Melting moments are delicious, buttery, sweet crumbly biscuits that are just perfect to have with the morning cuppa … and by adding a little lemon juice to the icing sandwiched in the middle, you have a tangy citrus twist on an old favourite. Biscuits are not as difficult to make in a camp oven as you might think. All it takes is quantities, temperatures and timing to get it right. Have a go! You just might surprise yourself.
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BISCUIT DOUGH
Method: Combine dry ingredients together in a bowl, add small pieces of butter to the dry ingredients and rub together with your fingers until all ingredients form a firm but pliable dough. If dough appears too crumbly, add a couple more spoons of butter until it all comes together.
Roll teaspoon-size amounts into balls and place on a greased (or baking paper lined) baking tray that will fit inside your camp oven.
Press dough flat with a fork and bake in a moderate camp oven on a low trivet, with coals scraped to the edges of the lid, for 12 to 15 minutes; then scrape the coals to the centre and cook for another few minutes or until slightly browned.
Remove from tray and finish cooking the rest of the dough, making sure you cook an even number to join together.
ICING
Method: Mix the icing sugar together with enough lemon juice to make a stiff icing mixture to spread on the biscuits.
Once the biscuits are cold, sandwich them together with a small amount of icing and dust with icing sugar.
Tip: This basic dough can also make Sugar and Spice biscuits by rolling the dough balls in cinnamon sugar and flattening them on the baking tray with a fork; or use it for Jam Drops by making thumb indents in the flattened dough balls and filling them with a small amount of your favourite jam.
Tip: Temperatures are important for baking, so invest in a BBQ temperature gauge to get an accurate temperature reading. Place the gauge in your oven for five minutes before starting to cook.
Tip: Low temperature is 120°C-160°C.
Moderate is 170°C-190°C.
Hot is 190°C-220°C.
Biscuit Dough
2 cups of plain flour
1 cup of butter or margarine
¾ of a cup of custard powder
¾ of a cup of icing sugar
ICING
1½ cups icing sugar
Juice of one lemon
Salt to taste
Makes approx 15-20 finished biscuits.
Words and Photography by Jo Clews