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.
carole n
Wipe and tidy as you go.
laura banks
dental floss is great for cleaning behind the knobs on the cooker
Jolene Yule
Bicarbonate soda mix in fairy washing up liquid used as paste to clean brass
Samantha Dunn
Great Prize!
tom buchanan
I cook really badly so my other half feels she will be better doing it....while I go and put my feet up.
Emilie Curry
Put a small tub of bicarb in the fridge to prevent smells
Andrew Naylor
My kitchen hack is to soak dirty dishes, pans etc in the sink for a while, this makes washing up so much quicker and easier later on because the leftover food won't dry on
leanne weir
I pour the kitchen spray in to a bowl with kettle water and use it to mop. I find it works better than floor cleaner
Susan Race
If you cook something smelly in your microwave, a really good way to clean it is to add a couple of drops of lemon juice to some water and microwave it, then just wipe down the inside of the microwave, gets rid of all those nasty smells.
Hollie thorman
Great blog post! Thanks for sharing
Mary Chez
I use white vinegar instead of fabric conditioner
Cecilia martins
Thanks for sharing will definitely try this, looks delicious.
julie foster
Soak badly used pans in a scoop of soap powder & boiling water for a couple of hours then clean with a light scourer .pans will look brand new .
Angie Hoggett (@angiehoggett)
if you're juicing lemons make use of the zest, it's great dried out and crystallised for decorations
Allan Fullarton
Micro fiber cloth is great to clean the kitchen.
Michaela
Mixing a little bit of white vinegar with water cleans metal accents up perfectly - great for taps and hob tops!
Judith Allen (@JudeVFR400)
That's a useful suggestion about the biscuit cutters, I suppose could be applied to any smallish all metal implement like that to avoid rust.
I'm always messy, so no useful advice from me. I don't know how she manages it, but my partner keeps everything immaculately clean and tidy whiles she's baking or cooking. Next to no washing up afterwards because she's already done it.
jessiecat33
Not really i just make sure i have plenty of wipes and kitchen roll around in the kitchen for all the spills x
Kat Allinson
A little squirt of WD40 on stainless steel and wipe over with kitchen roll makes it gleam beautifully
MANDY DOHERTY
Warm citrus fruits in the microwave for a minute to make them easy to peel