Antarctica Sledging Biscuits

Antarctica Sledging Biscuits are dense, crunchy and high fat and salt biscuits made specifically to keep people alive in Antarctica. When cooking sledging biscuits you simply need to avoid overcooking them. They should be pale yellow in colour rather than brown as most biscuits. From aroundtheworldtravels.co.uk These are/were often topped with pemmican. The above site says that one of the reasons Scott's team died was that they didn't have fruit in their pemmican, resulting in scurvy and an inability to digest energy. Whole wheat: 120 grams in one cup of whole wheat flour, so 150 grams = 1.25 cups Butter: 14.2 grams per tablespoon, so scant 2 T. for 30 grams Water: 50 ml = 3.35 tablespoons (US), so about 3 T. + 1 tsp. Or find your own conversion tools.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 150  g whole wheat flour (1.25 cups)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 30  g butter (full fat, unsalted, 2 T.)
• 50  ml cold water (3T. plus 1t.)

Directions

1. re-heat the oven to 190C (375 F.).
2. Sieve the flour and baking soda together into a mixing bowl, then add the salt. Rub in the butter with your finger tips until you have combined the ingredients to resemble breadcrumbs.
3. Slowly mix in the water until a malleable ball of dough forms. All the dry ingredients must be evenly incorporated, yet the dough should not be sticky.
4. Lightly flour a smooth surface and roll out the dough so it is 2 cm thick (0.8 inches) and fits a large baking tray. Transfer the dough onto a lightly greased baking tray and cut into 5cm (2-inch) squares. Prick each square with a fork.
5. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the dough just starts turning golden brown. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.
6. Serve the sledging biscuits with sweetened tea or with pemmican spread on top.