Wise Child and Granola-cruncher Biscuits

I had flour up to my elbows last night making fresh whole wheat biscuits to go with the leftover chili for supper. I was beyond harried when daughter #2, 7yo, came up to me with a piece of junk mail and asked, "What's this?" I looked at it, it was a large envelope, no particularly distinguishing marks; I didn't know what the heck it was and said so. Being the wise child she is, she took it to husband and asked him. Being the wise Daddy he is, he was able to answer, "Junk mail."

After she opened the envelope, she took out the fake credit card that was in it and came back over to me. I had been inspired by the wisdom and patience of her father's answer to her, so when she asked me what this fake credit card was, I was able to answer: "It is a card that lets you sell yourself into debt and slavery."

"Oh," she said, recoiling, "No one would want to do THAT! Yuck! I'm throwing this card away right now!"

Like I said, she is a wise child.

So, you wanna know how to make really terrific biscuits?

Granola-cruncher Biscuit
(which my brother calls "colon-blow cuisine")

I use a 4 cup measure and heap it with: about a cup of ground flax seeds and the rest finely ground whole wheat flour (and can substitute any amount of unbleached flour but why do that?)

a couple tsp of baking soda, one of baking powder (probably a little less than that of both of these)

a couple tsp of salt (the "rule" for bread is a scant 1/2 tsp for each cup of flour so if your bread tastes flat, it probably needs more salt)

Mix dry ingredients in large flat bottomed bowl.

Grate 1/2 pound of frozen butter into dry ingredients, mixing occassionally to coat individual slivers of butter with flour.

Add enough buttermilk to mix to make dough (a cup and a half or so? I never measure, can you tell?). Keep extra unbleached flour around in case you get it too wet and add flour. Mix biscuit dough as little as possible, flatten in bottom of pan and cut with biscuit cutter.

Place on ungreased biscuit pan and bake in hot oven for about 15 minutes, until nicely browned. Makes 15 to 20 pretty big, utterly delicious, and healthful biscuits.