Springtime nettle herbed biscuits
Folks, is spring waking wild edibles up where you live?
It sure is in our neck of the woods. Although I have to be honest: since it doesn’t snow here, nettle season starts in winter as the rain comes, and I always have a bit of a head start compared to my friends living elsewhere. Although this favorite wild edible of mine is nowhere to be seen during summer and autumn, because the weather is so hot and dry - maybe with some rare small patches along streams that haven’t dried up.
This to say, I surely try to make the most of nettles as soon as they starts emerging from the ground! Endless nettle infusions, soups and quiches, cakes and breads. And if I’m not using fresh nettles then I’m embracing my stock of dried nettles (usually consisting of a mix of my own collection and my good friend’s, who lives in Belgium and has more nettles in her wet garden than I can ever hope to see around here).
So today, in full celebration of nettle, whether freshly harvested or dried from jars!, and savory herbs, I present to you these springtime nettle herbed biscuits. I’ve put them together during an afternoon I had the munchies (seriously though!) but had forgotten to bake bread the previous day. I wanted something that didn’t take too long to prepare and used as many herbs as possible, with a side of saltiness and an invitation to add butter.
These biscuits are incredibly versatile. Just adapt them to whatever you have in your pantry or growing in your garden!
Ingredients
1/2 cup dried nettles (Urtica dioica) (or 1 cup fresh nettles)
1 cup of milk or milk substitute
2 tbsp melted butter
6 cups wheat flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg, beaten
1 cup grated cheese (optional)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, sage and parsley
2 tsp salt
Directions
Combine the nettles and milk in a cup and blend using an immersion blender until smooth. If you’re using fresh nettles, your “nettle milk” will be a beautiful shade of green, whereas if using dry nettles (like I did here!) the color won’t be as vibrant and there will be small pieces of nettle left - both ways are okay!
Transfer your “nettle milk” to a mixing bowl, add butter and ½ the flour. Incorporate all remaining ingredients, finishing with the rest of the flour. You should have a malleable dough now, similar to bread dough.
Knead the dough evenly.
Using a rolling pin, spread the dough over your counter to about 2 cm thick.
Use a wide cookie cutter or a jar’s mouth to cut out your biscuits (I used a jar about 7 cm wide).
Place your cookies in a greased baking sheet and bake in the oven, in medium flame, until they’re golden and fully risen. It should take about 30 mins. I bake in my wood stove, so it’s always a bit tricky to give exact temperatures and times!
They’re best enjoyed warm, sliced in half and spread with butter… Or at least that’s what my munchie self recommends! 🌸
I hope you’re all enjoying the new season and having creative fun with your local herb friends!