Fat rascals

This Yorkshire classic is a cross between a biscuit and a currant scone. I reckon they have to have lard in them or they simply don’t taste as good. You could just use butter, but do not use margarine.

• makes

  20

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 450 g (3 cups) plain flour
• 60 g brown sugar
• 100 g lard, chilled
• 125 g unsalted butter, chilled, chopped
• 150 g currants
• 150 ml milk
• 2 tbsp caster sugar

Cooling time allow to cool completely

Instructions

Place flour, brown sugar and ½ tsp salt in a bowl. Add lard and butter, and rub into dry ingredients until the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. Please don’t be fussy about this; some unevenly mixed bits will make the dough more flaky and interesting. Add currants and enough of the milk to form a nice, textured dough.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface until 1 cm thick. Using a 7 cm-round cutter or bowl, cut into rounds, re-rolling scraps as necessary. Place on oven trays lined with baking paper and sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake in the centre of the oven, swapping trays halfway, for 14 minutes or until the tops and bottoms of the biscuits are starting to turn golden. Cool on the trays for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store fat rascals in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Photography Alan Benson

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.