How to
make
biscuits
Biscuit ingredients
• Flour
• Sugar
• Butter/oil
• Raising agent
• Flavourings/decoration
Flour
• Our first ingredient is flour
• Flour is made from wheat
• The flour comes from the grains at the end of the stalks
Flour
• You need to grind the grains up in a mill to
make flour.
• Windmills were used to make flour but most
is now made in modern factories.
• There are three different types: plain flour,
self raising flour and wholemeal flour.
• Self raising flour has a raising agent added to it to make things rise when
cooking
• Wholemeal flour is made using the wholegrain of wheat.
Where does sugar come from?
Sugar comes from two very different types of plant:
• Sugar comes from sugar cane that
is grown in hot countries like India
and the Caribbean
• Sugar also comes from sugar beet
that grows in countries like the UK
Photo Flickr.com
Sugar
After processing both types of sugar look the same:
• Sugar makes things taste sweet – but too much can be bad for your
teeth!
• You need sugar in biscuits to make them taste nice and to give them
texture
Butter and oils
• For home baking most people will use butter
or margarine.
• At United Biscuits we use more oils such as
sunflower oil – which is healthier
Raising agents
• Baking powder or bicarbonate of soda are the most common
raising agents.
• You need them to make biscuit doughs expand or rise up during
cooking to make the biscuits bigger.
• They are not need in every recipe and you only need a small
amount – normally less than a teaspoon full.
Flavouring and decoration
Make your biscuits different
by:
• Using different flavours
• Using different shapes
• Using different decoration
What will you do with your biscuits?
Different flavouring suggestions
• Oats will make your biscuits crunchier like a flapjack
• Dried fruit such as raisins, sultanas or cherries will give your
biscuits a fruity taste
• Add grated coconut for a tropical taste
• Add a small amount of spices such as cinnamon or ‘mixed spice’
to spice up your biscuits
• A few chocolate chips will give your biscuits a ‘chocolatey’ flavour
Shaping your biscuits
• You can use biscuit cutters (like the
ones here) to make your biscuits
different shapes
• But don’t worry if you do not have
one, you can use an upside down
cup instead to cut out your biscuits
from the dough
• Or you can use a knife or spatula to
cut out biscuits in any shape you
like!
Decorating your biscuits
Your can decorate the top of your biscuits with:
• More fruit such as cherries or raisins
• Sweets
• Chocolate chips
• Icing
• A dusting of icing sugar to make them look frosted.
...and the results can be whatever you want
them to be!
Glossary
• Processing means how we change a raw material such as the
sugar beet into sugar that can be used in cooking.
• Texture is how things feel – this could mean how a biscuit is to hold
in your hand or how it feels in your mouth e.g. hard and crunchy or
soft and chewy.
• Dough is the soft lump of mixture that is made by mixing the
ingredients before they are cut into shapes and cooked.
• Spatula is a flat knife like tool without sharp edges that is used to
shape things like cakes and biscuits and to lift them or turn them
over, especially when they are hot.
Don’t forget to visit our 123heathybalance.com website for nutritional
information for our products, a full list of ingredients and guidance on
maintaining a balanced and healthy lifestyle.