No-Rise Honey Wheat Biscuits

So today has brought me several little miracles.  I'd love to share them with you.  

First, today was our first actually cool day here in Georgia.  It was wonderful.  It gave me hope of an actual fall season, of leaves that might actually change colors before dropping off, of jack-o-lanterns that can sit on the porch for a week without caving in and rotting.

And what's better in cold weather than honey wheaty yeasty comfort bread?  

Not much, friends, not much. 

And what's that you say, they don't even need time to rise?  Boom.  Miracle.

I stumbled across this recipe a long time ago when Jim was on his way home from work and I wanted to whip up rolls to go with dinner but only had like 40 minutes until my chicken would be done.  So... I found these little babies and made them my own.  

If you love honey (and if you don't...who are you even?) you will adore these.  

No-Rise Honey Wheat Biscuits

(adapted from this recipe, yields around 15 biscuits)

2 tsp. yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 tsp honey

1/2 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 c. butter, melted

1/4 c. honey

3/4 c. milk

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 extra Tbsp butter, melted

Mix yeast, water, and 1 tsp honey in a bowl.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes until bubbly.

Mix the milk with the lemon juice and let sit for 5 minutes to curdle.

Sift together 2 cups flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  Add the yeast mixture, 1/4 cup melted butter, honey, and milk to the flour mixture.  Stir with a fork until all ingredients are incorporated.  Add the remaining flour little by little, until dough reaches a nice consistency, slightly sticky but not too sticky.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and without kneading too much, spread it into a rectangle about 1/3 inch thick.  Use a 2 inch round biscuit cutter and cut about 15 circles or as many as will fit.

Place biscuits onto a greased cookie sheet, bake at 375 for about 10-12 minutes or until they just start to brown at the edges.  Remove from oven, brush the 2 Tbsp butter onto the rolls, serve.

The last miracle is the most heartwarming of all.  Those of you who know me personally may know that I'm pretty allergic to cats.  You may also know that despite this fact, I love them and have owned them my whole life up until a few years ago.  

I have a soft spot for all animals.  Those Sarah McLachlan ASPCA commercials make me actually cry.  On the treadmill at the gym?  Tears.  It doesn't matter.  But I have an especially soft spot for cats.  They get such a bad rep.  

This was our dilemma yesterday.  It was raining like crazy and we started hearing a noise outside.  We turned on the deck lights and saw this little buddy sitting on the grill.

He was just meowing his little head off.  Jim, knowing my soft spot for animals and how allergic I am to cats put his foot down.  But after hours of meowing and begging, we wore him down.  I convinced him to let me crack our garage door just enough for the cat to crawl in out of the rain and put just a little cup of food and water out there for him.  

He was so sweet and lovable but his eye was all messed up, like maybe he got into a fight or something.  I thought immediately...someone abandoned him.  I don't know how many times I've heard of people just leaving their cat somewhere and driving off.  That's what I think happened with this little guy.  

I put his picture up on craigslist lost and found and spent the whole day checking my email... I didn't know what I would do if nobody claimed this poor little guy.  I can't live with a cat anymore...after being away my allergies have gotten so much worse, but I couldn't just abandon this poor little guy.

I was telling one of my coworkers about him and thought nothing of it, and then an hour later he told me, "I think I'll take that cat."  I couldn't believe it.  These stories never have a happy ending, but here the little guy was going to be going to a great home.  I'm so happy.

So there you go.  Miracle number three, the injured kitty who found a new home.  I'm feeling pretty good today, and it goes way beyond bread this time.