Garibaldi Biscuits - Currant Cookies - A British Classic

I was looking through a catalogue recently and came upon Garibaldi Biscuits and thought, It’s been too long since I’ve made, or even eaten a store-bought, Garibaldi. Of course, you can’t find an organic version, so I prefer to make them myself.

It’s a simple biscuit, invented in 1861 by John Carr (of Carr’s table water crackers fame) while he was working for Peek Freans instead of the family business and, for some reason, named after an Italian general who visited Britain in 1854.

I didn't put enough currants into this batch, just 1/2 cup; you should put in 3/4 cup as listed in the recipe. Since it's a biscuit that's all about the currants, you really can't skimp on the currants!

Garibaldi Biscuits – Classic British Currant Cookies

(Makes 24 biscuits)

1 1/2 dip-and-sweep cups (7.5 ounces/213 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1.75 ounces/50 grams) sugar
1/2 teaspoon non-GMO baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (2 ounces/grams) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons (1.5 fluid ounces/45 ml) water or milk
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup (3.75 ounces/106 grams) dried currants

1 Preheat 350F/180C/Gas4. Tear off a 15x12-inch (38x30 cm) sheet of parchment.

2 In medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. With fingers, rub butter into flour mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

3 In glass measuring cup, whisk together milk and egg. Remove 1 1/2 tablespoons of it to use as an egg wash for the top later. Add the liquid to the flour mixture a little at a time, mixing with your hands, adding only enough to make a slightly crumbly dough. Form it into a disc.

4 Place dough onto lightly floured parchment and with lightly floured rolling pin, roll it into a 12x10-inch (30x25 cm) rectangle. Sprinkle the currants evenly over one half of the dough. Turn the other half of the dough over onto the fruited side. With lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 15x8-inch (38x20 cm) rectangle. It will be about as thick as a pie crust.

5 Place the finished dough, still on its parchment, onto a large baking sheet. Using a fork, dock (poke holes) the dough. Using a plastic pizza wheel, trim the dough to an even 14x7-inch (35x18cm) rectangle (leave the trimmings in place) and cut the dough in half the long way and then into 1.125x3.5-inch (3x9 cm) strips and do not separate them. Bake the biscuits for about 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on wire rack and break apart. 

Note: That very precise “1.125” or 1 1/8 inches is because that is the width of the 18-inch metal ruler I use in the kitchen, and the ruler makes cutting the dough very easy.

Jean