Molly Wizenberg

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King Arthur's English Digestive Biscuits

These biscuits were developed during the latter part of the 19th century to increase fiber in Victorian diets, something that might be appealing to you at the beginning of the New Year. Digestive Biscuits are really just sophisticated graham crackers and are very simple to make. They are delicious with tea and fruit.

1/2 cup (2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup (3 ounces) confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup (2 ounces) cold milk

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Measure the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. With a pastry blender, two knives, or your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour mixture. Toss in the sugar and enough milk to make a stiff dough.

Knead this mixture on a floured surface until smooth. (All this can be done almost instantly in a food processor.) Roll the dough out to a bit more than 1/8 inch thick and cut into any desired shape. Traditionally, digestive biscuits are round and about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Place on greased cookie sheets, prick evenly with a fork, and bake until pale gold, between 15 and 20 minutes.

This recipe reprinted from The Baking Sheet Newsletter, Vol. III, No. 2, December 1991 issue.

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One Pot Meal

Recently I bought 6 Italian sausages on sale at my local butcher shop. I had decided to make a tomato sauce with them, but ended up making a delicious one-pot meal. I am recounting it here to share and also so I can do it again next time on purpose.

I put two large cans of crushed tomatoes in my crock pot and then added the sausages. Since I didn't have a third can of tomatoes I decided to chop three large onions and add them. I added a bunch of fresh whole peeled cloves of garlic knowing they would break up as they cook. I opened a can of pitted black olives and chopped them all and added them. I let everything simmer for hours. Then spontaneously I decided to add the jar of vegetable stock (broccoli water) I had kicking around in the fridge. Was it going to become a soup? No. I decided to add a pound of whole-wheat elbow macaroni and let it cook for twelve minutes. Then I turned off the crock pot so the macaroni wouldn't overcook and become mushy. What I had was a delicious one-pot meal that tasted like lasagna. It was even better the next day.