Whole Grain Sourdough Biscuits

Dairy Free DIY Fermented Health Holiday Recipes

Whole Grain Sourdough Biscuits

Mellow January 30, 2013 27 Comments

These biscuits are quick, versatile, and way easier than homemade bread. We use fresh ground flour for the best flavor, but I made them with storebought flour for years with great success as well. I've always used whole wheat flour for this recipe. They turn out delicious, and are great with butter and jam, or served alongside soup, or drenched in gravy with mashed potatoes.

To start, make a sourdough starter, or take yours out of the fridge and wake it up by bringing it to room temperature. I don't recommend buying a starter, since they are even easier than biscuits to make. You can store your starter in the fridge when you're not using it, or keep it on the counter and stir it daily if you do a lot of baking. You want a cup and a half of starter, so add enough equal parts flour and water to bring it up to that level.

I adapted this recipe years ago from the book How It All Vegan, and while I do use butter now, the dairy-free version is just as good.

Here are the instructions:

Preheat oven to 350

Mix together:

2 c whole wheat flour, finely ground
1/2 t sea salt
2 t baking soda

Add sweetener and fat:

1 tb sucanat (or honey, or sweetener of choice)
1/2 c butter (or use coconut oil for vegan biscuits)

The biscuit mixture before adding sourdough starter

Stir in starter:

1 1/2 c sourdough starter     
1/2 c chopped walnuts or pumpkin seeds are a great optional addition

I add my whole jar of sourdough starter to this recipe, and then as soon as my biscuits are baking I add fresh flour and water to the same jar (unwashed) for the next batch of sourdough. It will only take a day or two to mature, and then it's ready for the next batch of biscuits!

Dough, ready for dropping & baking

Bake in muffin tins (I use silicon baking cup liners, but they're not necessary) or drop on cookie sheet, for 15-20 minutes until golden brown on top

Recipe makes about a dozen biscuits.

These biscuits are lovely fresh from the oven. They will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for several days.

Organic flours and whole grains can be purchased in bulk from Azure Standard, a natural foods distributor. Below are Amazon Affiliate Ads. Any purchase made through them helps support our family. Thanks in advance!

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Roasting Whole Squash For Fresh DIY Purée

DIY Gluten Free Health Holiday Preservation Recipes Urban Farming

Roasting Whole Squash For Fresh DIY Purée

Mellow January 09, 2013 15 Comments

I love Winter squash, but I've always been pretty certain that I'm going to lose a finger trying to cut them in half for cooking. That is why I LOVE this method for making purée from pumpkins, or from any other type of winter squash: It involves absolutely no hazardous cutting of hard squash! Also, the method is easy enough that there's never going to be a need to buy the canned stuff.

Literally, all you have to do is take your squash and bake it in the oven until it's soft. I preheat the oven to about 375. I find it essential to place a baking sheet on a lower rack, below the squash, to catch the drips. Rather than timing them, I determine their done-ness first by noticing them leaking liquid onto the baking sheet, and second by poking them with a knife. It should go in very easily. It might take 50 minutes to over an hour, depending on the size of the squash you are roasting.

Pumpkins will start leaking fluids when they are nearly done.

You may find that they cook more evenly if you rotate the squash onto a different side halfway through baking. With a small squash, this will hardly be necessary, but with something larger I've found it helps the squash to soften evenly on all sides. 

Once they're soft, remove them from the oven. I pull out the baking sheet first, and place the squash on it to cool. If you cut them in half they will cool faster. They will slice like butter.

Once they cool enough that you can handle them easily, scoop out the seeds and gunk from the center. If you have any kind of farm animals, they will love this stuff. Even my cat eats it. Of course, you can roast the seeds for people as well.

Next, separate the flesh from the skin. This is easier with the thicker skinned pumpkins, a bit more of a hassle with butternut. Place all the flesh in a food processor, and blend until it looks like this:

Use this puree to make whatever you like, from soups to pies, breads to ravioli. It's super easy and you'll never need the canned stuff again! I like to roast more than I need and freeze the excess. You could also can it after pureeing.

This roasting method works great for making delicious spaghetti squash as well!

Below are Amazon Affiliate Ads. Any purchase made through them helps support our family. Thanks in advance!

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