February 6th, 2009 
duodishes 
Netflix delivered to our doorstep a film called How to Cook Your Life. It revolves around a Zen teacher and chef, Edward Espe Brown. He teaches cooking combined with his Zen practices to show the spiritual and healing power of food and cooking. At one point, Brown talks about his first batches of biscuits that just never seemed to come out right. Nothing like the Pillsbury Grands he was used to as a child. But once he realized that he had to stop comparing his food to something dated and instead focus on the present, he finally found his biscuit of ‘today’. The best biscuit he’d ever made! Very relatable to us foodie folks when you’re talking specifically about things culinary. But also relevant to anyone trying to fashion themselves and their craft (whatever it is you do to enjoy this crazy thing called life) based on other things. This all sounds like kooky talk, but something about doing you and letting that be resonated with us. Just do you. Be the biscuit of today! And eat this biscuit while you’re at it.
No one in our past had ever made ‘fancy’ biscuits. Just the down home buttermilk kind. Nothing wrong with that! But we’re definitely familiar with these two variations: cheddar and garlic and cheddar and dill. So we said to ourselves, ‘Selves, let’s get to work and create a combo.’ And we did. Introducing our biscuit of today! Here’s another one for the Bake Your Own Bread (BYOB) Challenge.
Whole Wheat Cheese & Herb Biscuits - 12-14 biscuits
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
5 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into pieces
1/3 cup white cheddar cheese, plus a bit more for topping, shredded
1/3 cup swiss cheese, shredded
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
3/4 cup milk
1. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, paprika, mustard, sugar, salt and dill.
2. Add butter using a pastry blender. Mix into larger crumbles.
3. Add cheese and garlic and cut into finer crumbly bits.
4. Start by incorporating half of the milk and mixing together lightly with a spoon. Add remainder until dough comes together.
5. Drop dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Top each biscuit with a tiny bit of cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-17 minutes.
Click HERE for the printable recipe.
Posted in 
Hi!
These savory cookies look so vibrant like a Zen class
They’re the perfect snack full of herb aromas and flavors to nibble at any moment.
I take the opportunity to thanks a lot for your visit at my blog and have a great weekend!
All the best!
Gera
These biscuits look great – I’m always looking for ways to incorporate more whole wheat flour into my baking.
Wow, you guys are really baking! These look wonderful with all the cheeses!
Those look awesome, biscuits are the bomb. I’m actually making some myself today.
I want to be the best biscuit I can be….and if I cant then I want to be your biscuits and pretend they are me…
You had me at the whole wheat flour … then circled in for the kill with the cheddar and dill. Scrumptious! I am so going to try these. The movie sounds great too, right up my alley. Thanks for both tips, Duo!
I like the zen part. Next time I ruin something I am cooking I will have to remind myself that the recipe will work for me when it is ready to
That is a very nice thought. Be the biscuit of today. And that “fancy” biscuit sounds really good.
I’m going to try that.. if I can just figure out what today is!
I would love to sink my teeth into the biscuit of today!! They are nice and hearty and full of delicious flavors!
These beauties are definitely the biscuits of today … and probably even tomorrow. They sound amazing!
Way to go, ‘selves! Genius.
These look so good!
Any biscuit that has cheese in it is a winner in my book.
I love that mantra: “Just do you!” But for biscuits, I’ll take my cue from you!
As a new blogger and a new cook, I am so glad I stumbled on your post. What inspirational biscuits
Whenever I cook something I’m always comparing it to my favorite childhood dinners but you (and your Netflix movie) are right– the meals of today!
Thanks!
I’m with Carolyn! Biscuit + Cheese =good stuff!
A scrumptious combo! these biscuits must taste great!
Cheers,
Rosa
I’m baking my “bread of today” today. Your words are inspiring.
Those looks unbelievably amazing! I want this biscuits to be my biscuits of today!
What a great biscutis! I love savoury muffins so why not biscuits
Enjoy your weekend (!)
Margot
I say call these Kooky Biscuits! Very intriquing combinations! Oolala! You can take the Duo out of NC but you can’t take the biscuit lover out of the Duo!
Sounds like an interesting movie. Looks like a delicious recipe — I won’t be making any plain biscuits anytime soon after reading this.
Love cheddar biscuits! (I’ve been known to put cooked bits of bacon in.)
This looks wonderful. I really like the combination of cheeses.
Zen biscuits!! Amazing. I like his food philosophy. And I LOVE homemade biscuits.
These biscuits sound great! Great approach to cooking too.
These look so good!! Yum Yum:)!!
I think a lot of people fall into the trap do compare the “biscuits” to others. Instead they should compare their “biscuits” in the past to the ones at present and enjoy the improvement.
Wow, philosophy *and* biscuits in one post!
I have a couple of cookbooks by Edward Espe Brown and they’re among my favourites – great food and a few nice bits of philosophy thrown in as well
What a nice thought. I’ve never been happy with the biscuits I baked and I suppose it is because I compared them to the canned. Why can’t I learn to like the biscuits that I make purely for what they are, rather than by what I compre them to? Thanks for that bit of wisdom.
Great point and your biscuits look delicious (hmm… that sounds mildly inappropriate)! I sometimes strive to be so authentic that I miss the creativity boat.
I love it! They’re on my to-do list
I’ll let you know how they came out! Thanks for sharing.
Those cheesy biscuits sound really good!
Mmm cheese biscuits are divine and the movie sounds good! Food related movies are always such a bonus. Even if the plot isn’t good, there’s always the food porn in it hehe
Herb+ cheese-great!!!
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