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Biscuit week

This is the second week of Season 14 of The Great British Baking Show ™ and focuses on the baking of biscuits.

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This page is all about the food that the show brings to our screens. The goal is to have a lasting memory of some of the flavors and taste combinations, to bring some creativity and ideas to your own cooking. I hope you find it fun and useful.

Signature Dish

Marshmallow Biscuits

Remember Wagon Wheels? Biscuit base, topped with marshmallow and usually encased in a chocolate or sugar coating

Facts of note from the show:

  • Marshmallow is mild and sweet, so it needs lifting with citrus or something acidic.

  • There is a recipe from one of the contestants from season 10 here. 

  •  When making these biscuits, the biscuit base should not be too difficult, and marshmallow itself is fairly simple, but the decoration with thin, shiny chocolate or sugar is where the skill comes in.

  • The use of a flexible, shaped mold for the biscuits is a large help. These are most often made from silicone. There are good ones here.

  • The base biscuits need to be even sized so that the bake is consistent.

  • The key to making marshmallow is to begin with a sugar syrup, that can use any combination of white and brown sugars and can be flavored. The syrup must reach 230°F. Too hot, and the marshmallow becomes more like fudge.

  • Gelatin is then added to the syrup and then folded into egg whites while whisking.

  • Tasha earned a Hollywood handshake for her biscuits. See below for her magical Milo powder. 

Flavors of marshmallow biscuit

Lemon & rosemary shortbread parma violet marshmallow - Rowan 

Black Forest Jam Teacakes- Josh 

Rose Marshmallow & Mixed Berry Jam - Cristy

Pistachio shortbread with vanilla marshmallow, rhubarb & ginger jam - Nicky

Pistachio/cardamom shortbread, orange curd & saffron marshmallow- Abbi

 Belgian Speculoos (ginger)- Dana

Pistachio and Raspberry - Saku

Chocolate and Orange - Matty

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Banana, peanut butter & chocolate - Dan

Peanut Butter & Jelly Wagonwheel - Keith

Malted "Milo" - Tasha

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Technical Challenge

The technical challenge for Season 14 Episode 2 was to make 12 perfectly baked custard cream biscuits.

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Prue Leith's foolproof recipe for custard creams is here.

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Prue warned the cooks "The greatest risk is that the biscuit dough won't be sufficiently chilled. It needs to be really cold when going into the oven to stop the butter from leaking out."

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NOTE: Contestants were given the 'stamp' to create the traditional design.

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Criticisms of the contestants custard creams were as follows:

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  • Too pale

  • No snap on the biscuit

  • Tastes too floury 

  • Filling can be too sparse

  • Filling too runny

  • Uneven rolling of biscuit dough

  • Undercooked

  • Uneven filling

  • Mis-shapen

  • Curdled filling

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Abbi was judged as the winner of this technical round. 

Culinary lessons

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Speculaas

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Speculaas is the name of a traditional Dutch biscuit made from a combination of spices known as 'Speculaas spices'. This mixture combines: cinnamon, pepper, ginger, aniseed and cardamom.

 

You can try mixing these spices yourself, or buy the ready mixed spice set here. 

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Malted powder

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Milo is a powdered chocolate malt beverage with 8 vitamins and minerals to help support your child’s heathy lifestyle.

 

It has no gluten and no levening agents. It can successfully replace gluten-rich flour as long as 'rising' properties aren't needed.

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Making Marshmallow

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Marshmallow is basically just highliy whisked sugar syrup with gelatin.  It is traditionally served dusted with icing (powerdered) sugar. 

All recommended items have emerged from the test kitchens at Relaxed Recipes and are not a result of watching The Great British Baking Show ™.

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