Biscuit Baking Tips - Dan Lepard - ABC Radio

[goldfish]

While I was driving this afternoon and listening to the ABC, this great little snippet came on - Dan Lepard giving some tips on "making better bikkies."    Lo and behold, you can listen to it here . . . 
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/rnfirstbite/the-perfect-bikkie/5469976  Probably what a lot of us here do already . . .

Basically, his advice was . . .
1.  Be prepared! (for when you need/want a biscuit )
Get your dough and roll it into a cylinder, wrap in paper (I'm assuming baking paper) and/ or clingwrap, and pop it into the freezer.  When the need arises, remove the dough from the freezer, slice off however many biscuits you need and pop them into a cold oven , keep an eye on them and when they're golden around the edges, remove them from the oven and allow to cool.  He says to put them into a jar if you must, but eat a couple right then and there as they're better when freshly baked.

2.  "A little bit of science . . ."  There's no need to cream butter and sugar together before adding the egg(s). ("Not for bikkies!!" - he says . .)  Put it all into a bowl and "beat and beat and beat!" until it all comes together.  Sometimes, if it looks as though it's going to split , just add a spoonful of flour.  He suggests that even adding a little bit of flour right at the beginning makes the taste even better . . . .

3.  Play around with Sugars - particularly the Muscovado sugars
e.g., Anzac Biscuits - Try replacing 2 Tablespoons of the flour with some of these dark, unrefined sugars - will give better flavour and have "you winning prizes . . ."

[CreamPuff63]

Its funny I have an aversion to round biscuits as in having been rolled up in a cylinder shape. Too perfect and remind me of shop bought. I like to have a fairly consistent size, but thats come from grabbing a tablespoon amount for each one and rolling up into a ball first. I will never try beating the egg in without first creaming the butter and sugar (even if I know it can be done) as I like to get this mixture light and fluffy. I was always under the impression that the egg held the mix together and prevented the biscuit from being too crumbly, so at this stage I never over mix beyond being combined. I have frozen ready rolled balls of biccy dough before but it does seem a waste to turn the oven on just for this purpose alone unless you were going to bake at least half the full quantity. Thanks for linking GF as it is always interesting to listen to cooking tips 

[achookwoman]

Thanks GF.  I recently have taken to adding the egg with the butter and sugar when making biscuits in the TMX.  I don't think the TMX creams the butter and sugar as well as a stand mixer. 
CP, I also have a bag of balls in the freezer. 
I also fin that if I don't let the roll defrost slightly,   That it crumbles when I try to slice it. 

[Deniser]

I'm happy to give it a shot but it really is quite easy to do the conventional thing with the TMX.  Don't know why - but I never thought of having a bag of balls in my freezer.  I do however have a couple of rolls.  Wonder if the balls would work with Anzacs and Milo biscuits - has anyone tried?

[goldfish]

I've only ever done the logs.... I should try the balls also. Just wondering how Anzac dough would freeze.....only one way to find out I  guess!!

[cookie1]

I like the tip about using different sugars. I've been doing that a lot since the Billington's sugars were available in WW. The molasses sugar in some biscuits really lifts the flavour. I have made a couple of disasters though.