McVities Digestives Recipe (Reverse engineered)

54% Plain Flour Between slightly less than 30%, and 16% Vegetable Oil (Palm Oil) 16% Wholemeal Plain Flour <16% Sugar <<16% Partially Inverted Sugar Syrup (Honey is very similar, apparently) Raising Agents Sodium Bicarbonate (Bicarb of Soda) Malic Acid (Present in Wine, Apples; Main flavourant of Rhubarb) Ammonium Bicarbonate (Apparently can be substituted for Baking Powder) Salt Dried Skimmed Milk (Milk Powder)

So for a 500g mixture:

MASTER RECIPE

270g Plain Flour 80g Wholemeal Plain Flour 120-140g Vegetable Oil
~30g Sugar ~30g Honey ~1/2tsp=4g Bicarb of Soda ~1/2tsp=4g Baking Powder Malic Acid?? 1tsp Salt ?tsp Dried Skimmed Milk

BATCH 1 RECIPE

135g Plain Flour 135g Vegetable Oil 80g (40?) Wholemeal Plain Flour 30g Sugar 30g Honey 1/2tsp=4g Bicarb of Soda 1/2tsp=4g Baking Powder Malic Acid?? 1tsp Salt 2tsp=5g Dried Skimmed Milk

BATCH 1 RESULTS

I only added HALF the plain flour it needed! oops

a bit too salty

WELL cooked in 10minutes @ 180C

Browned very well

very dry mixture - crumbled a lot when cutting

very crumbly dough - difficult to work with - consider refrigerating?

too oily, too salty aftertaste - both due to half flour quantity

still has that clekky aftertaste (bicarb?)

NEXT TIME

  • Consider replacing the Veg Oil with fake butter (like in the normal one), and milk powder with actual milk
  • check equivalent volume of milk against a given weight of milk powder
  • check for saltiness; batch 1 wasn't a proper test due to lack of plain flour, but bear it in mind
    • same with bicarb & baking powder clekkiness

BATCH 2 RECIPE

270g Plain Flour 80g Wholemeal Plain Flour 120G Fake Butter 10g Vegetable Oil 30g Sugar 30g Honey 1/2tsp=4g Bicarb of Soda 1/2tsp=4g Baking Powder Malic Acid?? 1/2tsp Salt 2tsp=5g Dried Skimmed Milk ~1tbsp Milk

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