The most yummy and (possibly good for you) biscuits ever!

So I was having one of my (rare) health-conscious moments the other day, and I had heard a lot about how breads made with soaked grains were better for you because somehow the soaking breaks down some of the enzymes (?) and makes them easier for your body to digest...something like that. Anyway, I had a recipe and it sounded weird but I decided to try it (plus I was out of eggs...;-)

You take 2 1/2 cups of flour and mix it into a cup of plain yoghurt. Then you leave it out on the counter overnight, "soaking." I don't know about you, but when I hear the word "soak" I think of something immersed in something else - you know, kinda wet, watery, etc. Well, 2 1/2 cups of flour into 1 cup of yoghurt didn't exactly look like it was "soaking" to me. It looked more like a thick gummy sort of paste. Like when my sister and I were kids and we would "bake" by mixing flour and water until it was thick enough to roll out and then baking it in the oven...it was never very good, by the way! But don't let this description deter you - read on. I was skeptical at first too!

So anyway I left the stuff "soaking" on the counter all night, and by morning I was even more skeptical. It looked very odd, and already kind of like dough except the top had gotten a little dried out. (Note - put a wet towel over your bowl when you soak it, and that will keep the top moist.) But I thought, what the heck, I'll try to make biscuits out of it anyway. Otherwise it would be a waste of flour and yoghurt. So I kneaded in the other ingredients - baking powder, salt, then the butter, in small chunks. And I kneeded it some more and it started looking more and more like regular dough. I had to knead in some extra flour because it was too sticky at first, but that worked ok. Finally I rolled it out and cut it with the rim of a cup (because evidently I have no round biscuit cutters, only Christmas shapes and trains...) and baked them in the oven like regular biscuits. They came out, I tasted one, and WOW! They were amazing. They tasted a tiny bit like sourdough, but not really sour, and they were really nice and light and fluffy...yumm. I was so excited. And they were really very easy.

Tonight I am trying the same starter to make homemade hamburger buns. I don't know if they are actually better for you, but they sure taste good. Why don't you try soaking your own grains and making some breads? If nothing else, it will make you feel so domestic and proud of yourself! ;-) Here's the condensed version of the recipe:

1. Mix 2 1/2 cups of flour into 1 cup of yoghurt. (I use 1 cup of white whole wheat, 1 cup of spelt, and 1/2 cup of unbleached flour but you can use any combo you want. Plus I use plain, whole milk yoghurt). Cover bowl with a damp towel and leave on the counter for 12-24 hours.

2. Dust the counter with flour and turn the contents of your bowl onto the flour. Knead in 3 teaspoons of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of salt. Add more flour as dough becomes sticky.

3. Cut up 4 Tablespoons of butter into small bits and knead that into the dough. Add flour as necessary.

4. One dough has reached proper consistancy, roll out and cut biscuits. Leave the dough fairly thick, probably about 1/2 inch.

5. Place biscuits on cookie sheets (ungreased) and bake at 425 until golden brown (about 18 minutes). Great with butter and strawberry jam!