Tea Biscuits

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Cover the baking sheets with parchment and set them aside.

Place the flour and baking powder into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles crumbs. Add the powdered sugar and pulse to mix.

Pour the dry ingredients into a medium mixing bowl, add the milk and malt extract, and stir until a dough forms.

Turn the mixture out onto a floured surface and knead just until the dough is smooth and holds together well.

Roll out the dough to about ⅛-inch thick and cut it into circles. Place the biscuits on the baking sheets and prick them all over with a fork.

Bake the biscuits until they’re nicely browned, about 15-20 minutes.

Remove the biscuits from the oven and cool them on the pan until they’re cool and crisp.

3 Tips for Making the Best English Tea Biscuits

Making English tea biscuits is simple, but a few easy tips can help you get that perfect crisp texture and rich, buttery flavor every time.

1. Use Butter Instead of Vegetable Oil

Traditionally, bakers made these digestive aid biscuits 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, but I think real butter gives a British biscuit recipe 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.

2. Don’t Skip the Whole Wheat Flour

Whole wheat flour is a must for English tea biscuits. It provides the grainy texture and unique flavor that is the hallmark of a proper digestive biscuit.

3. Make an Extract Substitution If Necessary

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.

4. Prepare the Dough Well

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 the 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 the dough into a mound and turn it out onto a floured surface. Cover the dough with a piece of parchment paper and then roll until it’s about 1/8th of an inch thick.