Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits

Made with local wheat, these are quick and flavorful and not too heavy. One of my go-to recipes to serve with soup or stew.

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, white whole wheat flour, or combination
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp powdered buttermilk (optional but nice)
2-3 Tbsp salted butter
1 scant cup milk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and buttermilk (if using) in a medium bowl. Add the butter in small chunks and cut it in finely using a pastry cutter or two knives (or pulse briefly in a food processor). Add the milk and stir until combined. The dough will be sticky.

Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a baking sheet (I like to use a baking stone, but a regular baking sheet is fine). Bake for 10-13 minutes, until biscuits begin to brown. Serve warm.

Makes 12 medium sized biscuits.

Whole Wheat Cream Biscuits

This recipe is adapted slightly from one in The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters. Even with half whole wheat flour, these biscuits are as tender and flaky as you could hope for - absolutely divine with roast chicken and gravy. (I also use the roast chicken recipe from this same cookbook; it is the easiest, simplest, and most reliable I have found.)

Whole wheat pastry flour is available from local farms including Uppingil Farm and Four Star Farms and can be ground from soft white wheat from the same sources. Look for it Saturday at Winter Fare or find it at Green Fields Market. I always use cream from Mapleline Farm in Hadley, available at Green Fields Market.

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
6 Tbsp butter
3/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the whole wheat pastry flour, the all purpose flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two knives (or make quick work of it with a few pulses in a food processor). Add the cream and stir it in with a fork until just combined. Knead the dough a couple times in the bowl, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll the dough out to about 1/2-inch thick, then cut into biscuits (any shape you like).

Place the biscuits on a baking sheet (I use a baking stone) and bake for 17 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm.

Makes 8-12 biscuits.