On the eve of ANZAC DAY...

Tomorrow (25 April) is a public holiday in Australia. Commemorating the service of the Australian & New Zealand Army Corps in Gallipoli during WWI, April 25th stands as a day of remembrance. I am still learning a bit about this holiday as well. There will a few different events on in the City in honor of Anzac Day. I am going to be a bit courageous and attempt to get to the City for the 4:30 sunrise service event. I don't know what this event entails, but I'm excited to find out!

I'm including below some bits and pieces about Anzac Day. Perhaps they'll help piece together the history that this public holiday draws upon.

Anzac Biscuits

Below excerpted from: http://www.abc.net.au/tasmania/stories/s1087121.htm

Anzac biscuits received their name during the First World War. Up until that time people had been baking “Soldier’s biscuits” for the troops, based on a recipe derived from the Scottish oat cake. The main feature was that no eggs were used otherwise the biscuits would spoil on the long journey to the front.

These were renamed as Anzac biscuits after the campaign at Gallipoli.

Serves thousands

Degree of difficulty: Low

You need:

There are literally thousands of variations of this recipe used throughout the country. We present two that are quite different. In both, however, we have listed the ‘dry ingredients’ which can be mixed together first and then the two processes involving heat and wet ingredients.

First, choose which version you want to make: Roger’s mother’s recipe or our New recipe

The first version is very close to the traditional ‘CWA’ recipe that was popularized by the enormously strong-selling CWA Cookbook. However, as we don’t like the use of coconut in these biscuits we have omitted this ingredient from our New recipe.

Traditional biscuits

'Wet ingredients' - 1
125 grams butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup

'Wet ingredients' - 2
1 tablespoon boiling water
1 teaspoon baking soda

Dry ingredients
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup coconut
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar

Method:

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a saucepan gently melt the butter then add the golden syrup and heat, stirring until thoroughly combined. Put the baking soda in a cup or small bowl then pour in the boiling tablespoon of water.

Pour this foaming mixture into the warm butter/golden syrup mixture and stir to incorporate - it will foam up. Now gradually add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring well to incorporate.

Place walnut size pieces of the dough on a buttered oven tray and then press down with the back of a fork to flatten.

Bake at 175 degrees C for approx 17 mins.


Our ‘new’ recipe
As we don’t like the use of coconut in these biscuits we have omitted this ingredient from our recipe.

'Wet ingredients' - 1
90 grams butter
1 tablespoons golden syrup

'Wet ingredients' - 2
1 tablespoon boiling water
1 teaspoon baking soda

Dry ingredients
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar

Use exactly the same process as described above.


Copyright Sue Dyson and Roger McShane, 2004

Serving Suggestion: Billy tea, perhaps?