Making your own biscuits allows you to control the ingredients, keeping nutrient levels high. These parsley-basil garlic biscuits contain 100 mg of sodium each, while a slice of sandwich bread contains 115 mg of sodium. Use just one parsley-basil garlic biscuit, cut in half, to make a sandwich instead of two slices of bread, and you save 115 mg of sodium. The parsley aids digestion and, along with the basil, gives you 64.5 IU of vitamin A per biscuit, or almost 2 percent of your daily recommended intake. Top your parsley-basil garlic biscuits with grated Parmesan, asiago or cheddar cheese, toasted sesame seeds, poppy seeds, minced onion, ground flax seed or sunflower seeds for additional protein and other nutrients.

Photo credit: Jane M. Smith, July 25, 2011

This dough also makes good pizza crust. Just flatten it out to cover a rectangular cookie sheet, brush it with olive oil and bake it for 10 minutes in a 400-degree oven. Top it as you would any other pizza dough and bake it until the cheese melts.

Oven Method:

Step One: Mix 8 cups self-rising flour, 1 1/2 cups whole milk, 1/2 cup Country Crock calcium-enriched margarine, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tbsp. dried basil, 2 tbsp. dried parsley, 2 tbsp. garlic powder and 2 tbsp onion powder together until everything is fully incorporated. 

Step Two: Add 1/4 cup Miracle Whip salad dressing and mix until the biscuit dough no longer sticks to your hands and becomes stretchy when you pull on it.

Step Three: Form the biscuit dough into a single large ball and allow it to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Step Four: Knead the biscuit dough for 1 minute and break it into 24 balls. Flatten each ball slightly and place it on a cookie sheet to rise again for another 30 minutes.

Step Five: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange 12 biscuits on each of two cookie sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the biscuits turn golden brown.

Step Six: Allow the biscuits to cool to room temperature for at least one hour before storing them in a sealed container between layers of paper towels.

Grill Method:

Step One: Flatten each biscuit to 1/2-inch thickness. Place the biscuits in two separate round cake pans, arranged with 1/4-inch space between each biscuit and the sides of the pan.

Step Two: Place the pans on each side of the flame jet or to the left and right of the hottest coals if using charcoal or wood. Pull the cover down on your grill or place a rectangular metal baking pan over the biscuits to serve as a cover.

Step Three: Bake the biscuits for 7 minutes, flip each biscuit, and continue to bake for another 7 to 8 minutes.

Step Four: Remove the biscuit pans from the grill and allow them to cool to room temperature. Store them in a sealed container between layers of paper towels.

Ingredients and Equipment

Large mixing bowl
8 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup Country Crock calcium-enriched margarine
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. dried basil
2 tbsp. dried parsley
2 tbsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp onion powder
1/4 cup Miracle Whip salad dressing
2 cookie sheets