Recipe: Afternoon Ruby Tea Biscuits (Anne of Green Gables)

Afternoon Ruby Tea Biscuits
Source: Anne of Green Gables Kitchen Yahoo Group
Source: Planning an Anne Tea Party

Mrs. Rachel Lynde and Marilla sat comfortably in the parlor while Anne got the tea and made hot biscuits that were light and white enough to defy even Mrs. Rachel's
criticism.

Makes 12 ruby tea biscuits.

Ingredients:

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cut vegetable shortening
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup red jam or jelly

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Measure the sifted flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt and mix with a fork in a large mixing bowl. Cut in the vegetable shortening until the mixture looks like coarse bread crumbs. Add the milk and mix it into the flour with a fork ~ but only until the mixture forms a soft ball. Place the ball of dough on a lightly floured surface and knead it 12 times. Rub some flour onto the rolling pin and roll out the dough until it's about 1/4 inch thick. With a large biscuit cutter, cut circles, very close together, in the dough. Use a straight downward motion, and don't twist the cutter.

With a spatula, lift half the circles, one at a time, onto a cookie sheet. Arrange them about 1 inch apart.

With a small cutter, cut a hole in the rest of the circles to make rings and lift out the centers with the spatula. Set these centers aside.

Place the rings on top of the large circles on the cookie sheet. Put a teaspoonful of jam or jelly in the middle of each ring. Bake the biscuits 12 to 15 minutes or until puffed and slightly golden. Remove from the oven and immediately lift the tea biscuits from the cookie sheet.


With the leftover centers of dough, you can bake some little plain biscuits.