On Friday the 13th- my husband gave up grains and legumes. Though he does not have an autoimmune disease as I do, we have found that making some alterations to his diet improved his overall health. His sinus, allergy and asthma are a rare issue now, rather than a daily battle. Almost every health issue under the sun can be related back to inflammation.
Like most men, mine loves comfort food. Biscuits with sawmill gravy was his first request. We used the sawmill gravy from the book Paleo Comfort Foods, and biscuits from my friend Elana’s website. Elana’s recipe is free of starch, and very healthy. For those of you looking to avoid all starch- give her recipe a try.
Knowing that my husband is fine with some starch- I decided to amp up the recipe. With this addition of this starch I knew the biscuits would become lighter. I also added some additional butter- as I knew I could get away with doing so. They ended up ridiculously good.
Flaky, Buttery Biscuits
Adapted from Elana’s Pantry.
2 packed cups Blanched Almond Flour
1/2 Cup Starch (Arrowroot, Tapioca, Potato or Sweet Potato Starch)
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2-3/4 Tsp Baking Soda (see note below)
1/2 Cup Butter , Earth Balance, Bacon Lard or Shortening.
2 Large Eggs
3/4 Tsp Vinegar or Lemon Juice.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a bowl combine the Almond Flour, Starch, Salt and Baking Soda. (Note: Some brands of baking soda are strong tasting, especially those that contain aluminum. So, unless you are using Bob’s red mill baking soda I recommend using just 1/2 Tsp. otherwise the flavor may overpower.)
- To the bowl- add the fat of your choice (Butter, Earth Balance, Bacon Lard or Shortening or any mix of them). Cut the fat into the flour until the fat is about the size of a pea.
- In a separate small bowl whisk together the eggs and Vinegar. Pour mixture in with the flour and mix just briefly and gently until the dough comes together. It may feel a little wet.
- Dust a sheet of parchment, or your counter with additional starch. Gently pat the dough into a round and cut into 6-8 biscuits using a biscuit cutter or the top of a round glass. Use as much starch as needed to prevent sticking. (Note: I like to cut 3 biscuits and then pat the dough into another round before I cut the second 3 biscuits).
- Bake for 18 minutes.
Store at room temperature in a sealed bag or container. Yields 6-8 biscuits.
Over the past almost 3 years, each time I created a recipe I would try it with all kinds of different ingredients to find a solution for every one of my readers with different allergies. The truth is.. I’m tired. A little burned out. I’m going to take it easy on myself, and stop trying to always make sure EVERYONE is happy. I’m extremely aware that within minutes of posting this, I will receive a flood of messages asking how to make these biscuits without eggs or almond flour. My answer? The only way I would know is if I spend hours upon hours experimenting to find the answer. Right now, for the sake of my own sanity I cannot do that. So, if you would like to make a change to the recipe- I hereby grant you official recipe developers. See what magic you can create. You’ll be amazed how much you learn in the process!
-Brittany-
{ 67 comments… read them below or add one }
They look delicious. Do you know of any nut-free, grain-free recipes? Almond flour seems the go-to paleo flour, but nuts make me break out in hives. Is coconut flour my only option?
Technically quinoa and buckwheat flour are grain free if you can do those?
Chestnut flour is another possible option- its a nut of course but to my understanding many people with a nut sensitivity can have chestnuts.
Then as you mentioned there is coconut!
In paleo comfort foods ( the book) there's a coconut flour biscuit recipe. It uses egg whites.
And the spunky coconut has a grain free biscuit recipe I think that uses pseudo grains ( quinoa etc.)
Oh! Another option- if you can have seeds you might try making your own sunflower seed flour and experiment replacing it with almond flour!
Thank you SO much for addressing that certain baking sodas have a strong flavor! I will be ordering the Bob's Red mill version soon. I made Elana's Paleo bread recently and the baking soda flavor was overwhelming! A few other posts complained about the same thing. Thank you, thank you!!! Can't wait to make these biscuits. I am finding that a little starch makes ALL the difference in grain free baking!! I will also be ordering chestnut flour soon
Interesting that your husband's sinus problems cleared up with a grain-free diet. My primary (observable) gluten response is that I'm highly susceptible to respiratory infections. My seasonal allergies were debilitating and I could never earn enough sick leave before I'd be home sick again, and most the time I had to try and tough it out at work. Nothing's worse than sitting all day in front of two computer screens under florescent lighting with a pounding headache, stuffed sinuses, a running faucet for a nose, and used tissues all over your desk, when all you want to do is go home, curl up in bed, and drift into a Benadryl-induced coma.This was until I gave up gluten. I only have "episodes" when I cheat, and they aren't as lengthy as they used to be, since gluten is no longer a regular part of my diet. Thankfully, I do well with buckwheat and quinoa, plus other starches. I tend to feel sick without a little starch or gluten-free grain in my diet. But your comment about inflammation does make me curious about how well my diet is doing to combat inflammation.
Brittany! These look delicious! I bet your husband just gobbled these up
. Thanks for sharing!
Jessi! Haven't talked to you in FOREVER! Hope all is well!! xox
Wow, this recipe is getting bookmarked
those look SO. good! I too am off of grain and legumes -- go SCD!
Amen sister! Love your little addendum.
Don't try to please everyone. Just do your thing and let other people do theirs, and you'll have a lot more time for yourself!
They are in the oven baking! Cant wait to try!!
Oh my, sooo good! Thank you!!
So glad you liked them!!
Hi Brittany,
These biscuits look amazing. Unfortunately, my son and I are allergic to almonds. However, something struck me when I started to read your post. You said that your husband does not have an autoimmune disease like you. I just wanted to let you know that allergies and asthma are also autoimmune disorders. So, now you know that you are both in the same boat.
Beth
Where does one find Sweet Potato Starch? I would love to add this more nutritious gluten free starch to my gluten free pantry itmes
Hi Beverly- I got mine from Barry's Farm online but I have also seen it in a number of Asian grocery stores. It looks and feels just like white potato starch.
Wow these look amazing. I can't believe they are grain free, they are so flaky and fluffy. I need to try these soon, I am out of almond flour and waiting way too long to reorder some, it cannot get here fast enough!
Ah! Don't you hate that wait??
Before I make this wonderful recipe, could someone please advise how thick the round of dough should be just before cutting out the biscuits?
Thanks!
Hello Sandra! I probably should have mentioned that huh?
I typically make them 1.5-2 inches think,
I just ate a fluffy, moist almond flour biscuit. Yum. I changed it, of course, and I know you're just dying to find out how I destroyed Brittany's perfect biscuits. You are, aren't you. Okay, I'll tell.
First. I halved it, or meant to anyway. So 1 C almond flour, 1/4 C arrowroot, 1/2 tsp Bob's baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 4 Tbsp vegan butter. Okay up to this point, cut in the fake butter then added 2 chia eggs rather than one. Doh! I also added 1/4 tsp baking soda and a squeeze of lemon at the very end. My pretty dough was very loose because of the eggs, DOH!. So I made 4 lovely drop biscuits and baked them for 18 minutes and they are so lovely and tender. Thanks Brittany. Maybe next time I'll do it right!
Fantastic!!! Grain Free, Egg Free! If anyone could figure that out it was you! Yay
Think I'll try your idea of adding baking soda and lemon at the end. Maybe they'll be more fluff and less grit?
Brittany - these biscuits are to DIE for! Seriously. (I have made Elana's and they did not do it for me.) These will save me, literally, from diving headfirst into some biscuits made with more traditional flours. THANK YOU!!!! Amazing.
Made these biscuits and they turned out so well! Thank you SO much for sharing this recipe with the world!
Glad you enjoyed them!!
These sure look like they would make great dinner buns
Made these to go with some of Gluten-Free Goddess' beef stew and had to sample the tiniest one from some leftover dough with my morning coffee. DELICIOUS. I can't wait to serve them to my picky little boy eaters! They're so much healthier than the canned Pillsbury biscuits that we grew up eating. Thank you for your hard work with recipe development - I am so appreciative! I used an ice-cream scoop and got 12 smaller sized biscuits - didn't have time to do the cutting into shapes. Worked great and took about 16 minutes to bake into golden deliciousness!
I cannot wait to try these. I make Elanas all the time but I love the addition of starch to grain free recipes so I'm sure these are amazing. Can't wait to make a couple batches and throw them in the freezer for egg biscuit sandwiches!
For those that can tolerate starch, it really makes such a big amazing difference in the texture of grain free baked goods!
In the oven baking right now!! I hope these are as good as they look!
Can I use coconut oil instead of butter? Thank you I love your website!!
Your biscuits may spread and turn out a little different with the coconut oil- but I don't think it would hurt to try. I just recommend making sure your oil is chilled and firm- as liquified oil won't work the same as the butter in this recipe. Good Luck and please let us know how they turn out!
I just made these with coconut oil and they turned out fantastic! I miss the butter flavor but since the husband can't have any dairy I'll just put a little butter (and maybe honey) on top.
Thanks so much for the recipe!
Oh and the oil didn't seem to make them spread too much, the baking stone has a ring around each biscuit, but nothing crazy.
My mom adds a little Himalayan salt to one of our jars of coconut oil. It now tastes like butter and in recipes too. It changes its flavor when the salt has been mixed through and hangs out. I don't remember her measurement, but it isn't much.
For any egg-free people out there, I used a Psyllium Husk egg replacement (1 T psyllium husk + 2 T water = 1 egg) and it turned out beautifully. A bit crumbly, but over all really good. You can also use a flax egg (1 T ground flax + 3T water = 1 egg), but I've had better luck with baked good using the psyllium.
I just made these and LOVE them! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe! I have been wanting something like this and am thrilled with these!
Is there a difference between blanched almond flour and almond flour/meal? I used Bob's Red Mill almond flour. Which flour did you use?
There is!
They started blanching bobs within the last year.. But sadly it's really course in comparison to most other blanched almond flours. It's "gritty" and therefore does not soak up as much liquid and moisture.
I also used egg replacer so I think that may be why they did not come out very good. Is there a brand of almond flour you recommend?
Yeah... you can't remove eggs from most grain free baked goods- the results will be bad the majority of the time.
Oh- and I recommend Blanched Almond Flour from Honeyville or Nuts.com
Biscuits!! Thank you for the recipe! They turned out really good. I mixed them in my food processor like I used to do with pie dough and made them with lard since I'm dairy free. Yum! Perfect with the pot of soup I made for dinner.
Brittany, many thanks to you and your hard work on these delightful recipes. Be good to yourself this year, you deserve it!
Please don't get burned out!!!!! I just found you and every recipe I have tried has turned out GREAT!!! I appreciate all your hard work and your trials and errors to make a great tasting cookie, roll, etc. Thank you so much!!!!
My adrenals crashed after I finished my cookbooks and developed this recipe around that time. No worries- I'm back to having good health and loving every minute of what I do! Xx
just wanted to let you know that I love the biscuits. Great texture and flavor.
My husband and I are going paleo so we haven't had bread in almost a month. I made vegetable soup and usually make cornbread to go with it. A friend recommended your website, so I decided to find some kind of bread to go with it. These biscuits were amazing. They tasted somewhat like cornbread. maybe even better. Thanks so much for your efforts and I will certainly be trying more of your recipes.
These biscuits were a lifesaver! I have so desperately missed my white flour baking soda drop biscuits from the Betty Crocker Cookbook. Question for you, the Betty Crocker recipe calls for Cream of Tartar. Do you suppose a dash of it would hurt in these? I don't know what Cream of Tartar does except it's a bit of an additional starch with a strong flavor. I'd appreciate your thoughts.
Andrea
If I can never eat wheat again these biscuits will be able to take the place of my dad's baking powder biscuits that I ate since I was little (I'm now almost 60!). I'm guessing it's the arrowroot powder that allows them to be crisp. I like my biscuits crisp on the outside and soft, but not spongy, on the inside. Thank you, thank you. Now if I don't ever have to give up nuts and no one finds something deadly wrong with arrowroot powder I'll be set!
Thank you Brittany for all your wonderful recipes!:) My husband is not eating Paleo but when I make anything from your website, he gobbles it up!:D Thanks again!!!
These were really, really good! The addition of starch was a good call and makes all the difference in the lightness and texture (crisp outside) of the biscuit. Will definitely make these again!
Just wonderful! I actually used this recipe to make a biscuit topping for fruit cobbler and it was delicious! Going to that again, now if I could just remember if I added extra sugar or sugar on top? Either way, it'll be good!
Thanks for amazing recipes!!
Do you think I could bake these in muffin tins? Thank you!!
I am so glad my brother turned me on to your website. I have been struggling with allergies for years. I am allergic to nearly all raw fruits and vegetables. I can eat some if they are cooked or frozen. This has made eating quite a challenge because everyone tells you to eat more fruits and veggies. A friend recently told me that her allergies greatly improved when she gave up wheat in her diet. I have been trying to do that, but have found it difficult because some of the recipes I have found are not that good. I am really anxious to try out some of your recipes. Thanks for sharing all your information.
I made these today and came up with a very wet batter (thanks to Bob's Red Mill), which I didn't have the time or patience to deal with making into cut biscuits. I put the batter into a small glass pie pan, oiled with olive oil, and baked for 20 minutes. OMG....AMAZING moist, buttery goodness!!! My daughter was wanting rosemary bread so we added 1 TBSP of fresh chopped herb to the mix. So yummy. We'll definitely be adding this recipe to our favorites!!! Many thanks
Thank you so much for this recipe! The last time I attempted grain-free biscuits they were more like pancakes...and I ended up having to clean my entire oven! These came out perfect! I am so grateful!
Jade
Will have to try these soon. Hubby and daughter LOVES biscuits. Will be great to go with our homemade sausage and free range eggs for a weekend breakfast!
Okay, I'm a total novice at baking (which you'll be able to tell by me question), but what do you mean by "Cut the fat into the flour until the fat is about the size of a pea"?
Shalom,
I made 2 different batches of these and they came out AMAZING!! The only change I made is to add 2 teaspoons of organic cane sugar to make them slightly sweet. Each batch made 8 biscuits.
I used blanched almond flour for one and natural (with the brown skins on) for the other. One batch I used organic salted butter and the other I used soy-free Earth Balance. Both were excellent and well-received by the family.
Thank you for the recipe!
I think you're confusing baking powder and baking soda. Since those two items are often used, and sometimes together, it would be clearer if you did not confuse them. Baking powder is what usually has aluminum in it. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, and does not have aluminum. Baking powder does often have baking soda in it.
I have to avoid corn as well as gluten, and most baking powders contain cornstarch, so there is only one baking powder I can buy, and it is not Bob's Red Mill. It is Hain's Featherlight.
Ellen
I tried to find the answer in the previous comments first so forgive me if you've answered this already. Do you mean apple cider vinegar or regular? Thanks!
Apple cider vinegar. However any form
Of vinegar will work.
Omg these were seriously Uh-Mazing!! They had the best texture of any grain free bread I've made or bought. Fluffy in the middle, that flaky-ness on the outside=awesome. Reminded me of kfc biscuits, and trust me that's freaking awesomeness in my book! Thank you thank you thank you!
I made these for supper tonight and had to share my husband's comment, he said "KEEP THIS RECIPE! I don't tell you to keep very many but this one is a keeper!" Just wanted to share.
Thanks Brittany for such awesome recipes. Tomorrow I am attempting the cinnamon rolls.
Thanks
Kim
Can I leave out the vinegar and lemon juice or substitute something else. I don't like the taste of either .
You won't taste either. I promise. The recipe needs them.