Tea Biscuits

This is a recipe that I modified from a recipe book that I found in my boyfriend's mother's (Trudy's) cupboard. I think it was a Company's Coming recipe book, but I'm not entirely sure. It was actually a bit of an accident. It turns out that "buns" and "biscuits" are quite different. I was making the "tea bun" recipe from this book, but it didn't seem quite right. The dough was very sticky. I decided to add a lot more flour to get a more dense consistency, like that of a biscuit. I had my doubts, but the extra flour did give a more biscuit consistency and they were quite delicious. I now make these every Sunday, so that we have enough during the week. They're great with a cup of tea!

What you'll need:

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cold salted butter
1 cup raisins*
1 egg
2/3 cup whole milk

Using a wooden spoon, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is crumbly. Generally, I just mix the butter into the flour mixture with my hands. Although it's slightly more messy, it's easier.

Stir in the raisins and then make a well in the center.

In a small bowl, using a fork, beat the eggs and milk together. Pour into the well. Mix together with hands, kneading a few times. Sometimes, I find I need to add a bit more flour. The dough shouldn't be too sticky.

Roll out the dough onto a floured surface so that it's about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into biscuits using a glass or cutter. Place the biscuits onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 375 F for ~15 minutes until the tops are golden brown.

Let the biscuits cool on a wire rack. Serve warm with butter and/or jam.

Makes 10-12 biscuits.

*You can substitute the raisins for a variety of dried fruit. I've tried this recipe with chopped dates as well as chopped apricots. So far, I think the chopped dates are my favourite.