Gaby's Bakery - Garibaldi Biscuits (AKA Squashed Flies) (2024)

June 01, 2022

Also known as the 'dead fly biscuit' or 'fly sandwich', this week's recipe is a trip back to childhood, as my Grandmother used to bring these out for me and my twin sister. We devoured them and even though our friendly aunt also owned a sweet shop, we managed to keep our teeth. So I'm replaying my family patterns with Jack and James, except they do get their toothbrushes out shortly after.

Garibaldi biscuits are a sort of currant sandwich with two pieces of thin biscuit dough around the fruit spread. Invented by Jonathan Carr (of Carr's Water Biscuits) for Peek Freans in 1861 after the Italian Revolutionary visited Newcastle, they've been a mainstay of the British biscuit tin ever since.

Garibaldi Biscuits

Ingredients:
140g self-raising flour
55g chilled unsalted butter
80g currants
40g caster sugar
2 - 2½ tbsp milk
Pinch of salt
1 egg (for egg wash)
Granulated sugar to sprinkle

Method:
Preheat oven to 160⁰ C (fan), line 1 large baking tray with parchment paper.

Put the flour, butter and salt in a mixing bowl and rub with finger tips until you get a bread crumb consistency. Mix in the caster sugar and then gradually mix in the milk, you only need enough to make a firm dough, it shouldn’t be too wet.

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll out into a large rectangle about 4mm thick. Cut this evenly in half and sprinkle the currants over just one of the two rectangles. Then place the plain dough on top of the one with currants on and roll out again so you have a rectangle appx. 20 x 30cms and 4mm thick. Trim the edges and cut this into fingers appx. 3 x 7cm. Place the biscuits onto the baking tray. Using a fork, prick them all over, then brush with a little egg wash and sprinkle with the granulated sugar.

Place in the oven and bake for appx.12 mins, until lightly golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy.

Gaby Van Clarke

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