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This post is sponsored by Clabber Girl. All opinions provided are my own.
Recently Clabber Girl challenged me to use their baking powder in a series of posts all about biscuits. I kicked off the series testing out butter vs. shortening biscuits and more recently shared a step-by-step post for how to make perfect biscuits with ALL the tips and tricks! Now I’m moving on to testing out the flour, specifically all-purpose flour vs. whole-wheat flour. With the start of a new year and a focus on healthier eating, this seemed like the perfect experiment to see if we can’t make biscuits less indulgent and more of an everyday food.
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In pursuit of the perfect biscuit, flour can be a crucial component. Usually all-purpose flour or Southern-style soft wheat flour is used in biscuits, both of which offer virtually no nutritive benefits. You guys are always asking me about substituting whole wheat flour for all-purpose in my recipes to make them healthier, so I wanted to see if it was possible to make a straight whole wheat swap with biscuits. My fear was they might turn into hockey pucks since whole-wheat flour tends to create more dense breads. My hope was that they would still be delicious and would provide all the fiber and other health benefits of whole grains. Keep reading to find out the results of this little experiment!
Here is the recipe I used to test out the flours; it’s my favorite straightforward basic biscuit recipe.
All-Purpose Flour
Since I’ve only used all-purpose flour in my biscuits, this batch seemed perfectly normal. The all-purpose flour dough came together in a workable, cohesive, slightly shaggy way, making it easy to cut perfect round shapes for the biscuits. The resulting biscuits were beautifully shaped, with tall edges and a golden brown color. The exterior was slightly crunchy and flaky and the interior was soft and fluffy. Yum.
Whole-Wheat Flour
This was the first time I’ve used whole-wheat flour in biscuits and I really had no idea what to expect. I swapped out the same amount of all-purpose flour for standard and easy-to-find whole-wheat flour to get an accurate idea of how whole wheat affects the biscuits. The whole-wheat dough was very stiff and cohesive, making it a dream to work with.
The baked whole-wheat biscuits looked just like the all-purpose flour ones, just darker in color. The texture, however, was definitely different. Where the all-purpose biscuits were light and fluffy, the whole wheat ones were more spongy, dense, and chewy. They also had a distinct nutty flavor. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I would like the whole-wheat biscuits but they were actually quite enjoyable and with a little bit of jam smeared over them they were delicious in their own right!
So what’s the final verdict?
Both were good. However, the all-purpose ones were definitely what you’d expect and crave with a biscuit. If I make whole-wheat biscuits again I may experiment further with using half whole wheat flour, or even white wheat flour, to get closer to that original taste and texture.
Have you ever made whole-wheat biscuits before? What are your favorite tricks for making recipes healthier? Let me know below in the comments below!
This post is sponsored by Clabber Girl. All opinions provided are my own.
Biscuit Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups (9 ounces) all-purpose flour OR whole wheat wheat flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon Clabber Girl baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold
- 1 cup buttermilk, chilled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the butter or the shortening and pulse the food processor several times to cut the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal. You can also do this by hand with a pastry blender. The faster you do this the better, you want the fat to remain cold. Stir in the buttermilk until just combined. DO NOT overmix, the dough will be slightly sticky.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and dust the dough with flour. Gently pat the dough out until it’s a 1/2-inch in thickness. Use a 2-inch round biscuit cutter to push straight down through the dough to cut out circles, try not to twist the cutter. Place the biscuits on the baking sheet, spacing 2-inches apart. Reform the scrap dough into 1/2-inch thickness, being sure to work with it as little as possible, before cutting out more circles.
- Bake the biscuits until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.
I use either whole wheat white or whole wheat pastry flour in my biscuits. I definitely would add a little more baking powder and if using whole wheat flour, I sift it first. These tricks have helped me to get a lighter biscuit. To get a fluffier biscuit you can also mix all purpose and whole wheat flour. A whole wheat biscuit will never be quite as light as a regular biscuit, but I actually like the nutty flavor better and denser texture.
I love using white whole-wheat flour in my baking. I’ve been doing some recipe testing and have a great, easy 100% (white) whole-wheat biscuit recipe that I’ll be sharing on my blog on Monday! I love that you’re testing out different ways of making biscuits!
I think I will have to give whole wheat biscuits a try, it looks like an interesting option!
For me, using whole wheat flour alone in baked goods makes them too “wheat-y.” I do love mixing whole wheat with all purpose. The whole wheat gives awesome texture without weighing the biscuit down. What an awesome gig getting to test out biscuits!
I have been experimenting a lot with whole wheat flours, including whole wheat pastry flour, spelt flour, oat flour, white whole wheat flour, etc. I have found spelt to be my favorite substitute in many cases, but I’ve never done a side by side like you have. If you do another round of these, I would love to know how these other options turn out.
These days I cringe when I only use bread or AP flour. I always try to be at least partial if not all with the whole grains. I have wondered about increasing leavening agents, or adding gluten – but wouldn’t know where to start. Would love it if you did a series exploring this.
I forgot to add… even when part white flour is added to whole wheat I can tell the difference in how I feel after eating it. Gonna stick with whatever is healthier!
I love the whole wheat biscuits! I have numerous health issues including diabetes. The while flour, no matter what, does not work for me. I can actually feel the difference/damage it is doing to me compared to the whole wheat. Enjoy your good health! 🙂
I try to make half whole wheat, half all-purpose biscuits and it turns out amazingly. Whenever I’m trying to make a recipe healthier, I usually sub some of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour. I don’t think I’ve ever made 100% whole wheat biscuits before, but that definitely sounds like something I wanna try out! 🙂
In Newfoundland, we grew up eating biscuits or “buns” as we called them: plain white flour buns, raisin buns, molasses buns — they were (and still are loved) there. However, when I was raising my kids, I turned to healthier choices. So, yes: I’ve been making biscuits with whole wheat flour for over 20 years. I use a 3 to 1 ratio: 3 cups whole wheat and 1 white flour. I add a little more leavening agent — 1/4 to 1/2 tsp more. And for an extra special treat, I add 1 Tbsp sugar and some grated lemon and orange zelt. So wonderful with butter!
Your kitchen experiments are the best thing ever. Keep it going, girl!
I am going to give the whole wheat ones a try, and see if more baking powder can give them a little more lift? I am always on the hunt for a good biscuit recipe – would love to have one that I could cut out – then freeze what I don’t bake.
I’ve actually never made a biscuit before. We just didn’t really eat them growing up in Canada!
But my husband’s father makes the best ones (according to the hubs) so i have been afraid to be compared 😉 But, with all these tips and tricks, maybe I should do it! Pinned 🙂