Tea Biscuits and Bran Muffins!

This week Chef Jo taught us how to make tea biscuits and bran muffins. I have made scones and muffins before, but I’ve never used currants or worked with bran. This recipe made so many biscuits and muffins that I’ve already given some away and plan on bringing the rest to work tomorrow to treat my coworkers (and get some feedback on the baking).

As a recent OCAD graduate I’m finding it strange to make something and not have an in-class critique on it. Chef Jo made samples of each for us to taste and get a sense of what the “product” should look, feel and taste like. But, that isn’t the same as having the expert taste what we’ve made and tell us how we’ve done.

Here is a modified version of the recipe we followed in class. This will make about 3 dozen muffins and 4 dozen tea biscuits.

Bran Muffins

Ingredients

Baking Soda                            30 g

Baking Powder                        10 g

Bread Flour                              200 g

Milk Powder                            75 g

Brown Sugar                            600 g

Salt                                          10 g

Whole Wheat Flour                  650 g

Bran                                         150 g

Raisins                                     200 g

Walnuts (roughly chopped)       150 g

Vegetable Oil                           460 g

Water                                       900 g

Eggs                                         4

Vanilla                                     5 g

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. Sift together the bread flour, baking soda, baking powder, and milk powder. Do not sift the wheat flour as this will remove the wheat.
3. Add the rest of the dry ingredients (salt, whole wheat flour, bran, raisins, and walnuts) and blend with a wooden spoon.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, eggs and oil until blended.
5. Add the water to the egg mixture and whisk together.
6. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet mixture. Fold together until just blended. Do not over mix.
7. Let the mix rest for approx. 20 minutes so the bran has time to soak up the liquid.
8. Grease the tops of 3 muffin pans and line with paper muffin cups.
9. Once the mix has rested, deposit the batter into the cups with a #10 ice-cream scoop.
10. Bake muffins at 400F for approx. 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center.
11. Remove muffins from tins directly after baking to prevent “sweating”.

Tea Biscuits

Ingredients

Bread Flour                  1200 g

Baking Powder             60 g

Butter                           250 g

Milk Powder                50 g

Eggs                             4

Sugar                           250 g

Salt                              20 g

Currants                       250 g

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Combine with butter in an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, for approx. 4 minutes until it reaches a mealy stage.
3. Dissolve sugar and salt into the milk and eggs and add to the flour mixture all at once. Mix just until the dough is just slightly “developed”.
4. Add currants to the dough and mix only long enough to incorporate.
5. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead gently for about 1 minute to ensure all ingredients are properly incorporated and the dough is smooth.
6. Roll out the dough to approx. 3/4” thickness and cut into rounds using a 3” cookie cutter.
7. Place the pieces of dough into pans lined with parchment paper and coat tops with an egg wash (eggs and water).
8. Bake at 400F for about 15 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.