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Forum Thread - Ginger biscuits no honey/syrup

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AskCy, on 8/5/2009 06:58pm

Just fancied making some biscuits... my granddaugher is here and we haven't been shopping.. So I've got the flour, some sugar, ginger powder (even got some fresh) but no honey or syrup.... do you think I'd get away with maybe doubling the amount of sugar ?

ginger biscuits

Steve

Askcy, on 8/5/2009 08:21pm

Well to answer my own question...lol... er yes you can more or less!

Here is what I did following your recipe as I could and diverting off when I couldn't !

Put 120g Self raising flour in a bowl, add 2 Tsp of ginger powder, 1 tsp baking powder, 0.5 Tsp of salt, 2 tbsp of sugar (normal didn't have any caster!).

Put 60g of sugar directly into a big pan and heated on high heat until it melted (creating a sugar syrup so be careful) added 60g of margerine and stirred it in as it melted. this creates almost a treacle like thick goo (for want of better words).

Working quickly, pour this into the flour mix and stir in rapidly adding 1 Tsp of Vanilla extract (trying to add back some flavour that the syrup would have added)

Once its binding together, kneed into a ball (watch out as its going to be quite hot)

Then break small amounts off and squeeze (rolling doesn't work it just crumbles about) into a small round disk about the size of a 50p coin and about as thick as 4 coins together (who is making up these measurements?..lol ) Place on an oiled and floured tray and put in preheated oven at about 180-200deg C for 10-12 minutes, take out and place on wire rack to cool !

Once cooled they create a reasonable hard crunchy crispy biscuit... maybe not a chewy as some I've had though...

Steve

Askcy, on 8/5/2009 08:23pm

Can I also add, I've got no enjoyment at all out of baking...! its just not my thing...! I'm happy I had enough idea to still create something that worked but I won't be in a rush to do the baking again....lol

Steve

Mamta, on 8/5/2009 08:41pm

I bet they tasted much nicer than the shop ones!

Askcy, on 8/5/2009 08:46pm

They did indeed and they had some ginger to them !

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1786437&l=639f8119f5&id=759322738 I've just added it to my facebook recipes... I add odd ones there off my mobile phone... lol

Steve

AskCy, on 9/5/2009 05:28pm

Thanks for adding my adjusted recipe.. ginger biscuits 2

Steve

val smith , on 12/1/2018 06:15pm

I live in Jamaica and cant get golden syrup could I use stem ginger in syrup mixed with honey instead ?

Mamta, on 13/1/2018 06:56am

Stem ginger syrup will probably too runny. Thick honey should work. Maple syrup or Corn syrup should also work.

phil, on 10/3/2018 10:57am

I've never fancied baking either, Steve: our teenage boy was the baker in the house. He learned to do lemon drizzle cake from an English lad, and when I saw Rachel Khoo's savoury cake on Saturday Kitchen, I asked him to do it. It was fab.

Now that I'm living on my own, I thought I'd have a go at it, and was amazed that it turned out just fine. I've been doing it regularly ever since. That's the only baking I do.

I tend to shy away from anything involving flour and water, but I had a go at a pancake recently: what a disaster! I'll have to ask my teenage daughter for tips: she was always the pancake queen in the house.

I did Chinese crispy duck recently, and just bought the Chinese pancakes from a Chinese supermarket.

I seem to recall that having the right kind of pan is crucial for making pancakes.

Mamta, on 10/3/2018 12:50pm

I don't make wheat flour pancakes often, almost never now, but I do make savoury Besan (Bengal gram) flour chilla pancakes all the time. I use my large, cast iron Tava for making them, the o0ne I keep for Dosas and Chillas mainly.

Sprinkle some oil and a few drops of water on the hot Tava, it immediately sizzles. Then wipe it gently with a moist kitchen paper, coating the whole ting with a thin layer of oil. That is pan well seasoned now.

I also make my first pancake small, so it can get ruined, if it's wants to! But this season's the pan well for rest of the pancakes.

Chinese pancakes are more like a paper thin chapatti than an English pancake.

Phil, on 10/3/2018 05:39pm

Oh dear: don't even know what a Tava is!

But thanks for the tips, Mamta.

They do great dosas at the Tanojore restaurant in Edinburgh. Great for people with a gluten allergy, since they're made of rice flour.

But I see that thy can also contain lentils. I don't think I'd dare to try them!

Mamta, on 10/3/2018 10:24pm

This is a tava/tawa;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Griddle-Chapati-Cooking-Prepare-Kitchen/dp/B079P3JM8N/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1520713220&sr=8-5&keywords=indian+tava

The normal, traditional dosas have rice and urad dal lentil, so should not have gluten. But with restaurants, you never know what they add. It is worth checking.

Traditional recipe is on this website, check it out.

phil, on 22/3/2018 04:32pm

Thanks, Mamta!

With some trepidation, I'll have a go.

Phil

Mamta, on 23/3/2018 06:24pm

Good luck :)!

phil, on 2/4/2018 12:46pm

Well, I had a go at the mix twice. It was better the second time, and the dosas got a bit better each time, but I'm hopeless with this kind of thing: I never once got the whole pan-full to come out without breaking up, so I think I'll stick to the dosas at the Tanjore restaurant in Edinburgh.

Phil

Mamta, on 2/4/2018 03:43pm

Don't give up Phil, they will get better. The trick is to keep the batter thin/runny, so it spreads fast and thinly. Take a small amount out at a time in a smaller bowl, thin it and see how it spreads easily. You can freeze the batter in sandwich bags, but have to allow it to warm to room temperature and froth a bit, before using it again.

Mamta, on 2/4/2018 08:02pm

A thought just occurred; a friend of ours sometimes buys a little batter from his local fish and chips shop. How about getting some dosa batter from this restaurant of yours? Some large Indian (not Pakistani shops usually) shops sell readymade batter in vaccine pouches.

phil, on 3/4/2018 11:04am

Thanks for those suggestions, Mamta. I now recall that my brother says you can buy dosa powder in Asian shops. I'll look into that, and also talk to the staff at that South Indian restaurant. One of the staff there said she thought I was very brave to have a go at dosas: she's from Tamil Nadu, but says she wouldn't dare have a go at dosas.

The mix was too thick in the first batch, but better in the second one. It's turning the pancakes that causes the break-up. I tried using a fish slice, then I tried turning a pan upside-down into another frying pan, but neither of those methods worked.

Mamta, on 3/4/2018 12:30pm

I don't agree with the lady at the restaurant. You are obviously a good cook and can make pancakes. The problem has to be with the batter. It is either too thick or too coarse and not risen/ slimy enough to spread easily. If you order it at their place, may be they will let you watch the cook making it ☺! Don't get worried, they spread it at the speed of lighting!

Ask them if they will sell you a little of their batter. Powder stuff/mix is not great for dosas, though it is okay for vadas and idlies, but not dosas.

Good luck!

phil, on 3/4/2018 03:31pm

Thanks for the tip re the powdered mix for dosas, Mamta. I'll see what they say at the restaurant.

Phil

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