Brilliant great British bakes: Norman's farthing biscuits with butter

By Daily Mail Recipe

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Six more sensational creations in our final mouthwatering extract from the new Great British Bake Off book


Brilliant great British bakes: Norman's farthing biscuits with butter

Brilliant great British bakes: Norman's farthing biscuits with butter

Makes about 22

For the biscuits

225g (8oz) plain flour

225g (8oz) self-raising flour

1tsp fine salt

1tsp caster sugar

85g (3oz) lightly salted butter, chilled and diced

85g (3oz) lard, chilled and diced

About 90ml (3½fl oz) icy-cold water

For the butter

300ml (½pt) double cream, chilled

25g (1oz) sea salt crystals, or to taste

Lightly grease 1 or 2 baking sheets with butter. Sift both flours, the salt and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Add the pieces of cold butter and lard and rub into the flour with the tips of your fingers until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. Using a round-bladed knife or a palette knife, stir in enough icy-cold water to bind the ingredients into a dough. Use your hands to work the dough in the bowl so that it comes together in a neat, firm ball. Slightly flatten it into a thick disc then wrap it in clingfilm and leave in the fridge to relax for 15 minutes (but don’t chill the dough for too much longer or it will become difficult to roll out).

Meanwhile, heat your oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Unwrap the dough and roll it out on a very lightly floured worktop to slightly thinner than a pound coin. Stamp out rounds using an 8.75cm (3¼in) plain round cutter. Gather up the trimmings into a ball, then re-roll and stamp out more rounds. Using a fork, prick each biscuit round all over, leaving a 5mm (¼in) border unpricked around the edge. Set the rounds slightly apart on the baking sheet (you may have to bake in batches) and bake for about 15 minutes until the biscuits are firm and cooked through but not coloured – they must be pale. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. (If you are baking in batches, quickly cool the baking sheet under the cold tap, dry and lightly grease with butter – don’t grease a mesh baking sheet – then bake more biscuits.)

To make the butter, whip the cream in a large bowl with an electric mixer or a rotary whisk until it separates into yellow lumps and watery buttermilk. Drain in a sieve and discard the buttermilk, then gently rinse the lumps of butter in a bowl of very cold water, squeezing out the remaining buttermilk. Repeat until the water runs clear. Add salt to taste to the final bowl of cold water and swish the butter around in it. Lift out the butter and place in a dish, cover with clingfilm and keep in the fridge until ready to serve with the biscuits. They make an excellent accompaniment to a platter of cheese.

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