Can you remember a childhood breakfast? I think back to age eight or nine. Down the stairs I came with my hair in a tangled knot and my prepubescent body hidden beneath one of my father’s white t-shirts. Noelle, four years younger, followed close behind. Our mother, never a coffee drinker, held a cup of diet coke and ice. Her long brownish black hair would have been swept to one side of her face. She greeted us with hugs and kisses and all sorts of other morning pleasantries. And then we’d both sit down to glasses of orange juice as my mom took waffles out of the toaster and slathered them with peanut butter and jelly.
It’s funny how Noelle and I have tended towards different breakfasts as adults. I start my day with eggs and an English muffin, while Noelle fills a bowl till it’s brimming with cereal and fresh fruit. We didn’t grow up eating either, and yet now they’ve become a part of our daily routines. I wonder what breakfast will look like with Lucy. If she’ll eventually get tired of eggs and bread and then spend her adulthood devouring cream cheese pastries or pancakes with syrup. All I know is that like my mother, I’ll work to make the mornings a time of communion–a sacred space where I can nourish my children’s bodies and their souls.
Ryan taught me to love many things. His fondness for biscuits is unquestioned, and he learned how to make a beautiful omelet from his dad. So when I set about making these whole wheat biscuits and mini quiches, I thought of my husband, how much I love him, and all the good things he’s brought into my life.
Whole wheat biscuits can be a tricky recipe to pull-off well. Whole wheat makes any dough denser…and there is nothing quite as terrible as a tough biscuit. I have made several batches of whole wheat biscuits without success, but I’m happy to say that this particular recipe won rave reviews from Ryan, me, and my parents. My mom eagerly enjoyed a second helping, and I loved watching her delicate fingers peel away each layer of buttery biscuit dough.
These mini quiches would be an ideal partner to a freshly baked biscuit, or they would serve well as an on-the-go breakfast. Bite-sized and flavorful, they make morning extra special. I could see kids enjoying these as they got ready for school and the rest of us taking a few on the road as we made our commute to work.
So whatever you might be most drawn to for your first meal of the day, consider changing up your routine and making a batch of these biscuits and quiches. Your house will smell heavenly, and your stomach will growl with its early morning protest. How lovely will that first bite be!
Whole Wheat Biscuits
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons honey
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line one baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or fork until mixture resembles small peas. Your butter must be very cold. Chill butter and flour mixture in refrigerator for 10-20 minutes.
Whisk together your honey and buttermilk. Add buttermilk mixture to your dry ingredients and stir until just moist. Flour your workspace and turn dough out. Knead lightly, about five times.
Roll dough into a 9”x5” rectangle. Dust top with flour. Fold dough into thirds, just like you would a letter to fit into an envelope. Repeat two more times. Roll dough out until it is 3/4 inch thick. Using a very sharp biscuit cutter, cut out biscuits. You may roll out the additional scraps, but they won’t rise as neatly as the original batch.
Bake biscuits in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until just lightly golden. Brush with melted butter (optional) and eat while warm!
Mini Quiches
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup cream
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
3/4 teaspoons salt
A dash of pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Peppers or mushrooms or any other vegetable you desire! (diced or cut thin)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease two 24-count mini muffin pans.
In a large bowl, whisk together cornstarch, milk, and cream. Add eggs, whisk until light and frothy. Stir in salt and pepper.
Sprinkle a teaspoon of cheese in the bottom of each mini muffin tin. Arrange vegetables on top of cheese. Pour in 1 1/2 tablespoons of egg mixture (or until near the top of the muffin tin).
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for ten minutes before CAREFULLY removing with a knife. These can be enjoyed right away or frozen after they’ve thoroughly cooled. We like to freeze them in Ziploc containers.
