Fluffy Whole Wheat Biscuits

      Last week, I woke up late to a grey, drizzly morning. When I wake up late I'm often too lazy to cook anything before lunchtime, but this morning was different. Maybe it was the dark sky that made me crave comfort food. Maybe it was the fact that after a week of unbearable humidity, the rain finally cooled the city enough to allow me to turn on the oven without sweating. I don't know, but of one thing I am sure: sometimes all you need to start the day off well is a biscuit.

These are my take on the classic Southern buttermilk biscuit. They are made partially with whole wheat flour; not only does this up the health factor a bit (because let's face it, if we're going to eat that much butter, we might as well enjoy it with some whole grains), it also lends a nice nutty flavor to your breakfast.

I quickly learned not to roll this dough out too thin; my first tray was far from picture-perfect. Just make sure to keep a nice thick, floured round in front of you when rolling it out, and you'll be fine. Because other than that, this recipe is pretty much foolproof. Perfect for when you're still waking up.

  I like to enjoy my biscuits with a smear of butter and either some honey or jam; usually, I just use whatever flavor I have lying around. Feel free to top them with whatever you want, including but not limited to: eggs, whipped cream and berries, ice cream... but please don't do the eggs and ice cream at the same time. Because that won't work and then you'll be mad at me and nobody wins. So just bake up a quick batch of biscuits and be creative with your toppings - but not too creative.
   Enjoy!

Fluffy Whole Wheat Biscuits
(from Allrecipes)

  

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder 
1 tablespoon white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter 
1 cup buttermilk
  
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). 
Combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in bowl. Cut in butter with a knife or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; stir in buttermilk until just moistened. 
Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface; knead gently 8 to 10 times. Roll to about 3/4-inch thickness; cut with a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter. Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet. 
Bake in preheated oven until biscuits are lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes.
 -makes 12 fairly large, thick biscuits