When I found out the theme for this week was Tudor bakes, I was bummed to say the least. It gave me horrible flashbacks to last year’s Victorian bakes challenge. I made a Charlotte Russe and hated every minute of baking it.
Historical bakes are clearly not my thing. Plus I really don’t like savoury pies. Especially *shudder* game pies.
So I opted to make the Tudor Biscuits. But all along I had this niggling feeling in the back of my mind. Who wants to eat something from Tudor times? You know what the Tudors were famous for? Eating so much sugar it rotted their teeth. In fact, black teeth was a fashion statement. It meant you were rich. Bleurgh. These aren’t a people that I’d tend to suggest modelling a culinary style after.
I made those damn cookies. When I make a butter-based cookie, I usually refrigerate it before baking it but I thought, “What the hell, the Tudors didn’t have refrigerators. Screw it.” So I did. All the lovely knots that I painstakingly formed melted away in the oven. They looked like a disaster.
Mary laughed maniacally at them and I’d had enough. In true Tudor fashion, I binned them like only a Tudor would, out the window. It’s confirmed, I officially hate historical bakes week.
If you desperately want to recreate this bake (why would you?) you can find the recipe below.
Tudor Jumbles
Ingredients:
115 g of butter
1/2 cup of sugar
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon of rose water
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon of all spice
Instructions:
Mix your flour with your spices in a small bowel and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Then mix in the egg and rose water. Stir in the dry ingredients a bit at a time. Bring the dough together, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Once your dough is chilled, preheat your oven to 190 C (375 F), Break your dough off into ping-pong ball sized bits and roll them out like playdoh snakes before twisting them like pretzels. Put them on an un-greased cookie sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool. Sprinkle them with extra sugar, if desired.
*Editorial note: I didn’t actually throw them away. Sam would never let me throw food away. I’d never let me throw food away. When Sam first bit into one he said, “They taste like something a Tudor would eat.” And they totally did. The nutmeg-rosewater combination tasted a bit medicinal. But then halfway through Sam’s first cookie he exclaimed, “Actually, I really like these! They are going to be lovely with a cup of tea”
It must be an English thing.
They turned out so appallingly that I got the giggles.
Mary laughing maniacally at my colossal failure.
Dumping them out the window in true Tudor fashion.
I hope that everyone was more successful than I was.
On to happier news! I have the pleasure of announcing the Star Baker for the week… Angela from Only Crumbs Remain for her beautiful marjolaine. It looked so intricate and was perfection itself!
Link up your glorious bakes below!
