Canadian living tea biscuits

 Tea Biscuits

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
1 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten

In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour milk over top and stir with fork to form soft, slightly sticky ragged dough.

Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, knead gently 10 times. Gently pat out into 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick round. Using 2-inch (5 cm) floured cutter, cut out rounds. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Gather up scraps and repat dough; cut out more rounds, pressing remaining scraps into final biscuit.

Brush tops of biscuits with egg. Bake in 425 F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden. Let cool on pan on rack. (Make Ahead: Wrap individually in plastic wrap and freeze in airtight container for up to 2 weeks; thaw and reheat in 350 F oven for 10 minutes.)

Variation


Dried Fruit and Lemon Tea Biscuits: Add 1/2 cup raisins, dried currants, dried blueberries, dried cranberries, chopped dried cherries (not candied), apricots or prunes. Add 2 tsp grated lemon rind to dry mixture.


From: The Complete Canadian Living Cookbook, 2001

Another Tea Biscuit Recipe - not sure where this one is from - I might be an amalgam and I might already have posted it:

Tea Biscuits - plain, foundation recipe

You can customize this recipe in many ways - I’ve included some ideas, but the internet will overwhelm you with ideas as well.  I suggest trying it through once as is, then experimenting with additions.  This recipe is plain and will give you an idea of what you are working with.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour *

2 tbsp granulated sugar**

1 tbsp baking powder***

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup cold butter, grated****

1 cup milk*****

1 egg, lightly beaten  (only if you are glazing the biscuits)

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS******maybe about 1/2 cup?  Don’t overdo it the first time

Savoury

>Grated Cheese

>Tiny cubes of ham with the grated cheese

>Sun-dried tomatoes

Sweet

>Currants

>Dried fruit

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NOTES

* The method of measurement is important.  Spoon flour into your dry ingredient measuring cup and then level the top off.  Don’t scoop from the bag as this results in too much flour.

**The sugar is taste preference - use more or less in subsequent iterations as you adjust for your sweetness preference  This recipe is for a plain, sweet tea biscuit.  When you make a savoury version, leave the sugar out altogether.

***use fresh powder!  If it is a hard cake, relegate it to your cleaning supply stash and buy new powder.

****it must be cold, then grate it on a box grater.  If you only have room temperature butter, stick it in the freezer and wait.  It’s super important that the butter stays cold.

*****Full fat; 1/2 milk&half buttermilk;1/2 yogurt&1/2 milk - you can get a little creative here as long as it’s one cup of liquid dairy - even just whey.  But the first time through, start with something simple, like just milk.

Preheat oven to 425 F..  It is important that the oven is hot when the biscuits go in.

In large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir a few times.

Using pastry blender or 2 knives, (or even cool, dry hands) cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Don’t be too precious here.  You don’t want the butter to warm up much.

******ADD OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS HERE ******

Pour milk over dry ingredients gradually as you stir with fork.  Ensure all flour is incorporated.  It should form a soft,  sticky ragged dough.

Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a lightly greased baking sheet, about 1 inch apart.    Use parchment paper or a silicone sheet it your baking sheet is old and in rough shape.

Brush tops of biscuits with egg (optional step). 

Bake in 425 F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden.  Watch carefully the first time you try this recipe because your oven likely isn’t accurately calibrated.  If your oven runs hot, they will need less time and the next time you’ll know to turn the temperature down a little bit.

 Let cool on pan on rack. 

Who am I kidding?  Crack a hot biscuit open with fork tongs, slather in butter, and sneak one for quality testing.  Still not sure, test another.  You did make a pot of tea already, didn’t you?