Make economical biscuit crumbs

Press, 2 May 1984, Page 10

Make economical biscuit crumbs

Alison Holst’s

Food Facts

Recently I received a letter with a request for a recipe for plain biscuits which equid be crushed for crumbs. The writer of the letter didn’t like paying for expensively packed biscuits which she intended to unpack and break into pieces immediately. She pointed out that she used to buy “broken biscuits” packed cheaply in brown paper bags when she wanted to make biscuit crumbs, but she found these difficult to find nowadays. If you feel the same way you may like to try these plain (but nice) biscuits and

i crumb them for truffles, i uncooked slices, crumb i crusts and the like. When you use these biscuits, crumbed, be prepared to alter quantities of crumbs or liquid slightly to get the i texture you are used to. I On the other hand, you may prefer to make the biscuits and keep them in > airtight containers for nibbling with a cup of tea or i coffee, or passing out to • hungry children. t Again, you may find the • recipe useful when you want a plain biscuit mixture ’ which very young “helpers” > can roll, cut and bake with I you-

The recipe makes a lot — the equivalent weight of four 200 g packets of biscuits. The number will depend on the thinness of your rolling and the size of your cutter. I roll them thinly and cut them with a round fluted cutter 55mm in diameter, and prick two or three lots of fork holes in each. As long as I re-roll the trimmings I finish up with about 160 5g biscuits. For smaller quantities you can halve the recipe. 2 eggs % cup brown sugar IOOg soft butter 1 teaspoon vanilla

% teaspoon salt [ 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional) 3 cups flour • 2-3 teaspoons baking powder Mix the eggs and sugar thoroughly, using the metal chopping blade of a food I processor. Add the butter , which has been warmed ; until very soft but not ; liquid, the vanilla, salt (and cinnamon if you want a very lightly spiced biscuit) and mix again until ■ thoroughly combined. Add half the flour and the baking powder. Use the smaller quantity for flatter biscuits. The larger quantity pro-

duces a better risen, easy to crumb biscuit, but a critical taster can detect a slight baking powder after taste. (Make sure you use level, standard measuring spoons.) Tip the mixture from the food processor onto the bench, or into a large bowl, and mix in the rest of the flour until you have a firm dough which can be rolled out on a lightly floured board with a lightly floured rolling pin without sticking. Divide the mixture in four parts and roll out quarter at a time. Cut with a glass or serrated round cutter (round shapes cook more evenly

than square ones), prick to prevent uneven rising, and bake at 180 C for 5 to 10 minutes, until biscuits are slightly brown. Cool on a rack, and put in airtight containers as soon as they are cool. Notes: To make this biscuit

mixture without a food processor, cream the butter -and sugar, add the eggs and flavourings, then the sifted flour and baking powder. Sandwich pairs of biscuits together with a thin layer of icing, jam, or the fruit filling if desired.