Monday, April 13, 2015

Biscuits, tea buns, whatever you call them, these are good

Yogurt tea buns with raisins.
Now that spring is here, I like to make something a little lighter for Sunday morning breakfast. It is now the only day when the whole family is home.
These tea buns go together quickly, and you can add in a couple of handfuls of any dried fruit or sharp cheddar cheese.
I  serve them warm. with butter, fresh fruit and a nice hot cup of tea. They are also pretty good when they are cold.
These buns, made with cheese, are my go-to side when there's soup or chili in the slow cooker for a rainy night supper.

Yogurt Tea Buns (makes one dozen mid-sized buns)

2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup dried fruit (raisins, blueberries, chopped cherries or cranberries)*

1 cup plain (1 or 2 per cent) yogurt

*for cheese tea buns, add 1 1/4 cups sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Use a pastry cutter to blend in butter or margarine until the flour looks like damp sand.
Add fruit (or cheese).
Add yogurt to the flour mixture. I add the yogurt with my hand. This way, I can feel the very moment the dough comes together better. (Tea buns get tough at this stage if they are over mixed.)
When the dough has come together, pat it into a sort of rustic round on a well-floured surface. Use a round biscuit cutter to cut out  the tea buns. The first pass will likely produce about 6 buns, gather the dough together again, pat it down and cut out the remaining buns. Placing them on a parchment lined cookie sheet as soon as each one is cut out.
There will be an ugly little one at the end of the process. (My kids have actually fought over who gets the ugly bun -- I kid you not)
Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm, store left overs (!?) in a zippered plastic bag. The buns are best eaten within two days.