This recipe can be relied upon to turn out a tender, flaky biscuit on short notice. Whole wheat pastry flour yields an extra-tender product. Today I added 1/4 cup nonfat yogurt (optional).

After today's Women's March, I felt chilled and hungry. Made biscuits quickly. With leftover dough, I fashioned a knot that turned out crunchy on the outside and soft inside.

Stratford Hall Biscuits

From Laurel’s Kitchen Cookbook

1-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ cup unsalted butter, chilled
3/4 cup buttermilk, plus 1-2 tablespoons
¼ cup plain yogurt (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Toss dry ingredients with a fork. Cut butter into dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or two knives, until the mixture is the consistency of coarse crumbs. Pour in buttermilk all at once, and stir just until the dough holds together.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead gently for half a minute, just until the dough is no longer sticky and the ingredients are well distributed. The lighter your touch, the lighter the biscuit.

Pat and roll the dough with a floured rolling pin, quickly and lightly, to ¾-inch thickness. Cut with a floured biscuit cutter by pressing down firmly. Don’t twist, or you’ll pinch the sides of the biscuits so that they won’t rise.

Place biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. Makes about 9. Serve hot.