Graham Flour Biscuits

One of the brilliant things about being a foodie is that one becomes the proverbial kid in a candy store - every moment, every meal, every trip to the grocery store is filled with opportunities for discovery. A new flavor, a new ingredient, a new prep method, and foodies such as ourselves are filled with a vibrant kind of enthusiasm usually reserved for one's first camping trip or one's first pet caterpillar at the tender age of 6. As foodies, we've learned to cherish the details - the curve of a single rosemary leaf, the ridges in a grain of quinoa.

So when Kathleen emailed me her recipe for graham flour biscuits, you can imagine my tizzy of enthusiasm: "Graham flour? Graham flour? I've never baked with graham flour before! I have to go find some immediately!"

I recollected seeing graham flour a time or two previously, but I had somehow foolishly consigned it to "something used to make homemade graham crackers," a project which is still floating vaguely on the "things to try in my spare time" list... However, Kathleen informed me that graham flour possesses endless possibilities for both sweet and savory baking. She's used it for both breads and muffins so far, with stellar results. So I tracked down a box, and examined it closely, with the air of a small child squinting through a microscope...

Graham flour has much the same nutritional profile as whole wheat flour, as it is a whole wheat flour, but what sets graham flour apart is its coarser texture, which adds a lovely tactile dimension to the biscuits I whipped up last night, courtesy of Kathleen's fabulously flavorful recipe...

Whenever I bake bread for dinner, I always make sure it's ready just a few minutes before the rest of the meal, as Zach likes to have a little slice before dinner, rather like the bread course in a restaurant. If we're having biscuits, he'll usually have half of a biscuit for his appetizer, and then the other half with the meal. Last night, though, he took a nibble of a graham flour biscuit, said "mmmm, these are really good," and then proceeded to have two biscuits before dinner and another with dinner, turning the biscuits into his main course! Truly, they are just that good...

Who knows what we'll discover next?

Graham Flour Biscuits

1 cup whole wheat graham flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 T raw turbinado sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 T salt-free seasoning blend, such as Mrs. Dash
1/4 cup light nonhydrogenated vegan marg or butter, melted
1 cup 1% or skim milk or 1 cup light vanilla soymilk (for the vegan version!)

~ Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.
~ In a large mixing bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients.
~ Pour in the melted marg or butter, along with the milk or soymilk, and stir until well combined.
~ Scoop the dough, approx. 1/8 cup at a time, in dollops onto the baking sheet.
~ Bake for 10 minutes - until the biscuits are just set on the inside and lightly golden on the outside. Serve warm, with a bit of butter or vegan marg...

** The possibilities for new foodie experiences are endless... For a fabulous new culinary challenge, be sure to visit The Special K Treatment for the Unbake Yourself event! **