Biscuit Week + A Recipe for Britain's Favorite Biscuit
Digestive biscuits, cookies that look like pizza, and why Nicky continues to be iconic.
I'm shifting my weekly newsletter to Saturdays so that I can recap the Great British Baking Show and share my recipe for (or an interpretation of) a classic British bake. Spoiler alert: If you haven't watched the second episode, stop reading now!
Episode 2: Biscuit Week
What a delightful episode: an incredible signatures, a classic technical, and a creative showstopper. These bakers have won me over. I hate to see folks go, but I loved the eliminated baker's perspective this week. That's the right attitude to have. Alison and Noel have hit their stride and are so effortlessly fun.
Hot Takes
That signature looked so challenging, but so delicious. Biscuits, plus marshmallow, plus chocolate, plus jam or other flavor, plus decorations. That’s a ton of work in that time.
The preview made it look like we'd have CustardGate Part II with Cristy nabbing Rowan's biscuit dough. But she just gave it back to him and they went on with the challenge. I expected more drama.
I'd pay extra for an extended-cut of the Baking Show. Watching this showstopper, the judges only commented on a few of each baker's biscuits, not all of them. I want the whole story! I want all of the details!
What is happening with Nicky's top? I'm flabbergasted and obsessed with the giant orange-striped collar and sleeve thingys. She looks like a clown's assistant, in the best possible way. Nicky continues to be iconic.
Favorite Bakes
All of these showstoppers were amazing. Bravo!
I mean come on: Dana made an illusion biscuit deep-dish pizza. With a levitating slice even! I hope Paul remembered my Deep Dish Pizza Illusion cake as he was judging Dana's masterpiece. I love fig rolls (AKA Fig Newtons), and using those as a "stuffed crust" was pure magic.
I bet Sarah loved Abbi's Dim Sum showstopper, because I sure did!
Josh’s tomato slice. Enough said.
Does it get any better than custard cremes? Anything custard-related floats my boat. I'm glad that they're introducing these British classics to their American viewers. I have to make these cookies and report back.
For Heaven's Sake
Marshmallow doesn't have to have egg whites. I've made it with and without, and I feel like egg whites are completely unnecessary. Am I missing something?
Why did Saku cook onions?
Is charcuterie really your favorite meal?
I understand what Parma Ham is, but now I know about Parma Violets.
For the showstopper, I would have made a Chicago-style hot dog with fries. Definitely.
On to the recipe!
I first discovered classic British biscuits on a school trip to the United Kingdom when I was fifteen. My favorite was the is-it-a-cake-or-is-it-a-biscuit Jaffa Cake. After subsequent visits, I'm hooked on bourbon biscuits, hob nobs, shortbread (obviously), digestives, and more. McVitie's Digestive Biscuits might be probably the easiest of the classic British biscuits to find here in the States. (Aside from shortbread, which has hopped the pond in many forms.)
According to some sources, chocolate-coated digestive biscuits are Britain's favorite biscuit. (I won't delve into the science or history of digestives. You can find that here and here.) Plain digestives can also be called “sweet-meal biscuits” becaus” the main flavor, in my estimation, comes from the hearty whole grain flour. Without the chocolate coating, digestives taste grain-forward and not very sweet. But that's why I love them. They're perfect for when you want a not-too-swet nibble, or you can coat them in chocolate for that perfect balance of hearty crunch and decadence. A plain digestive even goes well with a slice of cheddar, if you're in that sort of mood.
Because these biscuits feature the flavor of grains, I created a recipe that highlights some incredible organically-grown grains milled right here in Illinois
A couple of weeks ago, the wonderful folks at Janie's Mill invited me to visit their production facility in tiny Ashkum, Illinois. I seek out local products whenever possible, so I've been a loyal Janie's Mill customer since 2019. I order from them several times a year, and grab bags of their flour at local bakeries like Hewn. I was thrilled when they invited me down to give me a tour and see their stone mill in action. Thanks to Tatum, Jill, and everyone at Janie's mill for hosting me and for posting this recipe on their website! Stay tuned for a whole post about this visit.
I left with several bags of flour, including some of their whole-grain black emmer flour and their new oat flakes. These flavorful flours make perfect digestive biscuits. The black emmer brings a milder, more complex flavor than regular whole wheat flour, and the oats lend their comforting warm sweetness and some texture to the biscuits.
Black Emmer & Oat Digestive Biscuits
Aside from the rolling and cutting, these biscuits come together in a snap. They last last for weeks after you make them. You don’t have to coat these cookies in chocolate. Some folks (like my lovely spouse) prefer plain biscuits.
I highly suggest grabbing a bag of black emmer flour from Janie's Mill. But if that's not in the cards for you, you can substitute whole-grain spelt flour or whole wheat flour.
Makes about 30 2 1/2-inch round cookies.
180 g (1 1/2 cups) whole-grain black emmer flour, plus more for rolling
60 g (1/2 cup) cup oat flakes (like old-fashioned oats or rolled oats, not steel cut oats)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
85 g (1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon) light brown sugar
113 g (1/2 cup) butter, cold
54 g (1/4 cup) buttermilk, cold
85 g (1/2 cup) chocolate chips, if coating with chocolate
In the bowl of a food processor add the black emmer flour, oats, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and brown sugar. Pulse the mixture for about 20 long pulses (about 1 second each). Cut the cold butter into cubes and add to the food processor, then pulse 8-10 times until the mixture looks like damp sand. Add the buttermilk and pulse 3-4 more times until the dough starts to come together. If you reach in and squeeze a small clump of dough, it should hold together. (If it doesn’t hold together, add another teaspoon of buttermilk and pulse again.) Dump the dough onto your counter and gently knead the dough one or two times to bring it together. Press it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. You don't want the dough to be completely cold, but you want the flour and oats to hydrate. This rest makes it much easier to roll out the dough.
Heat the oven to 350F with a rack on the top third of the oven. Line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and dust it all over with flour. On a piece of parchment paper, roll the dough out into a large rectangle that is exactly 1/8-inch thick, dusting with more flour as needed. Cut the dough into circles, 2 1/2-inches in diameter. Using an offset spatula, transfer the cut cookies to the parchment-lined sheet pans, leaving at least 1/2 inch between each cookie. Gently prick the tops of the cookies in a pattern with a fork or a skewer. Gather the dough scraps, knead them together once or twice, re-roll the dough, and cut out more cookies until you've used all of the dough. (The whole grains keep this cookie from getting tough after re-rolling.)
Bake one sheet of the cookies at a time at 350F for 18-20 minutes, until just golden brown on the edges. (In my oven, the bottoms get brown, but the tops stay relatively pale). Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To coat the biscuits in chocolate, melt about 1/2 cup chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring in between each burst, for about a total of 90 seconds. Stop when there are still a few unmelted bits of chocolate. Stir until all of the chocolate melts. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of melted chocolate on the "bottom" side of the biscuit, and using the back of a spoon, spread it out to the edge. Using a fork, you can rough up the chocolate to give it the classic look of a McVitie’s Digestive. Let cool until the chocolate hardens. (If you want to get star baker, then you should properly temper the chocolate to get the perfect shine and snap, but simply melting it will do the trick for home bakers. No one is judging you.)
These biscuits are good on their own, but also lovely dipped in tea or coffee. The plain biscuits can also be eaten like crackers, with a piece of cheese. They're great with an aged cheddar or gouda.
These cookies will last in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two or three weeks.
Disclaimer: The lovely folks at Janie's Mill gifted me the oats and black emmer flour. However, I've purchased both before and I am a regular customer. They're a great small business to support.
Happy Baking,
Martin
Your digestives look delicious!
I am obsessed with Nicky for her gorgeous accent and the fact that she is only 4 years older than me and RETIRED. What is her secret?!?! Also, I am on team egg white for marshmallows because I find the texture to be more pleasing that way, though of course it's not necessary. The emmer and oats look great--I didn't see any at Hewn, but I did pick up a bag of their pastry flour!