Week 2 – Biscuit Week – of the Great British Bake Off 2022 has come and gone! This week the bakers were set a technical challenge by Prue to make Garibaldi biscuits dipped in chocolate! Garibaldi biscuits are filled with a layer of fruit, and for this unconventional twist, half-coated in dark chocolate and then decorated and feathered with white chocolate! I have a few tips on how I might do this recipe differently in future, so see how I got on and check out my version of the recipe below!
Check out the video and see how I got on here:
Garibaldi Biscuits – My suggested recipe alterations
These garibaldi biscuits are definitely a step up from the boring shop-bought version – which is definitely a result of the chocolate! While I have included some minor changes and tips for making the biscuit dough in my version of the recipe below (see the original recipe here), the main change I would make next time is with regard to the chocolate.
There was so much leftover melted chocolate from the original GBBO Garibaldi biscuits recipe, that I have cut down the quantities in my list of ingredients below. Also, the original called for using 54% dark chocolate, which in my opinion isn’t dark and rich enough to complement the sweetness of the biscuits as well. So I would recommend using a darker chocolate (around 72% cocoa solids) – my go to is usually Dr Oetker’s chocolate for bakers.
More Bake Off Technical Challenge Recipes
I am absolutely obsessed with the Great British Bake Off and have challenged myself to attempt all of (or at least the ones that are “realistic” – I won’t be making pitta breads on a camp fire in the back garden!) the technical challenges from the programme! I have tried quite a few already, so make sure you check out some of the other recipes and see how I got on!
- Mary Berry’s Religieuses
- Mary Berry’s Fraisier Cake
- Paul Hollywood’s Hand-raised Chicken, Bacon and Apricot Pies
- Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart with feathered Icing
- Paul’s Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes
- Mary Berry’s Frosted Walnut Layer Cake
- Paul Hollywood’s Cottage Loaf
- Mary Berry’s Homemade Jaffa Cakes
- Paul Hollywood’s Wagon Wheel Biscuits
- Mary Berry’s Victoria Sponge Cake
- Paul Hollywood’s Mini Pork Pies
- Mary Berry’s Viennese Whirls
- Prue’s Vegan Chocolate and Raspberry Tarts (S2UC Special)
- Pizza Star Bread (Junior Bake Off)
- Mary Berry’s Coffee and Walnut Battenberg Cake
- Paul’s Crusty White Cob
- Paul Hollywood’s Rainbow Bagels
- Prue Leith’s Malt Loaf
- Paul’s Jammy Biscuits
- Paul Hollywood’s Olive Ciabatta Bread Sticks with Homemade Tzatziki
- Prue Leith’s Sticky Toffee Puddings with Sesame Tuiles
- Prue Leith’s Prinzregententorte
- Paul Hollywood’s Baklava (22cm)
- Paul’s Caramel Biscuit Bars (Twix)
- Prue Leith’s Vegan Sausage Rolls
- Prue’s Sablé Breton Cake
- Paul Hollywood’s Sticky Belgian Buns
- Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
- Prue’s Garibaldi Biscuits with Feathered Chocolate Icing
- Paul Hollywood’s Pain au Raisins
- Paul’s Spicy Beef Tacos
- Paul Hollywood’s S’mores
- Prue Leith’s Pistachio Praline Ice Cream Cones
- Vegetable Spring Rolls
- Prue’s Vertical Chocolate, Hazelnut, and Raspberry Tarts
- Paul Hollywood’s Devonshire Splits
Garibaldi Biscuits | Bake Off Technical Challenge
Recipe
Ingredients (makes 12-14):
FOR THE BISCUITS
- 150g currants
- 50g dried cranberries
- 150ml orange juice
- 125g self-raising flour
- pinch of salt
- 75g unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 25g caster sugar
- 1 large egg, separated
FOR THE DECORATION
- 150g 72% dark chocolate, broken into pieces
- 50g white chocolate, broken into pieces
YOU WILL ALSO NEED
- 1 large or 2 small baking trays
- Small piping bag
- Cocktail stick
Method:
- Start by roughly chopping the currants and cranberries into small chunks. Add them to a small saucepan with the orange juice, mix, and bring to the boil. Simmer the mixture for about 5 minutes, until the fruit is plump and almost all the juice has been absorbed. Then drain the fruit through a sieve to get rid of the excess juice and transfer onto some kitchen towel on a plate to absorb any extra liquid. Set aside to cool until needed.
- To make the biscuit dough, mix the flour and salt together in a bowl and then rub in the butter using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Next, quickly rub in the caster sugar, then add in the egg yolk mixed with half a tablespoon of water.
- Work the mixture until it comes together to form a smooth dough. If it’s too dry, add a tiny more water, if it feels too wet and sticky, add a little more flour. Then flatten and shape the pastry into a rectangle and place in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to firm up.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan and line one large or two smaller baking trays with baking paper.
- Cut the chilled dough in half and roll each piece of dough into a 20x15cm rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Beat the leftover egg white and carefully brush it over one of the dough rectangles.
- Scatter the fruits over the egg white and arrange on top of the dough in an even layer. Carefully lift and place the second rectangle of dough on top. Again, using a floured rolling pin on a floured surface, roll the layered fruit and biscuit dough into a 25x20cm rectangle.
- Use a sharp knife to trim the edges, then use it to cut the biscuits into 12 equal-sized biscuits, around 9cm long and 3.5cm wide (I didn’t have too many offcuts so managed to get 14 biscuits out of this. The offcuts can also be squished together into a biscuit at the end and baked – you need a tester to try XD!).
- Place the biscuits on the prepared baking trays and then lightly brush them with the remaining egg white. Prick the biscuits all over with a fork, then bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden.
- Leave the garibaldi biscuits to cool on the trays for a few minutes, before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To decorate, melt the white chocolate over a bain-marie (glass (heat-proof) bowl set over a pan of simmering water, make sure the base of the bowl isn’t touching the water). Once melted, carefully fill it into a small piping bag. Before cutting off the end, place the piping bag in a glass filled with warm water, to ensure the white chocolate stays melted while you melt the dark chocolate.
- Melt the dark chocolate over a bain-marie (just use the same bowl) and then transfer the melted chocolate into a shallow but wide bowl.
- Carefully dip each garibaldi biscuit lengthwise into the melted dark chocolate until half-covered. Remove the piping bag filled with white chocolate from the water and snip off a tiny corner at the end. Pipe three thin white lines lengthwise across the dark chocolate coating. Then use a cocktail stick to create a feathered effect, by carefully dragging it through the lines of chocolate in one way, and then the other way, alternating each time (check this video here to see how to feather icing).
- Leave the chocolate to set at room temperature for 10-15 minutes, then enjoy your chocolate-covered garibaldi biscuits with a cup of tea!
