Digestive biscuits are one of the most popular biscuits in the UK, especially the chocolate-coated version. Dating from the 1800s, the name Digestive was derived from the high content of baking soda in the recipe as an aid to digestion. Biscuits originally belonged to a class of unfermented bread, and were preferable to fermented bread due to being lighter and thus less likely to create acidity and flatulence. After testing many versions (7), the final ingredients closely follow those of a commercial recipe published in the 1940s and representative of the Scottish bakery industry.
Ingredients:
145g (1 C) Buckwheat flour
97g (2 1/2oz) Buckwheat flakes
48g (1 3/4oz) raw cane sugar / Xylitol / 50:50 (all work equally well, taste-wise)
1/2tsp salt
1tsp Baking Powder
1/2tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
97g (2 1/2oz) cubed butter
2-3tbsp water, as required
Melted dark chocolate (optional)
Method:
Sift and mix the Buckwheat flour, salt, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda.
Add the sugar and buckwheat flakes and mix thoroughly.
Add and rub in the cubed butter, add enough water so that using your hands you are able to bring it together to form a soft ball of dough.
Wrap in cling film and refrigerate/chill for 1/2 hr.
Preheat oven to 375F / 190C / Gas Mk 5
Dough may need reworking on taking out of fridge, if it is particularly hard. Reworking pays off.
Roll dough out to a thickness of 3mm (1/8in), flouring well, and cut out biscuit shape using a 65mm (2 1/2in) diameter pastry (cookie) cutter (makes about 21).
Bake for 12 – 14 minutes. Note: avoid over cooking, plus or minus 2 minutes makes a lot of difference – bake until the edges start to turn brown. Then turn over and bake for a further 2 minutes or so.
Remove from oven and leave to cool. Store in an airtight container.
The resultant digestive biscuit is delightfully crunch, and airy – could even be taken for a commercial digestive biscuit.
Also, one face of the cooled biscuit may be dipped in melted dark chocolate and then dried in the fridge.
Ingredients:
145g (1 C) Buckwheat flour
97g (2 1/2oz) Buckwheat flakes
48g (1 3/4oz) raw cane sugar / Xylitol / 50:50 (all work equally well, taste-wise)
1/2tsp salt
1tsp Baking Powder
1/2tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
97g (2 1/2oz) cubed butter
2-3tbsp water, as required
Melted dark chocolate (optional)
Method:
Sift and mix the Buckwheat flour, salt, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda.
Add the sugar and buckwheat flakes and mix thoroughly.
Add and rub in the cubed butter, add enough water so that using your hands you are able to bring it together to form a soft ball of dough.
Wrap in cling film and refrigerate/chill for 1/2 hr.
Preheat oven to 375F / 190C / Gas Mk 5
Dough may need reworking on taking out of fridge, if it is particularly hard. Reworking pays off.
Roll dough out to a thickness of 3mm (1/8in), flouring well, and cut out biscuit shape using a 65mm (2 1/2in) diameter pastry (cookie) cutter (makes about 21).
Bake for 12 – 14 minutes. Note: avoid over cooking, plus or minus 2 minutes makes a lot of difference – bake until the edges start to turn brown. Then turn over and bake for a further 2 minutes or so.
Remove from oven and leave to cool. Store in an airtight container.
The resultant digestive biscuit is delightfully crunch, and airy – could even be taken for a commercial digestive biscuit.
Also, one face of the cooled biscuit may be dipped in melted dark chocolate and then dried in the fridge.
