information, thanks so much!
I made these this morning & I was so excited! However…my biscuits did not rise & are certainly not fluffy. I followed the recipe exactly. Help please!
Do you know how long ago you bought your flour and baking powder? And are you storing your whole-wheat flour in the fridge or freezer? One possibility is that some of the ingredients could have been old or spoiled.
Flour & baking powder were purchased this week, so old ingredients are not the issue. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong, I’ve tried several things but every time I make these biscuits they do not rise. They taste good, but they are flat. Any suggestions are appreciated.
I’ve been racking my brain on what the problem could be…just to confirm are you sure you are using baking powder (not baking soda)? They can sometimes be confused.
I know in the past I have found that if you overwork biscuit dough it tends not to rise properly you might try kneading it as little as possible
Did you use a cutter? If you use a cutter and twist or smooth the edges, the biscuits may not rise properly. Just push straight down and lift.
Hi Lisa. I am curious about how many biscuits I could expect from this recipe. Obviously it depends on the size of the cutter but can you give me a general idea?
Thanks!
Sherri
Between 8 – 10 biscuits like you said depending on the size. About 8 big ones and up to 10 or so small ones. I will add the yield to the recipe!
Thank you thank you! I am on South Beach Diet, JUST say NO to processed crap and have been looking for a suitable whole wheat biscuit recipe. Most I have found still contain sugar, honey or even white flour how can that be considered whole wheat hahah. If these turn out I would love to feature them on my blog with a link to you of course. I love posting healthy recipes to share with my readers!
I know I hate all those “whole wheat” recipes that are still made with half white flour. Good luck and enjoy!
I’ve made these twice now and I am in love. I’m impressed at the results from such simple ingredients and truly 100% whole wheat! How do you cut up the butter? That seems to be the hardest part of this whole thing and take forever to cut it all up and mix it in. Do you have any tips?
I am so glad you liked the biscuits! We love them too. I cut the butter into little tiny pieces with a table knife before I mix it into the flour. I think it only breaks up a tiny bit more once it is in the flour mixture. This seems to work for me every time. I hope that helps!
I’m a southern girl and make lots of biscuits, and here’s what I do:
Cut the butter into pats.
Use your fingers to quickly rub the butter and flour mixture between your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse sand/dirt in texture.
Using your fingers makes it much easier to combine, and you don’t have to cut the butter as much. You just need to be careful to work quickly so you aren’t melting the butter with your body heat.
Thanks so much for the recipe. I searched for something made with whole wheat flour as my kids are doing the Daniel’s Fast and were wanting something different. I did substitute Extra Virgin Oraganic Coconut Oil for the butter as they currently can have no animal products at all and used soy milk. It worked great. I will be using this recipe again (only with the butter when they get done with the fast)! Donna B. in Okla.
I love that you have so many things that are so easy to freeze. I am going to actually finally need my dream deep freezer!!
This the easiest recipe that I have found for graham (whole wheat) biscuits. I was concerned about trying it after a problem with other recipes, but found that they were perfect with the first try.
They taste like real Southern type graham biscuits and not “graham lite”.
These were awesome! I used unpasturized whole milk that had gone sour and I didn’t bother to roll out. Just spooned some into my hand, shaped a bit and pressed onto cookie sheet. My husband loved them under sausage gravy. Next time I’ll try adding a little cheese, garlic and onion.
Are you freezing the extra biscuits before or after baking?
After they have been baked.
THANK YOU – that helps! Gonna whip up a batch or two!
I made these this morning. And although mine did not rise to get fluffy and that
“layered” texture that makes biscuits so fun to eat, these were still delicious. We enjoyed them with homemade no-sugar jam.
Hey, I made this this morning with 1/2 milk and 1/2 cream and added a handful of grated sharp cheese and a handful of homemade cooked scrambled turkey. I only cut them out to get eight tall biscuits. They were wonderful; nice biscuit texture and a nice flavor of cheese and sausage. : ) Thought you might enjoying knowing. : )
A great dessert option with berries and a little vanilla yogurt. I’m making it tonight!
Here’s a great gravy recipe that is delicious over these biscuits!
4 TBS Butter
4 TBS flour (I used the white whole wheat.)
2 small cans tuna
3 cups milk (any kind; I used 2%)
salt and pepper to taste (I also added garlic powder and Mrs. Dash.)
Place butter in saucepan over medium high heat. When melted, add the flour and whisk. Reduce heat to medium and add milk. Continue to stir occasionally to keep gravy from sticking to pan. Let sauce get bubbly and thick. Serve over biscuits! Super easy and yummy! All three of my kids loved it!
I made this recipe, the tortillas, and the chocolate cake. They are amazing thank you. I currently am working this week and then will be marrying and staying home with my children starting Labor Day. I’m excited about getting back to eating healthy and I’m amazed how EASY!! and healthy your recipes are. Thank you. Btw: Do you know where I can get bulk grains and beans?
So glad everything has been a hit! A lot of people have recommended Bread Beckers to me for bulk grains, but I have not tried them yet myself: http://www.breadbeckers.com/store/pc/home.asp
We call these scones over here in the UK. Pronounced scon or scoan depending where you live. They are usually eaten as a dessert, slit in half horizontally and spread with butter, sometimes also with jam (you call it jelly) and often with thick cream as well. They are sometimes made with dried mixdx fruit (sultanas, currants, candied peel, etc)mixed into the dough, and sometimes with grated cheese mixed in for more of a savoury scone. I have never had them served with a meal the way you do over in the US, so I am looking forward to trying this.
* mixed fruit (fingers slipped :O) )
mine didn’t rise either, I used a cutter but went strait down and up no twisting, I guess the trick is the glass, I will try that next time. All of my ingredients are fresh also. HUMM
Your are lovely in the picture, I hope i can get there ;)
I made these and they were delicious. Too delicious because I ate 3 of them! I was wondering about the flour measuremnet. Is that 2 cups SIFTED flour? Thanks
I don’t sift my flour…glad the recipe was a hit!
Im a new comer to this website and have been scrolling down lots of recipes. What I have seen are a lot of recipes requiring whole wheat flour. I am sensitive to wheat therefore I should not eat anything that contains wheat products. I eat only brown rice noodles and use brown rice flour. But I was told that the brown rice flour does not hold things together as far as baking goes! I was just wondering if anybody has a sensitivity to wheat and if they have used a subsitute flour, such as brown rice, and had success?
Can you freeze these before you bake them or are can they only be frozen once baked?
Thanks!
ps – found your site yesterday and love it so far :)
We’ve frozen them after they were baked and it works great. Might be able to do it beforehand as well, but I have not tried. Welcome to the blog!
I made these tonight after scouring Pinterest for the yummiest looking whole wheat biscuits I could find. I LOVED them! They were light & flaky, and very much like my regular white flour ones. Delicious! Thanks so much for sharing!!
We had the BEST breakfast this morning! These awesome whole wheat biscuits with homemade blackberry jelly and a peanut butter and banana smoothie. So good!
Would it be possible to replace the butter with olive oil?
I have never tried that personally, but I don’t think it would work since the butter is basically solid when used in the recipe.
I replaced the butter with olive oil last night and they turned out great! Tasted just like normal :)
I’m wondering if there is a lower calorie/healthier fat option than butter for this recipe. Any ideas?
Butter actually is “healthy” unlike what we’ve been told for so many years…check out these posts for details:
https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/04/15/mini-pledge-week-6-no-low-fat-lite-or-nonfat-food-products/
https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/tag/imitation-food/
https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/05/14/mini-pledge-week-10-no-refined-oils/
You could try subbing avocado for the butter (http://www.californiaavocadosdirect.com/13/use-avocado-as-a-healthy-butter-substitute.aspx). It will lower your calories and give you the healthier fats you are looking for. Confession: I haven’t actually tried using it with this recipe and am not sure if it would affect the taste since there aren’t any strong spices or flavors. Also, it might turn your biscuits a little green…
Any ideas what I can sub for the butter? We don’t eat dairy or soy in our house due to alleries! I occasionally use ghee, but a little goes a long way and 1/4 cup is ALOT of ghee!
Hmmm…I usually suggest ghee as a butter substitue (for dairy allergies). Check out this post for some other ideas: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/05/14/mini-pledge-week-10-no-refined-oils/
I make my own organic ghee from organic butter….it’s surprisingly easy and waaaay cheaper. you can look at videos online to see how it is done. I’m going to try it….I’ll keep you posted! :)
Earth Balance has a soy free and diary free butter. We’ve used it and it tastes the same as margarine. Nice to have something like butter for people with food allergies. It’s been a blessing for us.
Do you have to use all whole wheat flour or can you sub 1 cup of oat flour or other flour?
I’ve never tried substituting a different flour so it would be an experiment if you want to give it a shot!
Can this dough be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge? I’d like to mix the dough one day, refrigerate, and bake a day or two later. Is that possible?
THanks!
Can this dough be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge? I’d like to mix the dough one day, refrigerate, and bake a day or two later. Is that possible?
Thanks!
I have not tried that myself, but it might just work…let me know how it goes!
Just made these this morning for breakfast. My first attempt at homemade biscuits. Well, I thought I did a GREAT job. My 6yr old had 1.5 biscuits and said, “Mom these are goooooooooood.” I think he would have had another one if I let him. Also my 19month old ate it all up. Now, my husband said, “Why did you make biscuits out of whole wheat flour.”(He ate the entire biscuit!) Thanks for a great recipe!!!!
I made these to go with butternut squash soup for dinner. My brother and my two year old loved them. (o.k. my 2 year old ate them without protest, but had fun cutting them out) My husband came home from work and asked why they were brown and I don’t him they were whole wheat. He tried them and said they were pretty good and ate several. So excited that my little introduction’s to my very picky eaters are paying off.
Made these tonight to go with homemade chicken and rice soup. All I can say is WOW! THANK YOU for the recipe!!!!
Is there any nutritional information available? Specifically, number of calories per.
Thanks.
Is there any nutritional information available? Specifically, number of calories per.
No sorry…we don’t track that stuff on purpose.
Hi Lisa. Just discovered your blog two days ago and I’m really enjoying it so far. Thanks for posting so many great looking recipes! We have diary allergies and I have a butter alternative, but I was wondering if you think rice milk would work as a sub for milk? Thanks!
Do you have to get used to the taste of whole wheat biscuits? Mine were not good at all :( I also made the whole wheat banana bread and no one in my family liked it either. I really didnt want to have a bad post listed here but i dont understand why it tastes so bad. I just tried another recipe of banana bread that had me soak the flour in yogurt for 24 hours and use maple syrup instead of the honey but havent tried that yet…any words of wisdom :)
What kind of flour did you use?
Whole wheat flour spoils easily. Make sure yours is fresh. It also sits on the store shelves longer so even if you just bought it, it can be old. It smells rancid if its too old to use. It really ruins whatever you bake if it’s old!
Thanks for this recipe. It’s great. I use it all the time!
Made them out of desperation as I had no white flour or any other way to make biscuits! The dough was too sticky to roll, so I added about 1/4 cup or so more milk and made drop biscuits. They rose beautifully and were quite tasty. My picky-eater boyfriend even liked them!
Glad it worked out! Just so you know next time if they are too sticky you can just add flour to get the right consistency for rolling them out.
Lisa, what kind of baking powder do you use? Is it aluminum free or anything special?
It’s nothing special…I can’t find “good” baking powder w/o junk in it (at our regular healthfood store) and I figure it’s such a small amount so I don’t stress about it.
My whole wheat biscuits turned out so moist and fluffy. I used goats milk for the milk part.. My 7 year old loves them. I am new to the off the white flour and eating real food. So it’s been a slow process. My Daughter lead me to your website, she is so smart on eating real food and no processing.
What is it with ROUND biscuits? I mix up the dough, pat it out to about 3/4″ and just cut it into nice squares with my chef’s knife. No scraps, no re-rolling, no drinking glass or biscuit cutter to wash; just nice, SQUARE biscuits!:-)
BTW- I reduce the baking powder to 3 teaspoons (1T), add 1/2t baking SODA, then use buttermilk (or soured milk as Anna Ford did) instead of fresh milk.
Amen!
I am SO trying these tonight, with my chicken stew. Thanks!!!
Lisa,
You ROOOOOCK!!!!! Thank you so very much for this whole grain biscuit recipe. These biscuits actually taste great! Not like the hockey-puck disasters I’ve had in the past. Keep up the great work.
p.s. I want to post the recipe on my blog, with a link to this site and big props to you of course.
LifeBliss Lisa
I used this recipe to make strawberry shortcakes and they were delicious! I made the biscuits and cut in half and added fresh whipped cream and strawberries and my boys were asking for seconds and thirds! A new favorite treat around here!
Hi Lisa! Just wanted to let you know this is my all-time favorite biscuit recipe! I’ve never had success with biscuits…they usually turn out more like hockey pucks! I’ve always been a sucker for frozen pillsbury biscuits, but obviously can’t eat them as part of a real food diet. Your whole wheat biscuits are so easy and delicious, my husband and I can’t get enough of them, and they turn out great every time! Thanks!
Does anyone know how to figure the weight watcher points for these?
If you go into your WW program online and go to the recipe builder and type in the ingredients and the serving size, it will calculate it for you. I figured this one out using regular unsalted butter and fat free milk and 8-10 biscuits came out to 4pts each
I loved how easy and so few ingredients it was. We used soy milk and it worked just fine. We live in the mountains and I have been trying for almost 6 years to try to find a healthy, biscuit recipe where because of altitude the end result wasn’t dense, dry chunks of stone. Thank you for saving our family from many sad breakfasts with stones for biscuits =) YAY! Amazing.
Made these for the first time tonight, but it will not be the last! So good, and it was great knowing that they are healthy.
Can you freeze them? If so when, before or after you cook them?
sorry i didnt read the whole discription! Yeah cannot wait to make them!
Yes, they can be frozen after they are cooked…and possibly even beforehand (as raw dough), although I have not tried doing that yet myself.
I’ve found that freezing them after they are cooked makes them “heavier.” Freeze the dough and just cook them straight from the freezer (like frozen biscuits at the grocery) and they are just like freshly made. Also, have you ever considered milling your own fresh flour? SO MUCH tastier than store bought flour that’s been sitting on the shelf for a long time and very easy. I have had several mills over the years and have settled on the L’Equip one and love it. So easy to put your whole grains in and in minutes have freshly ground flour that if used or frozen soon after, maintains much more of the nutrients.
I meant to add to cut the dough into rounds, squares or whatever and then freeze them on a cookie sheet until frozen (like you would berries) so that they don’t stick together and THEN store them in the freezer in bags or containers.
Yes Lynette, Lisa does grind her own wheat, check out her post here: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/07/05/grinding-your-own-wheat-is-not-crazy-after-all-including-video/. Thanks for the feedback on the biscuits. Jill
I’ve found many recipes with ‘cold butter’. Where do I find “real food” cold butter, as opposed to store bought tub of butter!? Thanks for your recipes! I’ve won my picky husband over with nice meat recipes that taste wonderful, and I’m constantly making homemade tortillas and granola bars! :)
I am not sure what stores you have access to, but there is usually an organic butter option (in a stick) and if you can find organic grass-fed butter (or it’s sometimes called “pastured” butter…the pasture being the grass) then that’s even better.
If you have access to real heavy cream, you can make butter yourself! The kids used to make it for Thanksgiving dinner…
Put 1 tablespoon of un-popped popcorn in a plastic jar with a tight fitting lid…
Add enough cream to fill jar 3/4 full…
Cover top of jar with plastic wrap and replace lid on jar tightly…
Shake jar until you have butter…
Have fun doing it and smile…
They turned out to be absolutely smashing. Only change was that I used clarified butter (home made) instead of the normal kind & added a tbls. of sugar to make them a bit sweet. My kids loved them. Will definitely make them again.
I tried this recipe for the first time last night…. my biscuits did not look like as lovely as yours )-: They were not nearly as high as the ones in your picture. And they seemed a bit dry to me too, but that could be just because I’m finding the switch to whole wheat quite a challenge for myself. I’m using King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat flour, but I just can’t seem to get used to the taste. Maybe I need to take it more slowly and do 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 regular flour for awhile. Any thoughts?
Yes starting with half whole-wheat and half white at first might help. Here’s a post with some ideas: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/02/03/real-food-tips-6-ways-to-ease-the-switch-to-whole-grain/
My dough was VERY STICKY as well – so I had to add some more flour in order to knead it and flatten it out. Maybe that affected the outcome?
If the dough was very sticky then adding the flour was the right thing to do…are you sure you followed the recipe exactly?
Mine were also flat. They were wet and sticky so I added extra flour too! Probably should not have done that. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. We all still ate them!
Imade these today and they turned out great! Biscuit dough is normally sticky you just have to dust your hands with flour and dust the board you are working on so you can roll them out. Mine weren’t as high as lisas look but I think I may have put in too much butter. They definitely weren’t flat though. Also if you overwork your dough the biscuits will be flat and tough. I love these.they are awesome. I use Bob’s red mill white whole wheat pastry flour…some of you might prefer this type. I ordered mine from vitacost.com and if any of you guys want to order from them if you give my name (carissa fleming) as a referral you will get a $10credit :) I found lots of good stuff on their site and the shipping was pretty cheap. Anyway I did the nutrition data on these in case anyone is interested…calories 80 total fat 4.6 saturated fat 2.8 cholesterol 12mg carbs 9…I got 12 biscuits out of my dough so this is the nutrition on 1.
These look so easy, I’m making these today :-)
Mine were flat, too :( they still tasted good though! I made a double batch. I did follow the suggestions of the first person who commented and used 1T of baking powder and 1/2t of baking soda (doubled) because I used buttermilk. I wonder if that’s why. Also- maybe I didn’t flatten them out enough. I eyed it. I don’t think it would affect it that much though- they barely rose. Well, cooking is trial and error anyway! I will just try again :)
When you “knead” your dough it should be more like folding and patting out the dough. Pat it flat fold in half, pat it flat, fold in half…do this maybe 5-6 times. It creates the layers that biscuits need to rise well. Also when you put them in the pan to bake, crowd them..they like to be crowded. I found this info through much research on biscuit making and it works like acharm every time :)
Also don’t twist the cutter it will seal the edges.
I tried these just now.With all the ingredients in half.Just one cup floor, but they came bitter…I think i added baking powder in excess :( .Though they looked beautiful.Will retry….
These were delicious! They turned out better than the white flour biscuits I’ve made. My dough was a bit sticky also, but I didn’t add any more flour–I think that would have made them too dense. Thanks for the great recipe!
Can you substitute the butter for coconut oil? My youngest has terrible eczema and I’m trying to limit dairy. Thanks!
Hi Anne. I’m not sure if that would work since you are using the butter in a solid form to create a crumbly texture. You could give it a try though and see if it might work. Or perhaps a non-dairy butter substitute (I would just check the ingredients). Jill
The good thing about coconut oil is it solidifies when it is cold… Try it the way I did, get the 1/4 cup of oil cold first, then cream it like you would butter and put the bowl in the freezer… add the dry ingredients and whip some more, then put it back in the freezer… keep it very cold… it just might work… and don’t use your hands… a rubber spatula and a rolling pin…
Just heavenly :)
Easy, fast, delicious and healthy!
Just made these for breakfast!! Used the Cuisinart, which made it SUPER easy!! This is my new go-to biscuit recipe!
I too tried to make these tonight and came out with wet sticky dough (overly wet and sticky). It was very frustrating for me. LOL. I followed the directions, and am not sure what I did wrong. It was so sticky that even after flouring the cutting board, and my hands, it STILL stuck and was just a mess. Not sure what to do differently. Perhaps my butter wasn’t cold enough?
Can you sub buttermilk for regular milk? My family liked these but would prefer buttermilk biscuits. Thanks
I don’t see why not. Jill
I made these last night with buttermilk and they were fabulous! My boyfriend loved them too. We made them mini and have leftovers to eat with our lunch. So excited!
I made these tonight! They were awesome… :) so good. I also made slow cooker whole chicken (followed by broth). I froze some of the leftovers and made sausage biscuits which froze also (for hubby to eat for breakfast). I used a small glass and got 15 biscuits, perfect size I think. Thanks for the reciepe.
This was an easy recipe. I used margarine instead of butter, creamed it first with the wire whip attachment and put the bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes. Then using the same whip I added the dry ingredients. Then I put the bowl back in the freezer for another 5 minutes before I added the cold milk and mixed by hand and followed directions…
BEST, LIGHTEST, FLUFFIEST WHOLE WHEAT BISCUIT I HAVE EVER HAD…
I made whole wheat biscuits last week and they were like rocks… not this time… Thank you so much for this recipe…
Hi Mary Jane! Just wanted to point out that margarine would fall under the highly processed- and therefore, unhealthy- category. I know it’s hard to let old habits die, especially since we’ve been taught that margarine is healthy. But I encourage you to research margarine vs. butter and see if you think you’d be able to switch over to real butter next time. Good luck!
Hi, I made these biscuits today and they were scrumptious! Thank you so much. We have tried so many recipes in the past and they were not edible. These were great … They more than doubled in size and were yummy with homemade jam. Thanks again!
Angelia
I made these this morning and my hubby couldn’t believe how great they tasted. We live at 7000 feet so they didn’t rise as high as yours but they were delicious. I didn’t make any adjustments for altitude! I will be making more tomorrow and freezing them for school days.
I’ve substituted the butter with coconut oil in many bisquit recipes and they come out flaky! Coconut oil is a solid saturated oil that is perfect and heathy alternative to butter as our bodies do not absorb the fat like other saturated oils. Perfect substitution in cookie recipes as well!
Do you substitute 1:1?
I have used the recipe a lot and love how simple and quick it is. I got a craving for chicken and dumplings tonight and I used this recipe for the biscuits. Came out amazing….best chicken and dumplings I can remember having!! Thanks.
These biscuits are awesome!!! WAY better than processed-white-flour-hockey-puck-disasters that I’ve made before.
Took me literally 30 min start to finish! I’ve (like lots of others) found that keeping my ingredients cold, cold, cold is super important, along with keeping the handling of the dough to a minimum.
After mixing the dry ingredients with a fork, I added the cubed butter into the mixing bowl and put the whole thing in the freezer for a few minutes. Once nice and cold, I used a pastry cutter to mix the butter/dry mix until it looked like wet sand. Again, I put the whole thing in the freezer for a few minutes, then added really cold milk. I used a spoon to blend the wet sand/milk until it barely came together. Then kneaded a few times. You could still see chunks of butter in the dough, which was perfect!
Cut them into roundish shapes :) with a knife, then put the cookie sheet of cold raw biscuits in the freezer for a few minutes. THEN baked. Keeping everything cold (in the hot Texas summer heat!) made the difference. Delish!
I wish I would have read about keeping everything super cold! Might have helped them rise a little better. These did turn out really good though! I used my cuisine-art, but think I will try it by hand completely next time to see if less messing with the dough will help. My dough and everything turned out great! I just got some fresh milk from the farm today and put it to good use! Thanks for the simple recipe!
These were so good! Followed others advice and just floured my board and hands and gently folded the dough with my hands for the kneading. They were a wee bit wet but not too bad. No circles for me too lazy, cut into squares and made sure to crowd them. These are going to go amazing with my sausage gravy!
I’m wondering if using whole wheat pastry flour would give these an even more buttery/flaky texture?
Hi Sarah. You may want to try making them a little smaller. I think I usually get almost 2 dozen. Mine are definitely softer in the middle, but, not mushy. I hope that helps. You could also try maybe dropping your oven to 300 which might allow them to bake more evenly. Good luck. Jill
Did anyone that had trouble with the recipe try it again with success?? My dough was so sticky I had trouble kneading it. I had to add alot of extra flour just to be able to knead it. My biscuits did not rise at all. They looked like flat circles. All my ingrediants were fresh (flour had been milled just a few hours before). The taste was okay but the consistency/texture was off.
I’d love to know if anyone figured out their problem.
My first attempt they were very sticky. My second attempt I was sure to measure the milk exactly and added a bit of extra flour. They both turned out great. My kids loved them as a treat with a little honey on them. We also had them as a side to our chili. Yummy!
I had the same problem! It just tasted funky… still trying to figure out what I did wrong…
Ok, what did I do wrong? My turned out horrible!! They were dense and really tasted funky. The dough was really sticky and I had to use some extra flour to be able to work with it but that was really the only issue I had. I was really hoping these would be awesome….
Be very careful what kind of whole wheat flour you use and how you measure it. Stone ground will make horrible biscuits. I run my flour through a flour sifter to get it nice and fluffy, then scoop out my two cups and I use a whole wheat pastry flour. Came our nice and fluffy. Do the same with your baking powder. Also, you will find that your biscuits are less dense if you use either buttermilk or enough milk combined with 2 tsp vinegar to make 1 cup and allow to set while you mix. Also make sure you don’t over knead, only enough to make a slightly sticky dough, too much kneading will make the dough tough. These are all the main reasons for tough biscuits, hope it helps.
Hi Samantha. Was your flour fresh? I store mine in the freezer to keep it from becoming rancid. I’m wondering if that might be the issue given they had a funny taste too. I hope you’ll give them a second try and they will come out better next time. Jill
I just made these tonight for the first time and they are amazing! Another time saver I do for biscuits…I don’t bother cutting them out at all. I just pat the dough to the proper thickness and then cut it into pieces with a knife. Some pieces are wedge-shaped and some are square but they all bake perfectly!
Any of you read “wheat belly” ? Wheat really is so altered that I wouldn’t really call it a real food- something to think about. Ancient grains should be used like einkorn or spelt. Both are wheat products, but much safer and healthier.
I am going to make them tonight to go with my Biscuits and gravy recipe, I would to no what the cal. and carb count. Thanks Mary
Hi Mary. Sorry, we don’t track that information. Jill
WOW!! Best whole wheat biscuits ever!! I’ve tried a number of recipes trying to get biscuits like this, but what I thought were successes were just passable compared to these. They rose beautifully, and are truly light, fluffy and have that sort of delicate quality I remember from the old days when mom made biscuits to go with stew. I never expected this from whole wheat flour. As soon as they came out of the oven, I just HAD to taste one, so I had the runt of the bunch that was too small for the biscuit cutter. I was even going to run the flower through the blender to lighten it up a bit, but decided I should try the recipe as is first. I used buttermilk, which I wouldn’t have done had I not read the comments. What boggles my mind is that the recipe seems so basic… yet these biscuits couldn’t be better if they were made with regular flour. Don’t tell anyone, but I think there might have been magic involved.
Hello,
Thanks so much for the recipe I just made them and they turned out great! How can I store these (besides the freezer) for a few days so they will stay good. Thanks again!
HI Viviana. I just store them in an airtight container. Jill
Love making homemade biscuits (hubby loves it too!) Best thing I ever did: put the butter in the freezer while measuring out the other ingredients. When you’re ready to cut the butter in, use a flat cheese grater to grate the butter in and stir. Soooooooo much easier! I also do like Alicia does, I just form the dough and cut it- no re-rolling or scraps!
Am just starting the 10 day pledge and am really surprised to see how easy this recipe seems (I haven’t tried it yet but will be doing it this weekend!). If I wanted to make a big batch to freez, would I make the dough and cut them out and then freeze, or make them, bake them, and then freeze?
Thanks!
Hi Kelli. I usually bake them all and then freeze them. Jill
I made these this morning and they came out great! I made a few changes though. I added flax seeds and used half butter and half canola oil.
I used these biscuits as the “crust” for a pot-pie creation I made with left over veges and turkey from a breast I cooked in a crock pot. They made a perfect, hearty crust. I made the biscuits earlier in the day and the clean up was easy and I still have a couple left for breakfast. Think I’ll try an egg sandwich with one. Thank you for the great recipe!
Oh my gosh! These are wonderful, thanks so much for a truly delicious whole wheat biscuit!
Forgot to add that I used buttermilk AND grated the cold butter–thanks for that tip, Ashley!
I’ve made these a few times and they turn out well, but the dough is always so moist I can barely roll it out. Most recently, I used the dough blade on my food processor to mix it. I’m not sure if that is where the problem lies, or elsewhere. My dough is so sticky I have to add a lot of flour to even be able to handle it. Am I doing something wrong?
Joanna,
From what I understand, whole wheat dough is sticky by default. If you add more flour to try to eliminate the stickyness you will end up with dry/hard biscuits. Instead lightly oil your hands and the rolling pin.
Hi Joanna. They may be getting “overmixed”. I would try doing them by hand. Jill
Hi! As so many have said, I am so thankful for this blog!! I found it about a year ago and the first thing I made was some sort of whole wheat dinner roll. It only had about 4 ingredients in it, you let the dough rise and then put it into muffin tins….so easy, so good, my kids loved them. …. and now I cannot find this recipe! Please help! I have scrolled through the index, recipe by category… cannot find it. I’d be so grateful for the correct link!
Thanks a million, and keep up the excellent work.
Hi Erin. I think you are referring to these…https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/04/08/super-easy-recipe-whole-wheat-biscuits/. Glad you are enjoying the blog. Jill
I made these biscuits tonight and they didn’t rise. They were flat like scones. I followed the recipe & can’t figure out where I went wrong. Any ideas?
Hi Emily. Was your baking powder fresh? That’s the only thing I can think of. Jill
I made these tonight and they also didn’t rise. I followed the recipe but I did use extra flour because the dough was so wet. I also re-mashed? the extra dough and re-smoothed? it out. Looks like this may have been my mistake. I will try them again using the suggested oil on the dough. Thanks for your information!
I have been looking at this recipe for several months and finally made it tonight. The biscuits weren’t pretty, but they sure were good! My daughter, who rarely eats stuff like that, had two! :-) Thanks for sharing your recipes. I’ll definitely be making more of them!
Do you think this would work as dough to drop into homemade chicken & dumplings? Thanks for all the great recipes….you have been so inspirational!!
Hi Stephanie…that sounds like it might work, but, I’ve not tried it. Let us know how it goes. Jill
I find that the best biscuits are made with dough that is so wet and sticky that it is hard to handle. This makes biscuits with a crispy outside and oh-so-tender and moist inside. I use a liberal amount of flour on a cutting board with flour on my hands to pat the lump of dough out to suitable thickness, turning once or twice to coat the outside, with liberal flour underneath. When I cut the dough, the flour on the bottom keeps the dough from sticking to the board, and the flour that has stuck to the top toasts nicely and adds to the flavor.
Have just started to use whole wheat flour. Will try tonight. Thanks
Just FYI…my son has a dairy allergy so i substitute coconut oil in place of the butter. I’m not sure how they compare to the butter version but they most certainly turn out great dairy free. I’ve made them a number of times! And I use small decorative cookie cutters to get a lot out of a batch, especially since most of the mouths in my house are small!!
I am still easing my family into the whole wheat world (with much resistance)so I am wondering if this could be made with half whole wheat flour and half regular flour. Any suggestions? Change is so hard for some people…they tell me i’m crazy:0)
Hi Amy. You could probably do the substitution, although, I have not tried it. Your family might surprise you though if you use the white whole wheat flour…it really is pretty mild tasting. Jill
I made these a few weeks ago, following the recipe exactly, and they turned out pretty well.
However, I made them again last night using the grated frozen butter trick AND I forgot to knead them. Not kidding – they were the best biscuits I’ve ever had. I chose another biscuit over dessert, they were that good! Also, my husband said that he couldn’t tell I hadn’t added sugar! WIN! Thanks for the great recipe! (^_^)
Wish I could pin this! Am I missing the button?
Hi Alice. Were you able to get this work? There is a pin button and it seems to be working just fine. Please let me know if you still need some help. Jill
Just made these – so good! I didn’t knead them or flatten them – just dropped them on the cookie sheet and bakes. They turned out great!
Just made these with my two boys. They are amazing!
Will be making these again with fun shapes.
I made this dough tonight and dropped them in chicken soup for dumplings!! Amazing, sooo good! Used leftover chicken from the whole chicken cooked in a crockpot, and the stock. Everyone in my family loved it!
Perfecto!!! Easy & quick when I was in a bind to make some wheat biscuits just in time for dinner.
Unexpected surprise of taking the 10 day challenge? I got to have one of these with a small tab of actual butter today … WITHOUT FEELING GUILT! And they weren’t ‘healthy’ tasting like I’d thought they might be …
… clouds parting … angels singing … WOO HOO!
My dough wasn’t wet or sticky. It took all the arm strength I had to roll this out. They didn’t really rise either. What was different on my end? Am I missing something?
Hi Stephanie. You definitely don’t want the dough too wet otherwise it’s hard to work with. Make sure when you are measuring the flour you don’t “pack it down”. I’m not sure why they wouldn’t have risen…I would check your ingredients to make sure they were all fresh. Hope they work out better next time. Jill
I noticed in the ingredients list it calls for 1/4 cup butter, but in the written directions, it says 1/2 cup. How much should we use?
Never mind…I must be half asleep, because when I reread it, it says 1/2 STICK which is the same as a 1/4 cup.
Thanks!
These were lovely to eat on the first day. Now they seem to have lost their original texture of crisp outside. Any suggestions?
Toaster oven?
Hi Deepa. How did you store them? If you put them in a ziploc they sometimes gain moisture and become a little soggy. Jill
Okay, I really need help with this one. I just realized that baking powder is just a bunch of chemicals. Corn starch is the first ingredient! Do you buy a certain kind of baking powder or is this just a case of we gotta make some compromises and this is a small one?
Hi TJ. Yes, we look for aluminum free baking powder, and one that is non-GMO. Jill
dough was great. Put them in the oven at 450 (as stated in recipe) thinking that was way too hot and sure enough they were black on the bottom within about 3 minutes. Turned oven down to 350 and opened the oven door to cool things down and they turned out alright. Next time I will start at a lower temp.
First time making biscuits ( or really baking in general ) and these are awesome! Subbed 3 tbls of olive oil since my butter looked pretty old. Best biscuits I’ve ever had! Thank you!
I have made thios 2 nights in a row and they don’t rise. The first night I thought my baking powder was old so I got some new and tried again. They still didn’t rise. Any suggestions what I am doing wrong?
It could be that the butter isn’t cold enough. When making biscuits. the butter must stay cold and solid in order for them to turn out right. I hope that helps.
I’m no expert but the tips from other posts have been helpful. Don’t twist when you cut the biscuits, just straight up and down. Don’t over work the dough, just knead it enough to make sure it’s mixed properly. I find the ugliest dough makes the prettiest biscuits.
Once you get it down its fun to mix in other ingredients. Grated carrot and honey, or garlic and rosemary are my favorites so far.
Hi Bonnie. In addition to making sure the ingredients are fresh, I would also make sure to use cold butter and to not “overwork” the dough. Good luck. Jill
AMAZING! I whipped these up real quick to go with home made whole wheat spaghetti. They looked just like the picture. This will be my go to recipe for biscuits now :D
These were so easy!!!!! The are AWESOME. I see adding a touch of garlic powder and sharp cheese too. Do you think that will work? Also as I am edging my family towards better food can I do 1 cup of white flour and 1 cup of wheat as I transition them. They did like them which is exciting.NO MORE Grands biscuts for this house!!!
Hi Jackie. Yes, I think adding the garlic powder and cheese would be fine. You can do 1/2 white flour to begin with, but, I think if you use the white whole wheat flour you may be surprised at the mild taste and they may eat them just fine. Jill
These biscuits were wonderful! I’ve made them twice now and the only thing I do differently is cook them 8 minutes instead of 10-12. They turned out great both times! Thank you for a fantastic recipe.
Mine also did not rise, and I am an experienced baker. My baking powder was brand new. The butter was right out of the refrigerator. I’ll try one more time, perhaps mixing in the butter with my fingers instead of a pastry blender. The butter needs to be incorporated until it looks like bread crumbs. The oven also has to be hot in order to melt the butter and create steam with the water in it which, along with the baking powder, allows the biscuits to rise. I do like the fact that they are 100% whole wheat. They were still yummy, just a little dense.
I just baked these on top of my chicken pot pie(instead of my old, unclean recipe for pie topping)
Baked at 350 for about 15-20min. SO GOOD! Cut them into heart shapes;)
I use this dough, minus the baking powder, to make crackers, they are really good.
I tried these and they were great. They were moist and flaky just
like your pictures. Thanks…they are a regular addition to my
baking!
Glad you enjoyed them! ~Amy
Hi!
Can use this recipe to make bread with or is there another recipe for bread without yeast?
Thank you!
Hi Monica. I don’t believe we have tried that. We have a cheese cracker recipe that does not have yeast: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/03/23/recipe-easy-cheesy-crackers/ but all of our breads do. ~Amy
Do you freeze the biscuits before or after cooking them? Thanks.
Hi Joi Alex. I usually bake and then freeze. ~Amy
Do you freeze these unbaked or baked?
Hello April. I freeze them baked. ~Amy
These biscuits were a definite hit in our house. I tried this recipe a year ago with regular whole wheat flour and my husband said “Ew! No!” So this time I was sure to use white whole wheat flour and we both really enjoyed them with a little bit of butter. I cooked them for 12 minutes at 450 on my pizza stone and they turned out nice and fluffy with a crispy light brown bottom. SO GOOD!
I’m another one who didn’t have success with the biscuits rising. :( I had read all of the comments, so I got the white whole wheat flour, bought brand new baking powder and made sure I put the butter into the freezer for a few minutes after cutting it to make sure it was really cold. I have yet to have success with anything rising for me that is homemade and not from a box mix. I went away from box mixes quite some time ago, so I’m really missing my fluffy biscuits! I’ll try again, but I was bummed to have another flop! They still tasted good, though. :)
Mine also did not rise. They came out like hockey pucks! I had all fresh ingredients also. I think I may have worked the butter into the flower a little too much. I have to work on that! I will also try the white whole wheat flour next time.
These biscuits were awesome! I made them entirely vegan by using Earth Balance buttery spread (soy free) and almond milk. I did have to knead in a little extra WW flour, but that’s no biggie. For those of you who are getting ‘hockey puck’ biscuits, please check to make sure you aren’t over-working the dough. This is almost ALWAYS the culprit. The cold ingredients are important as well, and I put ALL of my ingredients in the fridge, flour included, while I work on other things. But overall the over-mixing is what results in biscuits that do not rise. Just a friendly tip from a professional baker. :-)
I thought you had a (sausage maybe) gravy that you had posted that went along with this recipe but I can’t find it anywhere…do you still have it?
Hi Jodi. I don’t find a sausage gravy recipe anywhere in the archives. Maybe you mixed us up with another site on this one? : ) ~Amy
I made a homemade veggie pot pie and added these biscuits to the top as the “crust” and it was out of this world!!! I had some biscuits leftover too, which I’m looking forward to comsuming. I was so thankful for these biscuits because they were so easy to whip up and throw on top. (The original pot pie recipe called for canned crescent rolls, but these were way better). And they rose beautifully.
I followed the recipe and made these biscuits this morning using regular whole wheat flour, oven set at 435, and baked them for 9 minutes. They doubled in height and turned out light and delicious. I made them for my brother and his son so they could eat something wholesome and made with love. The teen ate a minimum of three biscuits with a little spread of butter and natural honey, and a side of scrambled eggs and salsa. Fantastic!
Just made these for lunch and they turned out delicious. I was a little nervous since I had never made biscuits before but they was super easy.
I tried these and they did not taste right or rise at all…my butter was cold, my ingredients fresh…not sure what happened…will try one more time
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
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: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/05/14/mini-pledge-week-10-no-refined-oils/, and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/04/15/mini-pledge-week-6-no-low-fat-lite-or-nonfat-food-products/. ~Amy
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 looked up how to substitute salted butter for unsalted. You want to reduce the salt by 1/2 teaspoon for each cup of butter. So in this recipe you would use 3/8 teaspoon of butter instead of 1/2.
I meant 3/8 teaspoon of salt instead of 1/2, not “butter” My brain must be asleep!
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.
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: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/07/08/recipe-whole-wheat-buttermilk-cheese-biscuits/! :) Enjoy. ~Amy
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 :o) And I just found organic stick butter at Walmart. Everything possible natural and organic from now on, including raw honey on these biscuits :o)
Hello Lisa,
These biscuits are delicious and fit right in with my clean diet. I am a college student, and am always looking for simple recipes that I can do with stuff in my pantry. THIS RECIPE FIT THE BILL!
I no longer eat butter, so I substituted coconut oil for the butter, and they came out great. Even my picky, not so into unprocessed food, boyfriend enjoyed them this morning.
Thanks so much
These sound delicious, I am very eager to try them! Any idea on the nutrition facts? Also, something I have always wondered an maybe you can help me out…what is the difference between regular whole wheat and white whole wheat flour?
regular whole wheat is made from hard red winter wheat, and white whole wheat is made from hard white winter wheat. They are both 100% whole grain, some people say that the white whole wheat flour has a milder flavor
I just made these using spelt flour and they came out delicious! Light and fluffy.
I made these with spelt flour as well and they are delicious! The whole family enjoys them toasted with natural peanut butter and raspberry jam :)
Thank you for this recipe! I was looking for an easy whole wheat biscuit. I used King Arthur’s premium whole wheat flour, & they turned out very light with a nice light wheaty flavor! I will make these again and again!
These are awesome. I’m wondering if the people who have trouble getting them to rise are at high altitudes? That can affect how baked things turn out.
I made these at high altitude (colorado) and they turned out just fine!
Hey, I will be making these but had a question and please excuse my ignorance. I know others asked about freezing extras and ya’all said they could be frozen, however, how do you prepare them after being frozen? Do you simply defrost and eat or re-heat somehow?? Thanks…
Hi Jessica. Defrost them in the fridge overnight and heat them in a toaster oven, oven, or microwave. ~Amy
Has anyone ever tried this without a different fruit? I have a ton of blueberries and I’m looking for a clean blueberry muffin recipe!
Thanks1
Heather-
I think you might have posted this in the wrong place? ~Amy
These are easy, quick to put together, and work every time. And for anyone living at high altitude (I live at 7,200 feet) these work great. Solid recipe and absolutely delicious.
Can I freeze the dough after i cut out the biscuit shapes?
Hi Aleta. You could but I think they come out better if you cook and then freeze. ~Amy
What is the calorie difference from wheat to white flour?
Hi Kevin. We typically do not track calorie information. I can, however, answer the question. The difference in calories is negligible. A cup of whole wheat flour might have slightly fewer calories than a cup of white flour. More important, is that the whole wheat is far more nutritious and retains all its fiber. ~Amy
Can extra virgin olive oil be used in place of the butter?
Hi Em. I’ve seen recipes that use olive oil in biscuits but I am honestly not sure how it would work here. Cold coconut oil would be an exchange that is similar in consistency. ~Amy
Just found this recipe and made them for dinner. I used fresh ground einkorn and they ended up flat as pancakes. Any suggestions? I’m thinking I need to adjust the baking powder…but not sure. Thanks!
H Aileen. It could just be that an ingredient was not fresh. Be sure to try again. They are worth it. :) ~Amy
I used your recipe with 2T coconut palm sugar added and dropped it over a casserole dish full of lightly sweetened blackberries to make a yummy cobbler. My mom used to make one like that with Bisquick biscuits, which I won’t buy because of the ingredients, so this got similar results but with real food. Thanks!
can you use soft margarine in place of butter? I was thinking of putting it in the freezer first.
Hi Chesty. I would use coconut oil for a butter substitute. There are no margarines that we recommend. Here is more information on fats and oils to help explain: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/05/14/mini-pledge-week-10-no-refined-oils/. ~Amy
Delicious!!! Made them this morning with Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat flour. They were light and fluffy. We had them with butter and honey- to die for!
Hi Lisa, I have made this recipe several times and love it! The biscuits always taste better when they are fressh though-not frozen and reheated. I was wondering if they would turn out ok if I froze the dough and then baked them as needed? Thank you!
Nevermind-Just found the answer from a previous inquirer :)
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Hello. I made these last night, but mine are tougher and not as high as the biscuits pictured:( Do you have any idea what I could have done incorrecty? Thanks
@Jen…it sounds like you may have over mixed the dough. Try again, but only slightly mix. Biscuit dough and muffin batter get denser the more you mix it.
@Jen…or your flour may have been old?
I am interested in making this recipe, but am iffy about all the butter. Do you know the calorie and fat content for this recipde?
Thank you!
Hi can I use oïl instead of butter (my son is allergic…)
Thanks!
Hi. We would typically replace the butter with coconut oil. ~Amy
Thanks!! Coconut oil is safe in the oven at 450 degree?
Hi again. Yes, that is fine for baking. ~Amy
I tried this recipe, twice and I got flat biscuits. They tasted good but I was disappointed. I followed the recipe exactly, any suggestions?
Hi Caroline. Two things come to mind: Were your ingredients fresh? Could you have over-worked your dough? ~Amy
Me too, totally flat. I used brand new fresh ingrdients, even the same brand flour. I have never baked anything from scratch, what could I be doing wrong?
Hi Leanne. It is really easy to over-work biscuits and take the fluff right out of them. :) ~Amy
I made these last night. They were really delicious. My husband raved about them. The only thing I changed was to add one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, and used almond milk. Highly recommended.
My biscuits are flat too. They certainly don’t look as fluffy as yours.
Hi Mona. Sometimes that is due to the age of the ingredients and most often (for me) the flour. The fresher the flour, the better. The first couple times I made these I also over worked them. Give them another try? ~Amy
I’m sorry if this has been asked already, but do you know if I can sub all purpose Gluten Free flour in place of the regular flour?
Hi Jill. Probably but I would look for a gluten free flour that is whole grain or at the very least a whole grain blend. Avoid flours made from white rice, tapioca, and potato. They are highly refined. ~Amy
Second time’s a charm!! today i made these again. last time they tasted great, but were little bricks. i was very careful to only knead a little, as directed. they’re light and fluffy!! thanks:-)
Great..I made these this morning since my husband wanted biscuits and all we had was wheat flour. A quick google search later and here I am. Loved this recipe. Mine were fluffy and delicious, and I really wasn’t expecting such great results with wheat flour. Thanks for the recipe!! I’ve pinned this and will make them again! And you’re right! Super easy as well!
Have you ever considered using coconut oil in place of butter? I use it when baking bread, but haven’t tried it for biscuits.
Hi Dianne. We frequently use coconut oil. :) ~Amy
So, it works well with this recipe? Awesome! Thanks! :D
It is our go to exchange for butter. I’ve not used it with biscuits. ~Amy
Love this recipe! I made it a few times after making the strawberry jam recipe, so easy & delicious! Question- What kind of baking powder do you use? I just read the ingredients in mine and I’m concerned.
Hi Marie. There are several aluminum free powders available. Rumford is a common brand. ~Amy
I have made these a few times and waiting on the latest batch. I want to share a tip. I use a cheese grater and grate the butter in to the bowl. It comes out in thin little pieces that work just as well as cutting into pea size pieces. Much easier. I read it on a comment to a recipe somewhere once. I can’t remember where, it was a long time ago so I can’t give credit. Hope it helps someone get done faster!
These turned it so well! Thank you for sharing! I’m high altitude and they still turned out great!
Have you ever made these biscuits and then frozen the dough Biscuit shaped? I am interested in freezing them that way.
Hi Celia. Lisa freezes them after baking. ~Amy
The first time I made these the dough was a bit sticky but it managed to work. They weren’t as tall as the ones in the picture so perhaps I spread the dough too thin. The seconf time I made these it was a disaster. The dough was too wet and sticky. I added a bit more flour but it only got worse. I had to scratch it all. My flour is fresh and my bakibg powder is new. Do you have any suggestions?
Hi there. It is so hard to know for sure what’s going wrong when we aren’t in the kitchen with you. ;) Biscuit batter is a bit sticky but you should be able to work with it okay. Regarding not rising enough, that typically happens when you over-work or over-mix the dough. Maybe give it another try reserving a bit of the liquid. ~Amy
Great easy recipe!!! Yummy and were fluffy, I made into Halloween shapes with cookie cutters. With our house being dairy free, I used almond milk and used earth balance coconut spread instead of butter. Very tasty!
Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!
I tried these tonight. I tweaked it a little, added some agave nectar (I would normally use honey with wheat flour, but I ran out). I also don’t use dairy milk, but plain soymilk worked great. I was careful not to overwork, nor to pat down too much. The family loved them. Thank you.
I don’t know what I did wrong. But these these turned out disgusting! They looked great but tasted HORRIBLE…I’m not sure where I went wrong, seems like a simple recipe
Never mind, we used baking soda instead of powder! haha, darn it
First off I am NOT a baker by any stretch of the imagination, but even I could make these and they tasted awesome! I used whole wheat pastry flour so maybe that’s why mine were so sticky. I kept adding flour until I could handle them without it being a big glob of stickiness on my hands and then they were fine. They weren’t as fluffy as yours, but I thought they were awesome and my kids ate them all up. This will be my go to recipe from now on. Thank you!
I also used unsweetened almond milk and they were so good I could have mistaken them for the grands biscuits, but without all of the junk.
Just wanted to clarify tablespoon measurements – do you use American tablespoons (15ml) or English tablespoons (20ml)? Thanks!
Hi Carly. We use standard American measurements. ~Amy
SO easy! I grated the butter like someone suggested, then just mixed with a fork until combined. I didn’t even roll them out, I just dropped spoon-fulls onto a baking sheet. They were perfect with our soup. Thank you for the yummy and easy recipe!
I made these last night. They were light and fluffy and easy!
I have made these 2 times now! The first was just to try out the recipe and then I made them again last evening to go with the Greek Yogurt Egg Salad on here. Both times they turned out amazing and delicious!
These are fantastic! Mine didn’t rise as much as I expected, so next time I’ll make them thicker. They taste great regardless! Kid approved (which is not an easy task)!
These biscuits just changed my life. Needed something to go with beef stew for my bread-addicted dude and they WIN. I had the same King Arthur flour and 1% milk, and they’re fluffy as pillows. I live at sea-level, which helps, but sometimes things that are supposed to fluff without yeast don’t do well in the Pacific Northwest. Wish I’d found the recipe when you posted it almost 4 years ago. Thank you!
These are a staple in my home, we eat them all the time and they are super easy!!
I’m on vacation and didn’t have access to all of my recipes so did a quick Google search for “whole wheat biscuits” and yours was the first one to pop up. Well, the first one that actually used only whole wheat flour and not a mix of whole wheat and all purpose. Thank you!
I wanted to share a couple of tips I used while making these:
1. I grated the butter into the flour, gave it a quick stir and done. No need to work it with a fork – yay!
2. For a little variety I topped a few of the biscuits with one each of the following:
a) lemon peel
b) caraway seeds
c) cinnamon mixed with a little coconut sugar
Hi,
Can you suggest what I might use as a substitute for the butter? I figure I can use almond or rice milk for the milk part. I thought about coconut oil, but the buscuits, might end up tasting like coconut? Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Hi Julie. Coconut oil is what we would sub for the butter, too. Here is more information on cooking with it: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/02/07/how-to-cook-with-coconut-oil/. ~Amy
I love your site! I have a question about these biscuits. If I were to put them in my kids lunchbox would I reheat them in the morning or just defrosts?
Hi Sarah. Defrost them overnight and just stick them in the lunchbox. There is no need to heat unless you wish to. ~Amy
I have a recipe I make called Breakfast Cupcakes. It’s canned biscuits put into a muffin tin, topped with bacon, egg, and cheese and baked. I’m trying to get away from canned biscuits so I was thinking this might be a good alternative. I’m wondering if the biscuits can be made (but not cooked) in advance? That will save me some time so this breakfast can still be a quick go-to. Thanks!
Hello Tayla. You could certain freeze the dough and defrost the portion you want overnight before baking. ~Amy
These were delicious! They smelled great in the oven and tasted so good! I used 1 cup of whole milk yogurt (actually a little less than a cup plus some water) and they came out perfect! Definitely making these again!
I’m sorry if this has been asked before. I read through a couple pages of comments but don’t have the time to read through them all. How long can you keep these in the freezer?
Hi Emily. The rule of thumb is 2-3 months. ~Amy
What are the nutrition facts?
Hi Kris. We do not provide nutrition information on our recipes. Our focus is on helping people cut out processed food while replacing them with real/whole foods. These posts help explain our philosophy: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/, https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/23/portion-size-matters/, and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/10-reasons-to-cut-out-processed-food. ~Amy
Mine never rise as much as I would like any suggestion?????
Hi Summer. Are you using fresh ingredients would be my first question as baking powder does have a shelf life: http://www.thekitchn.com/baking-tricks-how-to-tell-if-b-111759?
Make sure that when you cut the biscuits you are cutting straight down and then coming straight up, with no twisting. If you twist during the cutting process, it won’t create the nice flaky layers that rise.
Can i use yeast instead of baking powder?
Hi there. No, the two are not really interchangeable leavening agents. Yeast will give a different taste and texture to the “biscuit”.
Just fantastic recipe. Mine came good but I added 1/2 tsp. Of corn starch so biscuit fluffy inside and crispy outside. Thank you for posted this recipe
I’ve combined the garlic cheddar drop biscuit recipe and this one. I stick to all the ingredient amounts on here except I add 1t garlic powder( since this one has more dough and we love garlic) and 1 1/2 c cheddar. YUM!
These went amazing with the chicken pot pie soup I made tonight!! Not only are they husband approved, but they were made by him too! While I was busy with the soup, my husband took on the biscuit duties. He loved making them and he can’t wait to get a little creative next time! Thanks for helping bring the family together in the kitchen Lisa!
I would like to replace baking with white flour with wheat flour and this was the first recipe I tried. So many good reviews yet my family and I did not really like the biscuits that much. My husband said they had no taste. I wonder if it was because I used whole wheat flour and not the white whole wheat flour plus I used Kroger brand and not King Arthur brand. I may try receipe again using white whole wheat flour.
Hi. has anyone tried this recipe with goat’s milk?
Could I sub the baking powder and salt for baking soda?
I made this recipe tonight… put the dough in muffin tins and welled them out then filled them with taco meat (seasoned with wildtree organic fajita seasoning) baked on 450 for about 12 mins then added tomato and real cheese and baked for an additional 2 mins or so. They were amazing!!! My 18 month old loved them! They were kind of toasted on the outside and really soft and moist on the inside!Thank you so much for the recipe!!
Hi Lily. From about.com on food chemistry: “You can substitute baking powder in place of baking soda (you’ll need more baking powder and it may affect the taste), but you can’t use baking soda when a recipe calls for baking powder. Baking soda by itself lacks the acidity to make a cake rise.” http://chemistry.about.com/cs/foodchemistry/f/blbaking.htm. ~Amy
This recipe is wonderful
I made these for Easter dinner yesterday (with Bob’s Red Mill 100% whole wheat pastry flour) and they were fantastic. Froze half the batch before baking so that I can enjoy them a few weekends from now. Thank you so much!
My kids are asking for these! They’re so easy to make that they’re more than willing to wait for them to come out of the oven. I’m a southern girl and these are a yummy substitute for the biscuits I grew up eating.
Hi,
I made these biscuits the other day and while they were ok, they weren’t nearly as “fluffy” as I’d hoped. They didn’t really rise much…. Any advice as to why they didn’t rise? I was very careful with measurements….I made have kneaded longer than the directions said because the dough was really sticky for a while so I needed lots of extra flour to make it flatten out right. I’d like to make these better next time….any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!
Hi Marci. Yeah, biscuit dough does tend to be a bit sticky but it was likely the over working of the dough that made them not rise. ~Amy
I just made these got my second batch in the oven. They are delicious!! I used gluten free flour so they didn’t raise as well but still tasted really good. Dough was pretty sticky so I just used two spoons to mould them and put them on trays
I have made these several times and they taste yummy but they do not rise like yours! What am I doing wrong?
Hi Julia. You are probably overworking the dough. ~Amy
So my husband made these and they tasted pretty bland, looked nothing like the picture and we pretty dry. We use the same flour and he followed you recipe to a T, why did they not turn out well?
Hi there. The most common problem with biscuits is that the dough gets overworked. Could that have been the issue?
Hi,
Im keen to try these out for my son’s packed lunces but was just wondering as to how they will turn out. I am British and looking at the picture think they look more like what we call scones than what we Brits call biscuits. Am I correct and if so could I add dried fruit like raisins or cranberries to them or are they more biscuity than scone?! would they pack well for lunches or are they best eaten warm out of the oven.
Hi Barbara. Here, biscuits are soft and more bread-like and scones are hard and cookie-like. :) These do pack great in lunches. ~Amy
Thank you!
My dough came out very runny, but today is a very humid day and that affects things, so I added more flour. If it was a very dry day where you were when you tried the recipe, Shantel, you may have needed to add a little more milk. Kneading develops gluten and can lead to heavy, harder, or tougher biscuits. It also can depend on the time of year if you are using store bought flour. Late summer thru early winter the flour may consist of more soft spring and summer varieties which are better for non-yeast recipes. From late winter into early summer store bought flour can consist of more hard winter and hard spring wheat varieties which have more gluten and are more suitable for yeast breads. This can create a difference in your results, as well, Shantel. I am able to grind my own flour, so I have a better regulation of this.
My husband told me he was coming home early and I wanted biscuits to go with our soup. I found this recipe and had it made in the twenty minutes before he walked in the door. I felt like a pretty good wife and mom serving these up! What a good blank canvas for adding other flavors. Thank you!
Do you think these would freeze well? Thank you!
They do! :)
Just made these this morning! Whipped them up quick and easy! Are they the best biscuits ever? No. Are they perfect for smothering with sausage gravy and feeling great about feeding my family whole grains? Yes! I actually subbed some shortening in mine because I was out of butter. Shame on me. An made some buttermilk with milk and lemon juice. They’re a bit crunchy outside and fluffy inside! Put them touching on the baking sheet and they’ll rise more! Thanks for the recipe!
My dough was a sticky mess. The biscuits didn’t rise and they were bland. Maybe I did something wrong?
Hi Gila. Biscuit dough is a little sticky but should not have come out flat or bland. Were your ingredients fresh? It can be difficult to know how long flour has been sitting on a store shelf. ~Amy
I followed the recipe and these came out perfectly, thank you! I think they’re awesome. However, I am from the south so I am no stranger to the biscuit making process. Everyone else just keep trying and don’t overwork the dough. I use a wooden spoon to stir my milk in until it’s mostly incorporated and then I start kneading. If you use your warm hands to handle the dough too much it can really get tough. I might try making a vegan version with coconut oil and rice milk.
I’m sorry…i wanted to like them…but no one in my family liked them and they went right into the trash. I used the same flour as you did and they look just like your picture. I think it is an acquired taste we just don’t have.
I tried these this morning, they didn’t rise much or seem as fluffy as yours. I couldn’t do much with the butter (looked about the same as when I threw it in) and I used nonfat milk. The flavor was good and one kid out of the two ate them. Just wish they were a little lighter and a little less hockey puck.
Candy, I’m sorry to hear your biscuits didn’t turn out. I would love to share a helpful trick I learned from watching a cooking show that will hopefully help with your butter issue. Before I make biscuits, I always throw a stick of butter into the freezer. Not for very long, 10 minutes or so, and then using a handheld cheese grater, I grate the butter into the flour. This gives you a very even distribution of butter and makes for easier mixing. With biscuits you don’t want to over mix or under mix. That’s nice and clear isn’t it? ;) I do hope you try again and are able to enjoy a light and fluffy biscuit. Good luck!
We (my 5 year old daughter, Amelia, and I) just made these biscuits. I grew up eating the southern staple biscuit: self-rising flour, shortening & buttermilk. Although, they aren’t the best things in the world for your heart – or waistline – they are quite delicious. However, I am always looking for ways to improve on the quality of food without sacrificing the flavor. These biscuits delivered for me. I got a very lovely rise out of them (which I was worried about) and the flavor is quite pleasing. DISCLAIMER: I enjoy the taste of whole wheat. Anyone who has never worked with whole wheat before and tries this recipe may not appreciate them as much. My girls and I think they are very yummy! We ate them with eggs, sausage and we also drizzled a little honey on them for a sweet treat. Here’s what I did to mine. Did I mention I’m from the South? I put buttermilk and butter in just about anything I bake. I must confess that I used 6 Tbs of butter to your recommended 4. We found a family dairy about 10 miles from our house and every week we pick up fresh milk, cream, buttermilk, and butter. Six Tbs of fresh butter equals 4 Tbs of store bought butter right? But you probably aren’t using store bought butter either so I’m losing this one. :) About a cup of buttermilk worked fine, I started with 3/4 of a cup and worked the dough a little until the consistency was right. I also added about 1 tsp of sugar, but couldn’t even tell it was there so now I wish I hadn’t. I made 8 large biscuits from the recipe and cooked per your instructions; 400 degrees for 11 minutes did the trick. Oh, and I let Amelia “paint” the tops of the biscuits with some cream before putting them in the oven to bake. That was more to add to her entertainment than it was to add anything to these biscuits. Thank you for sharing this recipe. We enjoyed making them and eating them!
Amy, you may be the love of my life. I lived in North Carolina for six years, my grandmother came from Nebraska, and I have never mastered biscuits. Most people don’t realize what a delicate art they truly are. Your variation is already printed out and is getting made in the morning. Please please please come cook for me…
Katie,
You made my day! I would love to cook for you. Thank you for your comment and good luck with those biscuits.
Thank you for your grating tip!
These biscuits were absolutely fantastic! Light, fluffy, delicious. My very first pintrest find, and it turned out great!
I have nothing to add except that this will be my new default biscuit recipe from now on!
Delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe. It is fool proof.
Does anybody have any recommendations about freezing these? I though I remember reading somewhere in an old post that she freezes the extras, but I’m wondering how to reheat them? In the oven? What temp and how long? Thanks!
Hi Megan. Thaw them before reheating in an oven or toaster oven. I usually wrap them in foil and heat for about 10 min at 350. You can microwave them as well. ~Amy
Rarely eat biscuits, but got a hankering for them last night. So, I found this recipe and decided to make them for bkfst this morning. They were wonderful!–light, flaky, tender, delicious! I did use an entire stick of “I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter,” and only about 3/4 cup skim milk. I froze and grated the “butter” with a cheese grater.
Thank you for the recipe! If I make a larger batch and will be using the next day or two, do I still freeze them or can I store them in the fridge? How do you recommend reheating after freezing? Thanks!
Hi Katie. If you are using them quickly, they will be fine in an airtight container on the counter or in the fridge. I typically reheat after thawing in the oven or toaster oven. You can also microwave but I prefer not to. ~Amy
For a treat this morning, I added chopped dark chocolate after pressing flat, folding the dough in half twice, thereby incorporating the chocolate in the dough. It made a slightly sweet chocolatey biscuit that my children were very excited to eat for breakfast. :)
Just tried these– making them as “local” as possible to my Hastings County Ontario location, used heritage Red Fife whole wheat grown and milled here, milk from Kawartha Dairy, and Stirling Creamery Whey Butter (consistently ranked as one of the best butters in the world). They are fantastic, thanks for the simple and easy to use recipe.
Heaven. I’d never made biscuits before but these turned out even better than I expected. They have a lovely crunch on the outside and beautiful fluffiness on the inside. Yum! Thank you!
Would you tell me in wich store I can find that flour????
I found it at Whole Foods.
The recipe states that you can use any kind of milk. Does buttermilk work? I bought the cookbook over the weekend. I am really learning a lot and making changes to eat more real food! Thanks for the inspiration!
Hi there. Yep, buttermilk works! :)
My son is dairy free, I’m wondering if I could use plain unsweetened soy milk instead of cow’s milk?
Hi there. I’ve used almond milk and soy should work just fine, too. ~Amy
Hi Lisa… I got your new book and love the recipes in it. One of them is this recipe for the whole wheat biscuits. The ONLY thing I wish was included in the book was the caloric information for each recipe. Do you by any chance know what that is for these biscuits? I’d like to know what it is for one biscuit. Thanks!
Hello Tracey. We don’t track that info but you can use an online tool like My Fitness Pal to figure it for you. :)
Mine didn’t rise. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Janna. With this recipe, that is usually due to over-working the dough. ~Amy
I used skim milk (that’s all I had on hand) and they were very dry. Could you add applesauce to make them more moist? Any suggestions? Thanks!
Hi AnneMarie. Higher milk fat would make them more moist. :)
Four teaspoons of baking powder is four times the amount in most recipes. Is it safe for health to use this much? Have you tried less?
That is correct, but you could certainly experiment with less if you’d like!
Has anyone tried using this recipe to make a crust for topping chicken pot pie?
I just tried to make these. The dough was so sticky it was like glue on my hands. I followed the recipe exactly but there was no way to knead it because it was way too sticky. I kept having my 7 year old son add a little more flour at a time but it only helped a little. I ran out of time and didn’t finish them. Next time I try should I use more flour or less milk? Any suggestions?
I haven’t tried making this recipe, but I know from years of making biscuits that a really sticky dough typically yields a nice tender biscuit. The less sticky the dough is, the more dry the biscuit. I “knead” my dough by gently turning it out onto the counter and then folding it over on itself a few times. This works a little more flour in, but not so much as to dry out the end product. It also helps to flour your biscuit cutter and to bake on a silpat or parchment.
I accidentally added all the ingrediants together at the same time than mixed with fork than used a mixer for like 15 sec. Seemed to work out perfect for me did u add the correct amounts of ingredients ? Try the way I did it u might like it better :)
I made these tonite and served them open faced with your pulled pork recipe, with pan fried onions and garden fresh tomato slices on the side. My husband and I agreed that it made an amazing dinner.
Fantastic! I made 6 jumbo biscuits.They turned out fluffy and delicious. The texture is just like rolled biscuits but without all the work. It’s so easy to whip up too. It’ll be my go-to biscuit recipe from now on!
made these tonight, they were delicious. they didn’t rise quite as much as the old recipe i had, but were very tender and flaky and moist. the milk was a bit too much, if i would have added the entire amount it’d be more like muffin batter. i doubled the recipe and it made about 18 three-inch biscuits. will definitely make again. oh, and i’m at about 3500 feet (elevation), they still took about 10 minutes in the oven, same temp.
Followed recipe exactly with fresh ingredients…did not rise at all. They tasted fine, just completely flat. I only kneaded dough about 8x.
I had the same problem. Hoping to get some suggestions on how to fix that here :)
One of the reasons your biscuits didn’t rise could be because of your elevation. If that wasn’t the reason maybe you patted them out too flat to start out with. I added a teaspoon of baking soda along with the 4 teaspoons of baking powder that the recipe called for. The baking soda helps keep the baking power keep the rise up. I patted the biscuit dough out 1 1/2 inches thick to start out with. It rose a little bit more when they were done. If it is your altitude you might need to turn up your oven temp and watch the biscuits or turn the temp down and bake them longer. Either way you need to keep an eye on the biscuits. I hope this helps you out. Good luck.
Also, be sure your baking powder is still good. This link has info on how to tell if your baking soda and baking powder is still good to use. http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-test-if-baking-soda-or-baking-powder-is-expired-tips-from-the-kitchn-111759
I just made these and they turned out perfect!
I made self-rising flour biscuits for a long time until I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes and my husband had a heart attack. Well these biscuits were ok’ed by our doctor’s so I made them. I thought they would be dry by using all whole-wheat flour, but they were very moist and delicious. Thanks for the recipe. If you have anymore please let me know where I can find them. Can you also add the nutrition facts so I can keep up with our counts on each recipe? I really need the nutrition facts on the biscuits. Again thanks for the great recipe.
Hi Kay. Sorry, we do not provide nutrition information as our focus is on helping people make the switch to real food. We don’t focus on numbers so much. There are several online resources to help you figure out details like My Fitness Pal. ~Amy
Thanks so much for your help and great recipes. Keep them coming.
Respectfully, many of us want to get back to real food, but also want to monitor what we eat in order to change habits.
That said, these biscuits turned out great! I only had room-temperature butter, so I cut it into pats and froze it, then chopped it up with my dough cutter before forking it into the dry ingredients.
Kay, I entered the ingredients in MyFitnessPal and went for worst-case-scenario of only 8 biscuits per recipe. I used skim milk when I made them.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 8.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 163
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 6 g 10 %
Saturated Fat 4 g 19 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 16 mg 5 %
Sodium 386 mg 16 %
Potassium 174 mg 5 %
Total Carbohydrate 23 g 8 %
Dietary Fiber 4 g 15 %
Sugars 0 g
Protein 5 g 10 %
Vitamin A 4 %
Vitamin C 1 %
Calcium 21 %
Iron 7 %
Thanks for sharing.
Forgive me if this question has already been answered but I only got through a couple pages of the comments. Can the dough be frozen and used similarly to how the refrigerated tube of dough is used. I would like to use this dough to make chicken pot pies and mini stuffed dough appetizers.
Thanks for the information, your site contains a wealth of knowledge.
Hi Naomi. The dough can be frozen but I think the results are more fluffy if you cook and then freeze. :)
I’m not sure what I did wrong, but my dough was quite gummy. I had to add about a half cup more flour before kneeding.
I did, too, Nicole.
I made chicken and dumplings last night (yes, all real food) and used the whole wheat biscuit recipe for my dumplings. Can I hear a big YUM?! Also, I made the dough in my food processor! Can I hear a big EASY!?
These were really delicious. My husband said they were good, but he definitely prefers canned biscuits. I just stirred them a few times to mix, and made drop biscuits.
I tried these tonight and unfortunately they did not turn out good at all. I don’t know what I did wrong but the dough was very gooey (I added flour to help it) and I only baked them for 10 minutes, but they seemed overdone and were very dry. Any suggestions or thoughts?
Hi Krista. This biscuit batter is pretty sticky. If you added more flour to make it more doughy, that might have been why they didn’t turn out well. ~Amy
Oh, and they didn’t look at all like the picture.
Lmao…Big oops. I used baking soda instead of baking powder. On the positive side they’re very moist. My dog seems to like them. I will try again tomorrow with baking powder.
Hello All! I’ve made these biscuits several times and they are great! I love the use of whole wheat flour, but my wife and I found them to be a touch dry. They are super tasty however so…
I added 2 oz of Organic Valley Cream Cheese when cutting in the butter with the dry ingredients. I followed the rest of the recipe as-is, and they turned out FANTASTIC!!!
Hello!
I love these biscuits. I might have made two batches in one weekend. Just maybe.
I made a few modifications and I thought I would share because the results are yummy. I substituted half of the whole wheat flour with oat flour (ground up oats in the food processor). In my second batch also added 2 broccoli stems chopped up finely in the food processor. The results did taste like broccoli but my family love broccoli so we still found them delicious. In my next batch I am going to try incorporating mashed sweet potato.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi! I make sweet potato version. I use mashed sweet potato = to the amount of flour. I whip the sweet potato and butter together then add a touch of cinnamon.
I made these biscuits and followed the recipe exactly but mine did not rise at all! They tasted ok but were as flat as when I put them in the oven! What did I do wrong?
I wonder if your baking powder is up to date? That is what makes them rise. Also, make sure you used powder instead of soda! Sometimes I have to read the recipe multiple times and check my container to make sure I’m not mixing them up,
I can’t have dairy, and substituted olive oil for the butter and they turned out great!
What are the nutritional facts on these biscuits …ie carb count
Hi Melissa. We don’t provide nutrition details on our recipes. This explains why: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/. There are many online tools that will provide those details, however. ~Amy
I really liked the flavor of these biscuits and the ease of making them, however, mine were very dense. We live at 6000ft so my guess is that is why they did not turn out as expected. Do you have any recommendations as to how to get these to be light and flakey at high altitude? Thanks!
Hi there. These may help: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipe/high-altitude-baking.html and http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/howtocook/primers/altitudebaking. ~Amy
Maybe there are already comments on this but I am at work and need to run off and can’t check, but I suppose I could just use salted butter and skip the added salt? I only have salted butter on hand.
Hi Misty. That will work fine but you may still want to add a pinch of salt. ~Amy
Paula, sometimes it just a matter of practice too.
I find I now know what the dough should feel like …usually wetter than dry
Do you think whole spelt flour could be used in place of whole wheat flour?
Hi Sarah. Yes, I think so. Spelt typically works well when subbed for whole wheat.
I love Spelt! It bakes lighter than the other whole wheats. Just remember to reduce the liquid 1/4 when baking with Spelt.
Awesome! Simple and good – waiting for them in the oven now. They look great! — now they are out of the oven and they taste great, too. My husband is thoroughly impressed. We’re having with honey and coffee :)
Hi. I tried this recipe and mine were the consistency for drop biscuits. I should have made them but instead I added flour and kneed ed. I made them too big, did not cook in center and they didn’t rise much. I’ll have to throw them out. I’m also at about 7 thousand feet elevation. I ground my own soft winter white. Any suggestions?
Hi Marilyn. Because this batter tends to be sticky, many people add too much flour and end up over-working it. That could be the culprit but so could high elevation. This might help: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipe/high-altitude-baking.html.
I think that the king arthur white whole wheat may be hard white wheat instead of soft white wheat–this will make a difference as the hard wheat has more gluten than the soft wheat.
Do u know how many calories are in this for about 4 biscuits
Hi Mindy. We do not provide nutrition info. This post helps explain why: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/.
These turned out amazing and rose perfect! I patted out and folded, five or six times like someone recommended and then cut squares. Served homemade pot pie (creamed chicken/veggies) over the top. Delicious and no need to buy unhealthy biscuits!
Has anyone tried using buttermilk instead of sweet milk in this recipe?
Hi Pam. Other readers have used buttermilk.
Going to try these as the crust for my chicken pot pie in place of the Bisquick I used to use :)
Can anyone teach me about the ingredients in baking powder? Is there a best brand to get?
Hi Stephanie. This will help: http://homecooking.about.com/od/specificfood/a/bakingpowder.htm. Be sure to buy aluminum free baking powder.
Delicious recipe!!
I’ll never buy biscuits again.
Thank you so much for sharing!
I have very picky boys and man at my house and these received rave reviews. Since we are slowly venturing into switching over our lifestyle and dietary habits, I made these half whole wheat and they were devoured. I think we are on our way to a transformation. Thanks so much for your help.
Is that picture for real?? Ever time I try making ww biscuits they come out like hokey pucks :( Any hints?
Me too! I’m thinking it’s because I haven’t put enough baking powder into it. I’m learning that the ratio of flour to leaven is not the same at all for regular flour versus whole wheat. The other thing I’ve noticed is that it is super important to use COLD butter. That’s what makes the biscuits more flakey. Hope this recipe works out for you and for me. :P
also work the dough as little as possible. I don’t knead biscuit dough ever. Kneading activates the gluten and causes “hockey pucks”. Instead, just gently fold the dough over itself a few times….this creates the layers you see in the picture.
I also use buttermilk or sometimes heavy cream. yum!
if you freeze them, do you use the same temperature as the recipe and how long do you cook in the oven? And I have a toaster oven but it seems to cook different than my oven, faster. Any suggestions there if I only want a few from a frozen state?
Hi Kayla. I typically thaw them overnight and reheat them at the same temp covered with foil. From frozen, I would do the same until heated through.
I am from South Africa. I will make these scones tomorrow but will use my Kefir Milk instead of milk. Should work.
I see it says any milk will do… what is your preference? I would either use organic whole milk or unsweetened almond milk (regular or vanilla) – I am loading my freezer with food (about to have a baby) – so thinking that the almond milk would be good just in case I have to cut dairy while breastfeeding but if they turn out much better with whole milk I would rather use that for my first time making them since I don’t plan on cutting dairy unless I have too… thanks for the help! love your website – I’ve made a ton of your recipes!
Hi. Lisa uses organic whole milk. :)
Couldn’t work out why there was no sweetener as I read the recipe. Then realised it was a recipe for scones NOT biscuits!! Aaaggggh
You must be from the UK. lol
I’m going to try these filled with ham, cheese, and honey as an alternative to a Pinterest recipe I found.
Just made these for breakfast. They were fantastic! Good with gravy or honey!
Do you know if this recipe freezes well? When I make them, I want to cut them into shapes, place on a lined sheet, and then freeze until hard.
Sorry, I skipped right over the blurb at the top. The remaining biscuits are freezing as I type this.
Used my scalloped cookie cutter to make some pretty and delicious biscuits (more like English Scones). So simple, and perfect for little breakfast sandwiches (loaded with spinach, egg, and country style chicken sausage♡).
I was surprised how awesome these turned out! I used buttermilk for the milk. I thought they would turn out dense, but these were fluffy and light. Well, I don’t knead my biscuit dough though. I stir the milk in with a fork, then when a dough forms, I fold it over itself very lightly only 3 or 4 times. I divide the biscuits into equal pieces with a bench scraper, then I hand shape them very gently into rounds. I think that’s the key to any good biscuit….handle them as little as possible so the gluten does not get over worked.
I really enjoyed these. :)
Freeze the butter then grate it. Makes it much easier to mix. Also, can you freeze the raw biscuits, or do you have to bake them first? Just curious. Thanks =)
Hi Wanda. We cook them before freezing.
We can’t do butter. Would an oil work instead?
Hi. Other readers have used coconut oil.
Hi Is whole wheat flour full of gluten like white flour? We’re trying to stay away from gluten because of indigestion problems. Thanks for any advice. jax
Hi Jackie. It is. Here is a post that includes options for gluten free grains: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/06/28/food-allergies/.
This recipe has a very inaccurate measurement of milk. One cup of liquid in a biscuit recipe with 2 cups flour is a disaster. The dough was completely sticky and destroyed.
Thank you Al!! Just made it and holy cow it looks like malt o meal. I’m gonna have a blast trying to fix this mess. Thanks a lot.
Try, it!! The recipe works great!!
I have to agree with this assessment. The dough wasn’t dough at all with those ratios, more like a rather thick batter. There is no possible way to cut biscuits out of something like that. I had to add quite a bit of flour to get it to turn out like a dough, and by that point the butter ratio was way off. What baked up was tasteless discs of disgustingness.
Just to be sure I wasn’t crazy (I bake bread and other stuff regularly but homemade biscuits are a new thing for me) I looked up several other biscuit recipes (whole wheat versions) as well as normal biscuit recipes and the proper ratios of flour/liquid/fat for a biscuit. I was able to confirm that the amount of liquid called for in this recipe is indeed way too much for the amount of flour and butter.
I will give this another shot, using less milk.
The dough was way too gooey, so I kept adding flour until I could knead it, and then had to add some more. They were pretty good. But had to increase to 16 minutes as we live in the mountains with higher altitude.
I usually make drop biscuits because I hate messing with dough and cutters, and the amount of milk called for in this recipe has been perfect for that. Today I used cutters for the first time, so I reduced the milk to 3/4 cup, which worked well.
My family loved these biscuits. I used regular whole wheat flour. I also used my pastry cutter to blend the 1/4 cup of butter into the flour mixture instead of cutting it into small peas before hand. I then poured the milk in as I was mixing until moistened which was slightly less than one cup. They worked perfect and were delicious.
Can this recipe be used in place of of the can of Pillbury Bisquits in the roll can thingy?
Hi there. You can use it for whatever you might need biscuits or biscuit batter for.
I’ve made these several times now and they turn out fine each time. I use a food processor. I pulse together the dry ingredients, then pulse in ( maybe 5 times) the cut up butter, then pulse in the milk (3-4 times). Don’t over do or you’ll end up with hockey pucks. Plus, you want big visible pieces of butter which helps to made the finished product light. I dump it onto a floured board and knead only two or three times to finish mixing, then pat it out. My cookie cutter cuts 10. We ate two each with soup. Delicious!
I found the ratio of flour to milk to be perfect! I did only knead it 3-4 times by hand, as I didn’t want the butter to melt before baking. I have tried so many wheat biscuit recipes, and this is the first one that didn’t end up like hard tack or tasteless lumps. They were great with eggs, honey or jelly, and soups and gravies. A little too crumbly for sandwiches, but I’m not complaining! Thank you for this wonderful recipe, and I want you to know how much I appreciate your work in publishing this recipe-you saved breakfast lol! And are helping yo make my family healthier, too.
Lifesaver this morning when no bread in the house!
I used a food processor as well and found the milk incorporated the flour ( or is it the other way around?) perfectly. Rolled them into a square and with knife cut in a grid, then baked like that, close together, ’cause that’s just how lazy I am.
I always add in a little greek yogurt to my biscuits, gives them moisture and more flavor. I would probably use 1/3 or 1/2 cup in this recipe. If the dough is too wet to knead just put a little flour over the top and knead it in! I normally use regular self rising flour but wanted to give whole wheat a try! Thanks!
I made these for Christmas morning breakfast and the were delicious! We cut them into shapes with Christmas cookie cutters. We loved them so much I think I will make them again to go with dinner. Thank you for so much for the recipe – it was a great addition to our Christmas.
When it says any milk, does that extend to buttermilk? If I use it, do I need to make any adjustments?
Hi. You should be able to sub buttermilk with no adjustments.
The first time I made them I used some leftover buttermilk and they turned out great!
I some how messed mine all up
I don’t have wheat flour. Do I use all-purpose flour, bread flour or what? Thanks!
Hi. You could use APF, though we’ve not tried. Here is info about why we stick with whole grains: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/10/17/nutrients-in-refined-vs-whole-grains/.
Has anyone added cheese to then? I’m wondering how much to add, so they taste cheesy but not so much that I mess up the recipe.
We’ve not added cheese. Let us know if you experiment. :)
Ok. I shredded one package of sharp cheddar cheese in the food processor. I added half to the batter, cooked biscuits halfway, then put the remaining cheese on top of the biscuits. Cooked the rest of the way. They were GREAT!
Love love love this recipe. Last weekend I was out of wheat flour and butter. So I emergency subbed AP flour and shortening and they were still wonderful. Since I use salted butter I do not add salt (in any recipe). I make these every Sunday and when I ask my family if they want something different they always say no.
Can I make this with Almond Milk?
i use almond milk most of the time, with good results.
I made these last night and I’m wondering where I want wrong! They weren’t very good at all. They were moist, but dense and not buttery. I was expecting something at least similar to a white biscuit, but only one out of five kids would even finish them. I did use salted butter and added a little less salt. Could I have kneaded the dough too long? Help!
I am sorry you didn’t enjoy them. I am not sure what went wrong. I would use whole wheat pastry flour for a less dense biscuit, but they will still be heavier. Also, if you kneaded it too long it could cause the dough to be tough.
My daughter has a dairy allergy. Is it possible to sub the butter with ghee?
Yes.
Does anyone know if you can make the dough, cut out the biscuits and then freeze the dough before baking? Like the frozen ones Pillsbury? That way I can make a fresh biscuit when I want one? TIA
I have tried it both ways. I’ve made the dough, cut them out, then have frozen them. It takes longer to bake frozen, of course, and that is why I started to just triple a batch, and bake them all, then freeze them. That way, I can take it out of the freezer at a moments notice, and heat them up. This takes less time while I work on a quick dinner, and they taste just as fresh as if I just baked them. I’ve learned, for me, this is a better way to do all my breads because it’s quicker than frozen dough. Of course it’s up to each person what works best for them. But either way works.
May we use yeast instead of baking powder? If so, how much?
Hello. We’ve not tried. Let us know if you do. ;)
Finally a totally whole wheat biscuit that is fluffy and tasty! My husband and I really enjoyed them. I had a fresh bag of King Arthurs white whole wheat flour on hand, so was able to use that as suggested. I think the flour and making sure the butter was cut up into pea size chunks before blending made this so fluffy. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. We will now have homemade biscuits when we have eggs for breakfast. Bonnie
Thank you for this great recipe! I’ve been staying away from white flours and needed a good biscuit recipe. My boys love them and tell their friends they didn’t think something whole wheat could taste so good.. :)
I followed the recipe to the letter and even cut up the butter to pea sized chunks, but the biscuits themselves did not rise. Is there something missing from the recipe that makes the biscuits rise?
Check the expiration date on your baking powder. If it’s old, your baked goods won’t rise properly.
Hi Lisa! I am SO thankful that I found this recipe on your blog today. I am in college and about to leave for the summer, so I am running low on food. I was really craving some carbs and was considering ordering a pizza, but then I found this amazingly simple and delicious recipe, made THREE batches, and I am happy as a clam! You have truly changed my life, your recipes have allowed me to eliminate processed foods from my diet while enjoying my food every day. Not only that, but I have influenced my family and friends around me with your recipes as well. Thank you so much for all of your recipes and for making them free. You are a gift! God bless! :)
I have tried several different recipes for whole wheat biscuits and this is the best so far! I accidentally used a whole stick of butter (2 kids at home makes me forget things! lol) and a little more salt- I prefer my biscuits that way. The extra didn’t really affect the recipe although my biscuits didn’t rise (due to the extra butter). I used whole wheat unbleached flour, too. The biscuits were fluffy, tender and delicious!
Ive made these twice now and for some reason, although i have followed the recipe exactly, the dough comes out too sticky to knead. The first time, i added more flour until they seemed the right consistency, but they came out bland and dry. Now this time i am making them like drop biscuits because they’re still too sticky. Not sure whats going on. Hopefully they will be good this time!
Delicious. Used Irish style whole wheat flour and still was light and fluffy inside. Put some fireweed honey on them bad boys. Yum.
Horrible, don’t ever make these.
Followed the instructions and they came out flat.
I doubled the butter and used 1 1/2 cups of mil and did drop biscuits instead of rolled. They were delicious
Lisa. These Whole wheat biscuits were very easy to make and were delicious. Also very few ingredients involved. I made these with homemade wheat gravy. My husband and I loved them. Thank you.
Flat and too salty.
How would you ever cut the butter into pea size pieces??
Use a pastry blender to cut butter into the dry ingredients till you have pea size crumbs.
I pat the dough into a square pan and then cut when theyre baked. Very much easier.
Drop biscuits, with more milk added, is an easy biscuit also.
Even with pastry (soft) wheat flour, Ive never seen wholegrain biscuits rise as high as your picture.
This can be a shortcake biscuit with the addition of cinnamon, vanilla and 1/3c sugar to the dry ingredients.
My great-grandma’s (born 1890) recipe for Baking Powder Biscuits is this, but with white flour. Its a very old recipe.
I halved the recipe to test these out. Used 3 tablespoons of butter (instead of 2) and WWPF; pulsed it in my food processor and cut into 4 quarters. A tiny bit of butter on top and ended up baking them for more like 15-20min (the edges seemed a bit raw in where they were almost touching. They are quite good…VERY tender so not necessarily a sandwich biscuit but good to eat on their own. If a different flour was used perhaps not a tender.
^^ also just made adding cinnamon, 3 tablespoons coconut sugar, and a few walnuts (pulsed all in the food processor)…and they came out like nice scones :)
Can you use home milled flour with this recipe?
Sure. :)
Good morning
I just came across your website seems to have a lot of useful information. I made the Whole Wheat Biscuits and I think they are “great” :) I am going to make another batch right away. Thank you
I followed the recipe exactly, and mine were so flat :(
Mine too!!
help mine where flat and hard like hockey pucks. I followed the recipe word for word.
Your baking powder might be old :(