Stinging Nettle and Cheese Biscuit
Surprise your family with these tasty stinging nettle and cheese biscuits. The stinging nettle has a very subtle flavor in these biscuits so you’re family is sure to love them, after all they’re buttery, warm cheesy biscuits! They just have the added benefit of all the nutrients found in stinging nettle – protein (2.7g/100g), Vitamin A, C, D, & K, iron, potassium, manganese, and calcium (29 times more than spinach).
Just don’t wear your flip flops when you harvest your stinging nettle, they really do sting! If you’re new to harvesting stinging nettle read How to Find, Harvest, Dry, Freeze and Use Stinging Nettle.
Also Read: Cheese Drop Biscuits, Spinach and Cheese Drop Biscuits, Chive Biscuits (shaped)
Stinging Nettle and Cheese Biscuit
Ingredients
- 3 cups loosely packed stinging nettle
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/3 cup butter cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese plus more for top
- 1 1/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk 1 Tbsp lemon juice with milk to make 1 1/4 cup
Instructions
- Nettle Prep
- Wearing latex or rubber gloves, remove leaves from stems (use stems for tea). You should have about 2 cups of loosely packed leaves.
- Wash leaves and drain.
- In saucepan, over medium heat add leaves and 1 Tbsp of water.
- Stir with a wooden spoon and cook until leaves have wilted, about 2 minutes.
- Drain nettle leaves and squeeze to remove as much water as possible.
- Chop into small pieces and set aside. Gloves are no longer required.
- Biscuit Prep
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Stir together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cayenne pepper.
- Cut in butter using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Stir in grated cheese.
- Add chopped nettle to the flour and cheese mixture.
- Make a well in the flour mixture.
- Add buttermilk or sour milk.
- Stir just until moistened. Over mixing will cause tough biscuits.
- Using a tablespoon, drop dough onto greased baking sheet.
- Optional: sprinkle more cheese on top of each biscuit.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden.
Notes
Yield 8-10 biscuits
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Once you make the biscuits, why not try thisStinging Nettle and Potato Soup to go with them!
More Nettle Talk
Harvest nettle wearing long pants, long sleeves and gloves.
Separating the stems and leaves. The stems can be used for steeping nettle tea or chop and toss into soups or stews.
It doesn’t take long to wilt the nettle leaves in a little bit of water. Once they’re cooked, dried or even crushed, they don’t sting anymore.
I often wilt extra stinging nettle, chop it and freeze it in 1/2 cup or 1 cup portions for future biscuits, soups, pizzas or frittatas.
Are you interested in trying stinging nettle or are you content to stick with spinach? Either way, dark leafy greens are good option!
Interested in learning more? Get Getty for a wild edible hike, kitchen workshop or group presentation. Getty Stewart is a freelance Professional Home Economist, author of Manitoba’s best-selling Prairie Fruit Cookbook, Founder of Fruit Share, mom and avid veggie gardener. She loves growing, preparing and preserving food and has been doing so forever.