Homemade Whole Wheat or Gluten-Free Biscuits Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What gluten free flour can I substitute for whole wheat flour? ›

Start by replacing 25 percent of white or whole-wheat flour with a gluten-free flour and see how it goes. Here are a few favorite varieties to consider adding to your repertoire: Nut flours, such as almond, coconut, and hazelnut. Grain flours, such as buckwheat, oat, millet, teff, brown rice, quinoa, and amaranth.

White wheat in general is around 9-12% protein, while the hard reds are 11-15%. As far as brands of flour, White Lily “all-purpose” flour has been my go-to for biscuit making. It's a soft red winter wheat, and the low protein and low gluten content keep biscuits from becoming too dense.

Patanjali Digestive Whole Wheat Biscuits, 250g.

I should warn you that despite the lighter flavor, white whole wheat flour still bakes up heavier than all-purpose flour–it just doesn't have the same gluten strength. So you can't sub it will-nilly. But for a non-yeast baked good like biscuits (which is less dependent on gluten), this isn't an issue.

Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.

Brown rice flour is about as close to a 1:1 substitute for all-purpose flour as it gets since it provides structure and a “wheat-like” flavor.

SouthernKitchen.com says, "Ask any Southern chef or sagacious biscuit grandma and you'll hear a pattern emerge: they all swear by White Lily flour."

The solution: Use half cake flour and half all-purpose flour. This combination will give you a biscuit with light and airy interior with a pleasant, satisfying bite on the outside. Also, sifting the flour and other dry ingredients will give you a smoother, airier dough.

The butter version rises the highest — look at those flaky layers! The shortening biscuit is slightly shorter and a bit drier, too. Butter contains a bit of water, which helps create steam and gives baked goods a boost.

One brand that may be a better option is "McVitie's Digestive Biscuits." These biscuits are made with whole wheat flour, which is higher in fiber and more nutritious than refined flour. They also contain less sugar and fat than some other biscuit brands.

Are whole wheat biscuits good for you? ›

We stay away from refined grains such as white flour and all-purpose flour. Are whole-wheat biscuits healthy? 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.

Healthy Bisquick Mix (Whole Wheat & No Trans Fats)

Generally speaking, substituting whole wheat can result in a drier, denser product.

Substituting whole wheat flour 100% for white flour will lower the rise of your yeasted baked goods significantly. Why? Mainly because whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid than white flour and produces a stiffer dough. The stiffer/drier the dough, the harder it is for it to rise.

Blending whole wheat flour with all-purpose flour will lighten the finished product while adding the nutritional benefits of whole wheat. Try it the next time you make breading for a chicken breast recipe, or thicken a sauce. Just remember the flavor could vary.

Whole-wheat flour has the highest protein content on our list. For that reason, when substituting it for all-purpose, use 50 percent whole-wheat, and 50 percent of another flour, preferably all-purpose, pastry flour or spelt, to avoid a dense result. If you want to use only whole wheat, you'll need to add more water.

Best keto/paleo/whole30 whole wheat pastry flour substitute: Coconut flour. Coconut flour is gluten-free, grain-free, and low in carbohydrates, making it a staple for many alternative diets like keto, paleo, and whole30.

If you're cooking for someone with gluten sensitivity and want to swap out a wheat flour thickener with something grain free, look no further! Cornstarch can be subbed in for wheat flour at a 1:2 ratio. Because it's a durable thickener, you only need half the amount of cornstarch to create the same effect.

Gluten-Free Bread Flour can be swapped 1:1 for all-purpose flour and bread flour by both weight and volume.