I have loved English tea biscuits ever since I was a little girl and they were handed to me in Sunday School along with a paper cup of grape juice. These days I prefer them with a large mug of black tea sweetened with honey and whitened with a bit of milk. They are the perfect dunking cookie and are just the thing when you want “a little something” with your afternoon tea.
Until this week I’d only ever had the store-bought version, long rolls of perfectly round biscuits in cellophane wrappers. But after tasting this homemade English tea biscuits recipe, I can’t imagine ever going back.
Digesting History
English tea biscuits, or digestive biscuits, were first developed in Scotland in the early 1800’s by a couple of doctors who wanted to aid the digestion of their patients. The combination of whole wheat flour (to keep things moving) and baking soda (to keep things calm) apparently did the trick.
Nowadays they are lovely as a not-too-sweet treat with a cup of tea, served as part of a cheese-platter, or used in place of graham crackers to form a base for creamy cheesecakes. You can also serve them with an array of sweet accompaniments such as our Mixed Summer Berry Tea Jelly, raw honey, or Spiced Pear Jam.
English Tea Biscuits Recipe
Traditionally, these digestive aid biscuits were made with whole grain flour, vegetable oil, baking soda, sugar, and malt extract. While this recipe has certainly stood the test of time, I’m a firm believer that every baked good tastes better with butter, so I substitute it for the vegetable oil. If you want to be a purist, by all means, stick to vegetable oil.
Whole wheat flour is a must for these biscuits. It provides the grainy texture and unique flavor that is the hallmark of a proper digestive biscuit. Malt extract is another important ingredient, but I can't find malt extract in my part of the world. Instead, I substitute with either vanilla or maple extract, and they are both perfectly scrumptious. As mentioned above, real butter gives these biscuits a new depth of richness with beautiful layers of crispy goodness. For me, substituting butter for the vegetable oil is a much more delicious option.
If you have a food processor, this dough will be ready for shaping and baking in just a few minutes. Start with the flour and baking soda, pulsing just enough to combine. Add the butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the powdered sugar and pulse a few times to mix. Turn out the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and add the milk and extract of your choosing. Stir well with a wooden spoon until the dough forms, then press dough into a mound and turn out onto a floured surface. Cover with a piece of parchment paper and roll until about 1/8th of an inch thick.
The traditional shape of tea biscuits is round. You can make them with smooth edges or scalloped, whatever takes your fancy. Place the biscuits onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, then prick the top of each one all over with the tines of a fork. This gives the biscuits their instantly recognizable look.
Some cookies are best slightly-undercooked, but that is not the case with this English tea biscuits recipe. They are at their best nicely browned so they cool to a nice, crispy biscuit. Once they’re cooled, store them in an airtight container or well-wrapped in the freezer until you’re ready to use. Serve them with one of our beautiful breakfast teas such as our House Blend vanilla black tea, Heritage Blend Scottish Breakfast maple black tea, or Fog Cutter lemon peel black tea.
English Tea Biscuits
Ingredients:
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup butter, cut in pieces
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar (1/2 cup if you prefer less sweet)
- 1/4 cup cold milk
- 1 teaspoon malt extract (vanilla or maple are other good options)
Directions:
Preheat to 350F. Cover baking sheets with parchment and set aside.
Place flour and baking powder into bowl of food processor and pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles crumbs. Add powdered sugar and pulse to mix.
Pour dry ingredients into medium mixing bowl, add milk and malt extract, and stir until dough forms.
Turn mixture out onto floured surface and knead just until dough is smooth and holds together well.
Roll out dough to about 1/8 inch thick and cut into circles. Place cookies on baking sheets and prick them all over with a fork.
Bake until nicely browned, about 15-20 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool on pan until cool and crisp.
Krista Bjorn
Canadian born Krista Bjorn has been traveling and exploring for over 20 years and loves every crazy, embarrassing, and wonderful moment. She's lived in Russia and Portugal and now makes her home in beautiful Queensland, Australia, saving her pennies for her next trip. Her food, photography and travel blog is Rambling Tart.
FAQs
Use Cold Butter for Biscuits
For flaky layers, use cold butter. When you cut in the butter, you have coarse crumbs of butter coated with flour. When the biscuit bakes, the butter will melt, releasing steam and creating pockets of air. This makes the biscuits airy and flaky on the inside.
Why are rich tea biscuits so good? ›
The plain flavour and consistency of rich tea make them particularly suitable for dunking in tea and coffee. McVitie's has used the brand name "Rich Tea" since 1891 and remains the most well-known manufacturer in the UK.
Are homemade biscuits better with butter or shortening? ›
The butter version rises the highest — look at those flaky layers! The shortening biscuit is slightly shorter and a bit drier, too. Butter contains a bit of water, which helps create steam and gives baked goods a boost.
What does cream of tartar do in tea biscuits? ›
As the biscuits rise, the carbon dioxide gas expands, creating pressure on the dough. This pressure can cause the dough to collapse without proper support. Cream of Tartar helps stabilize the dough structure, ensuring the biscuits maintain their shape and rise uniformly.
What type of flour makes the best biscuits? ›
White wheat in general is around 9-12% protein, while the hard reds are 11-15%. As far as brands of flour, White Lily “all-purpose” flour has been my go-to for biscuit making. It's a soft red winter wheat, and the low protein and low gluten content keep biscuits from becoming too dense.
What makes biscuits taste better? ›
Buttermilk adds a tangy flavor to the biscuits and makes them slightly more tender. Butter: We use salted European butter in this recipe. It will work with unsalted or salted butter. I like the extra saltiness of salted butter, but you can reduce the salt to 3/4 teaspoon if you prefer.
What is the American equivalent of rich tea biscuits? ›
Rich Tea Classic
Description: A plain cracker. American equivalent: A Saltine without the salt. My thoughts: If you tap one of these biscuits against the table, it makes a hollow knocking noise like a piece of plywood. I feel like that's everything you need to know about these.
How unhealthy are rich tea biscuits? ›
A good old-fashioned rich tea is a healthier choice as they're low in sugar and saturated fat. This is because, unlike most biscuits, they are made with vegetable oils rather than butter. Nairn's biscuits are low in saturated fat and sugar, and are a source of fibre thanks to the oat base.
What's the difference between a biscuit and a tea biscuit? ›
'Biscuit' is from old French for “twice baked” hence crisp. What Americans call biscuits the British would probably describe as a savory scone. A biscuit is any small crisp treat, a tea biscuit is one made with tea in mind.
Is buttermilk or heavy cream better for biscuits? ›
Heavy cream provides rich butterfat that gives the biscuits tenderness and flavor, as well as moisture from its water content. The formula requires minimal mixing, reducing the risk of too much gluten development.
Choosing between shortening and lard comes down to personal preference. Both create a flaky, tender crust, are semi-solid, and are 100% fat. Swap one for the other in recipes. If you want to add additional flavor to the dish, lard is the right choice.
What kind of liquid is best for making biscuits? ›
Buttermilk also adds a pleasant tanginess to baked biscuits, and its relatively low levels of fat make it work in recipes that call for any kind of fat, from butter to shortening, and even cream. (Yes, cream can be used as both a liquid and a fat.
Is it better to use milk or water for biscuits? ›
Taste-testing results:
Three of five thought the water biscuits were fluffier and better overall. Two of five thought the milk biscuits had a little better taste.
What is the point of tea biscuits? ›
Biscuits were included as a complement to tea due to their simple, easy-to-serve nature. The custom of afternoon tea subsequently spread throughout the British Empire and beyond, evolving into a beloved ritual.
Why are tea biscuits so dry? ›
Biscuit dough is moist and sticky, so much so that it may seem too wet after you've added all your flour. If you do think this about your dough, fight the urge to add more dry ingredients — dough that isn't wet enough will bake into a hard, dry biscuit.
What is the key characteristics of a good biscuit? ›
CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD BISCUITS
A good biscuit is symmetrical in shape, has vertical sides, a level and fairly smooth top, and is covered with a tender, golden brown crust. The inside is light, fluffy, flaky, creamy white, free from yellow or brown spots, and the small 'holes are evenly distributed.
What makes a successful biscuit? ›
Use a sift to mix your dry ingredients.
Sift together all your dry ingredients instead of simply mixing. This will smooth out your lumps and you'll have a much more consistent bake. Some people will also freeze their dry ingredients to keep the dough as cold as possible. Again, cold dough is what makes a flaky biscuit.
What is the king of biscuit? ›
Parle G: the King of Biscuits.
What are the two most important steps in biscuit making? ›
The two keys to success in making the best biscuits are handling the dough as little as possible as well as using very cold solid fat (butter, shortening, or lard) and cold liquid. When the biscuits hit the oven, the cold liquid will start to evaporate creating steam which will help our biscuits get very tall.
