As promised in my last post, another rye recipe...I have actually made that marbled rye bread twice since posting it, it is so good!
I've been eating marbled rye bread sandwiches for lunch every day and I haven't had enough of it yet! I made something a little sweeter this time though - rye shortbread biscuits flavoured with masala chai. If you haven't heard of masala chai before, it literally translates as mixed spice tea, and it is exactly that - black tea brewed with a blend of spices.
The exact blend of spices used varies quite a lot so I went for a mixture of cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and star anise, you can adapt the mixture depending on what spices you have/like; it is also common to use black pepper so add a pinch of that if you fancy as well.
I also added some ground black tea leaves to my shortbread, this is entirely optional but seeing as chai means tea I figured there should be some in there!
The shortbread itself is very quick and simple to make, I used the basic 3-2-1 ratio (three parts flour, two parts butter, one part sugar), replacing some of the flour with rye; the texture is crisp, buttery and melt in the mouth, and the spices are perfectly balanced - warm and flavourful but not in your face.
It only takes a few minutes to make the dough, and the biscuits only take ten minutes or so to bake, but I do recommend freezing them before baking, this helps to stop them spreading and keeps them crisp, they only take about 15 minutes to freeze, although you can leave them in there until you are ready to bake if you want to make the dough in advance.
If you have been inspired to give masala chai a try, you should also check out these awesome Masala Chai Macarons by Patisserie Makes Perfect and if you want to try making your own masala chai tea here is a recipe.
For more biscuity goodness (to enjoy with your tea), these Nutella and Hazelnut Palmiers are super simple to make but look amazing; you can't beat a selection of home-made Classic British Biscuits; or for a slightly more indulgent treat, Salted Caramel and Wild Hazelnut Chocolate Shortbread - yum!
Masala Chai Spiced Rye Shortbread
Ingredients
- 100 g (¾ cup + 1 slightly rounded tbsp) plain flour
- 80 g (⅔ cup) rye flour
- 120 g (½ cup) vegan block butter cold and cubed
- 60 g (⅓ cup) caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground star anise
- the contents of 1 English breakfast tea bag
- demarera sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Combine the flours in a large bowl and add the butter, rub in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, spices and tea then bring the dough together, kneading very lightly until the dough is smooth, don't overwork it. You can also use a food processor if you prefer.
- Line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper or silicone liners. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface or between a couple of sheets of clingfilm to roughly 5mm thick. Cut out your desired shapes, re-roll any trimmings and cut out more biscuits. If the dough becomes too soft, wrap it in clingfilm and pop it in the fridge to chill for a bit.
- Place your biscuits slightly spaced apart on the baking sheets, sprinkle with demarera sugar, then place the trays in the freezer for 15 minutes or so while you heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
- Bake the biscuits for 10-12 minutes until slightly golden, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
I am sharing these with Fabulous Foodie Fridays, Fiesta Friday hosted by The Not So Creative Cook and Foodbod, Foodie Fridiy, Foodie Friends Friday, Friday Favourites and Friday Features.
Monika S
not really , but will happily read others
Mandy S
Instead of just wiping a top over with a cloth to collect the flour or dough you have left on surface use a palette knife to scrape up excess before wiping, then clean with Dettol
Heather Crowe
Always, always, keep bicarbonate soda in your cupboard! So handy for so many things.
ROSEMARY SHEEHAN
Wash up as you go along
Hayley Louise Colburn
nothing really to do with baking but putting salt pepper and vinegar in water before bringing it to the boil is great for poached eggs, when you whisk the water in the saucepan, the seasoning all goes to the middle with the egg and tastes fab, the vinegar helps it bind x
jamie millard
place a single sheet of kitchen roll under a chopping board to stop it slipping while preparing food.
Leslie Evans
When you have finished with toothbrushes for cleaning your teeth keep them to help clean those hard to get at cleaning area's in the home.
claire toplis
I am cooing whirlwind I really should clean up as I go
CAROLINE WATSON
rotate your cans and jars so you dont get left with some out of date ones
David Price
Remember to wash up as you go along- as my wife reminds me!
ravensinead (Sinead Charlotte)
Wash as you go!
Kerry Smith
I love using fresh herbs but instead of throwing away the rest of the bunch because it's gone bad I freeze it. It still has the fresh herb flavour and you just breast off what you need
tracey bowden
First your recipe looks delicious! I don't have any cleaning tips, in fact I hate cleaning so my tip would be to get someone else to do it for you 😉
kimberley grant
Lemon juice cleans really well learnt that from how clean is your house. It's good for grime.
Kate Phillips
Clear up as you go along ....
sarah parker
clean up as soon as possible 🙂
Tracey baker
Wipe over your freezer with vanilla extract to keep it smelling nice
Rebecca Evans
Wash up as you go , something I've had to get to grips with as I use so many tools when baking!
Diana
I don't know any hacks :/
Natalie Baugh
If you are clumsy like me a knock things over i.e. a glass, use some bread to pick up the glass shards. I'm always knocking things off my draining board haha