Scarlett WAnzac Biscuits
April 22nd 2008 13:47
Anzac Biscuits
About Anzac biscuits
Anzac Biscuits are a snack food most commonly made from the primary ingredients of rolled oats, coconut, and golden syrup.
Research carried out by Prqfessor Helen Leach, a culinary anthropologist at Otago University in New Zealand, revealed that the first time the name “ANZAC” appeared in the name of the biscuit in a recipe book was in 1921, That occurred in the renaming of the “oatmeal biscuit” recipe to “ANZAC crispies”, in the ninth edition of the St Andrew’s Cookery Book. Subsequent editions renamed this to be “ANZAC Biscuits”.
Exactly the same recipe was included in contemporary recipe books as “rolled oats biscuits”, (and none of these recipes included coconut – not until 1927). The oatmeal or rolled oats biscuits were developed in the Scottish-influenced city of Dunedin as a variation of Scottish oat cakes.
The term ANZAC is protected under Australian law and therefore the word should not be used without permission from the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs; misuse can be legally enforced particularly for commercial purposes. There is a general exemption granted for ANZAC Bisxuits, as long as these biscuits remain basically true to the original recipe and are both referred to and sold as ANZAC Biscuits and never as cookies.
ANZAC Biscuits can still to this day be found in Australian CRIM military ration packs.
A British version of the ANZAC biscuit, supporting the Royal British Legion, is available in several major supermarket chains.
About Rolled oats
Rolled oats are oat groats that have been rolled into flat flakes under heavy rollers. The oat, like some other cereals, has a hard, inedible outer hull that must be removed before the grain can be eaten. After the hulls have been removed from the bran-covered oat grains, the remaindere is called oat groats. Oat groats can be used as cereal, but since the bran layer makes the grains tough to chew and contains an enzyme that can cause the oats to go rancid, oat groats are usually steam-treated to soften them and denature the enzymes. It can be argued that this process removes the enzyme phytase which would otherwise serve to break down the high-phytate content of commercial oats which inhibits the absorption of iron by the human body. Steel-cut oats are oat groats that have been chopped into smaller pieces and retain bits of the bran layer.
Rolled oats that are sold as oatmeal usually, but not always, have had the tough bran removed. They have often been lightly baked or pressure-cooked. Thick-rolled oats are large whole flakes, and thin-rolled oats are smaller, fragmented flakes. Oat flakes that have simply had the bran removed can be cooked and eaten as “old-fashioned” oatmeal, but more highly fragmented rolled oats absorb water much more easily and therefore cook faster, so they are sometimes called “quick” or “instant” oatmeal. Oatmeal can be further processed into coarse powder, which, when cooked, becomes a thick broth. Finer oatmeal powder is often used as baby food. Rolled oats are also sometimes used in granola.
Oats are an excellent source of thiamine, iron, and dietary fibre. Fibre is helpful in reducing cholesterol levels in the bloodstream. Oats are also the only source of antioxidant compounds known as avenanthramides; these are believed to have properties which help to protect the circulatory system from arteriosclerosis. Oat products also contain beta-glucan, which may help Type 2 diabetics control their blood sugar level, and might also help stimulate the immune system to fight off bacterial infections.
INGREDIENTS
Makes 25
100 gm / 3½ oz rolled oats
60 gm /2 oz desiccated coconut
175 gm / 6 oz plain all-purpose flour, sifted
125 gm / 4½ oz soft brown sugar
125 gm / 4½ oz butter
3 tablespoons boiling water
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1. Mix oats, coconut, flour and sugar in a large bowl.
2. Butter 2 baking trays and heat oven to 300ºF / 150ºC.
3. Heat butter, water and golden syrup in a saucepan, stirring, until butter melts.
4. Remove from heat and quickly stir in bicarbonate of soda until light and frothy.
5. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients, mixing quickly and thoroughly.
6. Roll mixture into balls the size of walnuts and place on trays, allowing room for spreading.
7. Press down gently with a spatula, and bake for 20 minutes until lightly golden and still slightly soft.
8. Remove trays from oven and leave biscuits to cool on the trays for 10 minutes.
9. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely until crisp on the outside, but still a little chewy inside.
10. Store in an airtight jar as soon as biscuits have cooled.
**From “Favourite Food by Jill Dupleix” ** and ““Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”**
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