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Why I Love These Homemade Biscuits
There are so many reasons to love these biscuits! First of all, they are super easy to make and no special equipment (like a food processor, rolling pin, or biscuit cutter) is necessary.
It takes no more than 20 or 25 minutes to make them from mixing the dough to pulling them out of the oven. Then once they are done they're moist and flakey and are so tasty (c’mon, look at the picture—you know you want one!). And best of all, they can be tossed in the freezer for later.
It honestly couldn’t be easier ... so go ahead and throw away that refrigerated tube of dough you bought from the grocery store!
Featured Comment
I am so happy to say that these turned out beautifully! Puffed up, flaky, tasty.
Ingredients for Whole Wheat Biscuits
- Whole-Wheat Flour - Whole-wheat pastry flour is a great lighter choice for this recipe.
- Baking Powder - Be sure your baking powder is fresh, otherwise they might not rise.
- Salt - A ½ teaspoon of salt is all it takes.
- Butter - Make sure to use cold butter.
- Milk - You can use any kind of milk for this recipe, but I used organic whole milk.
How to Make Whole Wheat Biscuits
- Heat oven to 450 degrees.
- Combine all dry ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk with a fork.
- Cut the butter into small pieces and mix it into the dry mixture.
- Mash the butter pieces into the mixture using the back of a fork. It's okay if the mixture just looks like tiny butter chunks covered in flour. You can also use a stainless steel dough blender.
- Pour in the milk and stir to combine.
- Knead the dough with your hands 8-10 times, but do not over-knead it.
- Pat it flat on a floured surface so that it's an even ¾" thickness.
- Cut out circular shapes using a drinking glass upside down, or you can use a cookie cutter.
- Bake on an ungreased baking sheet for about 10-12 minutes, or until the tops of the biscuits are golden brown.
Easy 3 Ingredient Biscuit Recipe With Self-Rising Flour
Self-rising flour is just regular flour with baking powder and salt already added to it. Some people prefer it for southern style recipes like biscuits because it saves on prep time, and you don’t have to stock as many ingredients.
To make these biscuits with whole wheat self-rising flour, simply omit the baking powder and salt. You’ll be left with an easy 3 ingredient biscuit recipe!
The amount of baking powder in self-rising flour and this biscuit recipe may differ; if you find your biscuits don’t rise with self-rising flour, add an additional teaspoon of baking powder to the mixture.
Biscuit Recipe FAQ
If you've seen our Real Food Rules, you know we prefer 100% whole grain flours (check out my post on understanding grains to learn more). For this recipe, you can use whole-wheat flour or whole-wheat pastry flour (recommended)! We stay away from refined grains such as white flour and all-purpose flour.
These are a much healthier version than the store-bought biscuits, by far! And as long as you stick to the recipe and use whole-wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour, these are definitely good for you. Plus, making anything from scratch is always a better choice so that you know exactly what ingredients are being used and there are no unwanted preservatives or added sugars.
Yes! That's the best part about these biscuits, they freeze and reheat beautifully. So make a big batch, let them cool completely, and freeze a bunch in a gallon zip lock freezer bag. Then the next time you want to add a biscuit to your breakfast, lunch, or dinner they are ready to go.
You can throw the frozen biscuits in the microwave or toaster oven on the bake setting. This makes for a quick addition to dinner for those busy weeknights.
Healthier Toppings for Homemade Biscuits
If you like biscuits and gravy: Swap out the traditional sausage and white flour gravy with homemade gravy made from roasting pan drippings.
For biscuits and jam: Use homemade jam or opt for 100% pure store bought varieties with no added refined sugar.
Breakfast biscuit sandwich: Make a healthier version of this fast food breakfast at home with egg, cheese, and your choice of meat.
Other yummy real food biscuit spreads: Honey, natural peanut butter, homemade whipped cream, fruit, and butter.
Why Your Homemade Biscuits Didn’t Rise
If you’re new to making homemade biscuits it might take a bit of practice to get a perfect light and fluffy texture. Here’s some of the most common reasons whole wheat biscuits don’t rise properly and what you can do to correct it.
Old Baking Powder
First, check to make sure your baking powder hasn’t expired, especially if you don’t bake often. Even if it's not expired, baking powder loses its potency about 6 months after opening. This can be even shorter if the container isn’t airtight.
To test baking powder, add ¼ teaspoon of baking powder to ½ cup of hot water. Good baking powder should activate and fizz when it hits the water.
Over Kneading the Dough
It’s important to knead the dough by hand as few times as possible when you make homemade biscuits. Mixing in an electric mixer or over kneading will make the dough rubbery, which doesn’t bake well.
Butter Too Warm or Oven Too Cool
When you place biscuits in the oven the cold butter heats up and produces steam. This steam adds air between the biscuit layers which, along with the baking powder, helps biscuits rise.
For best results, make sure your butter has been chilled before adding it (straight out of the fridge), don’t let dough get too warm while you work it, and wait for the oven to preheat fully before baking your biscuits.
Weather or Altitude
If you’ve tried everything and still can’t get your biscuits to rise your altitude or the weather might be to blame.
In areas with high humidity baking ingredients can draw moisture in from the air, which affects their performance. Even if you’re not in a humid area, a string of rainy weather can have the same effect too. If this could be the issue, try making some adjustments for baking success.
Altitude is another issue for baking; it can affect how baking powder reacts and how quickly liquids evaporate. Since baking is a chemical reaction, even small differences in how ingredients react can have a negative effect on your baking.
Try a Different Whole Wheat Biscuit Recipe
If you want to try other biscuit recipes, check out these super fluffy biscuits using buttermilk instead.
Other Whole Wheat Biscuit Recipes
- The Fluffiest Whole Wheat Biscuits
- Cinnamon Raisin Yogurt Biscuits
- Whole Wheat Buttermilk Cheese Biscuits
- Whole Wheat Cheddar Garlic Drop Biscuits
- Biscuits and Gravy
The Best Whole Wheat Biscuits
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
- In a medium sized bowl combine the dry ingredients. Mix well with whisk or fork.
- Cut the ½ stick butter into little pea sized pieces and then mix the pieces into the flour mixture.
- Using a fork 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.
- Then pour in the milk and mix it all together. Knead the dough with your hands 8 to 10 times (for best results do not over-knead the dough) and then turn out onto a floured surface (like a counter or cutting board).
- Pat it out flat with your hands until the dough is a somewhat even ¾-inch thickness (sprinkle with a little flour if necessary).
- Turn a drinking glass upside down and cut out biscuit rounds. I have also used shaped cookie cutters (like a heart or star) if you have little ones helping you!
- Then 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!
Sarah says
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!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi there. Yep, buttermilk works! :)
Jaqueline Covarrubias says
Would you tell me in wich store I can find that flour????
Sarah says
I found it at Whole Foods.
Laura says
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!
Ed says
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.
Julie says
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. :)
Katie says
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!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
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
Holly says
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.
Megan says
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!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
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
Kristin says
Delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe. It is fool proof.
Amy says
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!
Katie says
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...
Amy says
Katie,
You made my day! I would love to cook for you. Thank you for your comment and good luck with those biscuits.
Josh says
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!
Candy says
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.
Amy says
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!
Sarah says
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.
Gayle says
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.
Gila says
My dough was a sticky mess. The biscuits didn't rise and they were bland. Maybe I did something wrong?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
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
Julie says
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!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
They do! :)
Natalie says
Do you think these would freeze well? Thank you!
Shannon Dzikas-Verret says
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!
Mom of Many says
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.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Barbara. Here, biscuits are soft and more bread-like and scones are hard and cookie-like. :) These do pack great in lunches. ~Amy
Barbara says
Thank you!
Barbara says
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.
Shantel says
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?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi there. The most common problem with biscuits is that the dough gets overworked. Could that have been the issue?
Julia halstead says
I have made these several times and they taste yummy but they do not rise like yours! What am I doing wrong?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Julia. You are probably overworking the dough. ~Amy
Claire says
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
Marci says
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!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
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
KJ says
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.
Amy H. says
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!
Carol says
This recipe is wonderful
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
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
Ashley Tucker says
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!!
Lily says
Could I sub the baking powder and salt for baking soda?
Teresa says
Hi. has anyone tried this recipe with goat's milk?
Liz says
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.
Stephanie says
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!
Jen says
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!
Henny says
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
Cakes says
Can i use yeast instead of baking powder?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi there. No, the two are not really interchangeable leavening agents. Yeast will give a different taste and texture to the "biscuit".
Summer says
Mine never rise as much as I would like any suggestion?????
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
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?
Meghann says
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.
kriss says
What are the nutrition facts?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
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
Emily says
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?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Emily. The rule of thumb is 2-3 months. ~Amy