When I was a child my Grandmother and Great Aunt would roast a chicken or turkey at least weekly. Any dinner was incomplete without freshly made tea biscuits. The trick with these is instead of using a cookie cutter for shape, they always used the edge of a juice glass to cut the dough. A cookie cutter is fine too, but to this day I still do exactly as they did while smiling the whole time.

Tea Biscuits were developed in the 17th century in Yorkshire, England for the upper classes as a light snack between full-course meals. In my sweet-loving family, however, they were always served with dinner.. and then the next day with tea and as snacks. Dousing them in roast beef gravy with warm melted butter makes them even more delicious.

Tea Biscuit Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 t. sugar
1 t. salt
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk

Tea Biscuit Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut shortening in until mixture has a fine crumb texture. Stir in milk with a fork to make a soft dough. Knead 8 to 10 times, and then roll out to a thickness of at least 1/2 inch. Cut into rounds with a cookie or biscuit cutter. Place on cookie sheet, and allow to rest for a few minutes.

3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.