Tea Biscuit
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Make and bake
In a bowl, mix the lard, flour, and salt.
Add the baking powder with the last cup of flour.
Gradually add cold water to form a soft dough.
Roll out the dough thinly and cut into rounds.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- All-purpose flour
- Forms the structure of the dough as it binds with the water.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the oven so the biscuits rise and turn light.
- Lard
- Coats the flour to tenderize the dough and adds a short, crumbly texture.
- Cold water
- Hydrates the flour into a soft dough that holds together when rolled.
The step that matters
Gradually add cold water to form a soft dough. Adding water slowly and stopping once the dough holds together prevents overworking. Too much water or too much mixing develops gluten, making the biscuits tough rather than tender.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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