It's been over two weeks since my last post and I fully intended doing something special for Hari Raya (Eid) but between two bouts of flu (one gastric, the other regular), another niggling health issue and two photoshoots, one of which was the result of being commissioned to develop a bunch of recipes for a client, I just had no gas left in the tank to go another mile.
The upside of things is that I managed to unintentionally albeit a little uncomfortably, lose a nice bit of weight. It feels great to get back (comfortably) into my favourite form fitting skirt, but I'm still undecided on that now infamous quote, "nothing tastes as good as skinny (skinnier) feels".
The heady seduction of good food, is a force not to be underestimated, and one I'm not sure rocking a killer pair of practically painted on jeans can ultimately overcome; were it verily so, the choice would have been crystal clear from the start and this epic struggle between my palate and my hips would never have materialised.
Anyway, to make up for my absence, I'm sharing these wonderful , whisper soft biscuits, and glimpses of what a professionally undertaken photo shoot looks like. Apologies in advance for not being able to disclose names, faces, recipes, etc. I hope you enjoy the peeks, in any case.
I've read time and again that biscuit dough needs to be folded and layered for the biscuits to be truly flaky and light, and since they were the second thing (the first was tau huay) I craved when my appetite resurfaced, I had to test this belief out. It's my regular scone (biscuit?) recipe, made with yoghurt instead of milk or water, an even lighter hand than usual, and folded the way puff pastry dough would be.
I got nervous and only did one fold instead of three or four, but they still came out taller, fluffier and flakier than any scone or biscuit I've made before. Yay! I usually use butter for best flavour, but using margarine makes them lighter and flakier. It really does! If you have health concerns about margarine, just make sure the one you use is not hydrogenated (that means no trans fats).
Try them for breakfast, with coffee of course and maybe some scrambled eggs and perfectly crisped bacon, or drop them on top of your cooked beef stew or chicken and vegetable soup before finishing off in the oven until the biscuits are puffed and crisped on top. If you prefer them softer and more like dumplings, finish cooking on the stove with the lid on instead. Now for some peeks at the photo shoot!
It was an unexpectedly enjoyable undertaking as they were two of the friendliest and most accommodating professionals I've ever had the pleasure of working with. Incredibly, only one big bag was all it took to house all the equipment and props they required to get the job done, and done beautifully.
Before I go on with the recipe, I need to say that this is very detailed for something as simple as biscuits, by my standards, but I'm on a decades long and ongoing quest for the perfect scone/biscuit, and for that, you need details, so forgive me if I come across pedantic. By the way, these are very, very, very good, but I'm still not sure if they're perfect. So, if any of you share my obsession, and have a killer biscuit or scone recipe, you would have my undying gratitude if you share your recipe with me. Email me (see my contact page) or just leave it in the comments section. Thank you, thank you, and THANK YOU!!!
This looks yummy! I always get confused if there's a difference between scones and biscuits. Here in NZ we usually call them scones :)
ReplyDeleteI'll put this into my "stuff to bake with wholemeal flour" list lol. Hopefully it comes out just as good.
Hi Le :) Thanks for visiting - I too get all tripped up over whether to call these biscuits or scones, though I more often fall back on scones :) I've never tried making these with wholemeal flour, but I think they would be less light and fluffy. Hope they turn out well when you try them :)
DeleteYou have a post out...YAY! Glad to hear you are feeling better and can get back comfortably into your clothes. It's slow going for me even with all the time spent at the gym :( I want to blame it on age...
ReplyDeleteThose flaky biscuits look great! I will have to try making a batch using this folding method. I guess I can kiss my skinny jeans goodbye!!
Thanks for a glimpse at the photo shoot. Fun to watch and maybe pick up a few tips ;)
Hi Biren, yes I finally got back to my laptop :) Losing a bit of weight when your clothes get uncomfortably tight is always nice - but the temptation of good food is always lurking in the fridge, bread bin and cookie jar ;) Age is a handy excuse and one I've gotten much mileage out of LOL
DeleteLight, flaky biscuits are one of those temptations I was talking about *sigh*
I thought you might like 'seeing' the photoshoot!
Hey dear, glad u're recovering well. These biscuits look like those I tried in KFC & I love it. Do they taste similar too? U clever gal! Love to watch the pro in action. Hahaha!
ReplyDeleteHi Shirley :) Yes, I'm feeling much better now. I have never tried the KFC biscuits, but now I want to see how my biscuits measure up against them LOL
Deleteyum..yum..what a great recipe and eggless too and a great behind the scenes photos. nice post on the whole!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words Swati :)
DeleteHi Denise, Glad to hear you're well and slimmer than before. I love your biscuits with yoghurt, sounds healthy and delicious. The photos are perfect too!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ann - illness is not the best way to lose weight, but I'm glad that it's given me a headstart at least ;) The yoghurt gives them a nice tangy flavour that contrasts nicely with the butter spread on them.
DeleteDenise:
ReplyDeleteThis is my first time on your blog.
These biscuits/scones look lovely. The only thing I would change would be to butter.
Here in Canada we have become very americanized, sad to say. I have nothing against Americans, have lots of lovely friends there.
It is just that we are Canadian and it would be nice to keep that unique identity, but alas scones have become biscuits and biscuits have become cookies.
I was raised with a British background and we always called these scones, and cookies to me are biscuits, but not so with the majority.
I will be making these very very soon! And I will be back to visit.
Have a Joyful Day :~D
Charlie
Hello Charlie and welcome!
DeleteI usually use butter for my scones/biscuits, because it tastes better, but I've found that margarine makes them lighter, with a higher rise, so I suppose you have to decide what you want. I make up for the margarine by slathering them with butter when I eat them.
As you can probably tell from reading my post, I grew up learning British English and find it difficult to shake off, despite the ever increasing influence of American English, even in our local schools. My kids think it strange when I tell them "specialised" has no "z" in it or that "marvellous" has two ls, not one and that I'm "mum" and not "mom". I do concede however, that scones (now do you say "skoan" as in "own" or "skon" as in "on"??!) are a little sweeter, denser and taller, while (American) biscuits are usually sugarless, lighter and fluffier and not quite as towering. Still I am plagued by uncertainty and have this niggling feeling that the real difference between scones and (American) biscuits is probably terminology.
Biscuits to me are usually crunchy, buttery, almost flat discs that I dip into my tea or crush to make cheesecake crusts out of. But, when they are studded with chocolate morsels or chips, or loaded with peanut butter, I just can't call them anything else but..... cookies!
You'd hardly think they're one and the same language lol
I do hope these turn out well for you, whatever you choose to call them, and that you will indeed be a regular visitor :)
I'm sorry to hear you were ill, Denise :( With someone who cooks and bakes as well as you, I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to not want to eat anything. Although, heavenly biscuits after being sick reminds me of when I was in high school and out of school for a week with a nasty cold, the first thing I ate in five days was a slice of plain buttered toast. I still haven't found anything that tasted as good to me as that first bite of buttery goodness :)
ReplyDeleteBut these biscuits! Light and flaky and beautiful. I loved the behind the scenes look at the photoshoot, too (you must be super busy!). I wish I had a recipe to share with you, but I will certainly be on the lookout now :)
question...is this regular yoghurt? or reduced fat yoghurt?
ReplyDeletethese look wonderful...I will be making them soon!
I used low fat yoghurt here, but I see no reason why regular yoghurt won't work, in fact, regular yoghurt would probably make them taste better and give them a better mouth feel too.
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the scones tips. I love them and have never been able to produce the perfect ones. The closest I got was a couple of weeks back when I tried a trick I saw on TV where they interviewed a guy who apparently makes the best scones (or rather biscuits, since it was in America). Basically they use grated cold butter and that prevents over handling the dough, which, for me, was great since I think I am a lil heavy handed! He also folds the dough to make it flakier, I didn't do that cos I was afraid of over handling it but now that I have read your blog, I think I do that next. Wish me luck!
p.s: I just stumbled on your blog and love it! Not easy to find good Asian food blogs. Yay! Thanks for sharing!
Hi bibik :) Thanks for the great feedback - happy to know that you are enjoying my blog.
DeleteBiscuits get easier when you relax and get a little careless with the mixing. Under is better than over mixing - can't stress this enough. Don't know where you're writing from, but here in hot, steaming Singapore, the biggest challenge is stopping the butter or fat from melting too fast and too much into the flour.
Grating the butter is a good method - I've tried it but it can get messy and I hate melting butter on my fingers. I like to slice the very cold and hard butter into thin slabs then toss them into my flour before cutting them in with a pastry cutter or blender before adding the liquid. The pastry cutter achieves the same effect as grating the butter, and your fingers don't need to come into contact with the butter at all.
After adding the liquid, I just give enough stirs with a spatula to wet all the flour but the dough still looks shaggy and rough. I then turn this rough mixture onto a lightly floured surface and push and pat everything together before making a fold, thus, the folding becomes part of the (very light) 'kneading' process and there is very little chance of over working the dough.
I also never cut out rounds with a cutter as that is another opportunity to overwork the dough. I use an ice cream scoop to scoop out balls or cut with scissors as above. Hope all this helps you make a scone/biscuit you'll be happy with. If you do make these, I'll be very happy to know how they turned out, and if you have any difficulties, please let me know :)
Is there any way I can print this recipe or get a copy of it? - Facebook Fan
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous, I will convert this to a printable recipe as soon as I can. Please check back soon. Thanks!
DeleteHi, what brand of margarine did you use? Those sold in blocks and looks like butter (e.g. Buttercup), or those spreadable kind sold in tubs? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI used a tub margarine made from a mixture of unhydrogenated vegetable oils, including olive oil. As it's softer than butter, be sure to chill it really well before adding to the flour, and work quickly so it doesn't have time to melt. Hope this helps!
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