Since Graham's 1829 recipe would be awfully "dense and cardboardy" by today's standards, Brown mixes whole wheat flour with unbleached white and cake flours, but still tries to preserve that original "special nuttiness" flavor. (Many commercial brands stick to just bleached white flour). Brown, who started her career as the founding pastry chef for Teaism, has been making artisanal shortbreads and grahams since 2004.
Brown's goodies, including her shortbread and cookies can be found on a regular basis at Modern Times (5015 Connecticut Avenue, NW), Dean and Deluca, Teaism, Cheesetique, and elsewhere. You can reach Polly Brown at polly@pollystyle.com.