How to Make Digestive Biscuits Recipe - Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking (2024)

FAQs

What is the American equivalent of digestive biscuits? ›

Digestive biscuits are used in an interchangeable way as graham crackers in the U.S. They are best described as whole wheat shortbread, and are crisp like shortbread and equally as buttery.

INGREDIENTS: Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin], Palm Oil, Wholemeal Wheat Flour, Sugar, Rapeseed Oil, Dried Skimmed Milk, Invert Sugar Syrup, Raising Agents (Sodium Bicarbonate, Ammonium Bicarbonate), Salt.

Keep the oven hot.

When baking buttery treats like biscuits, the key is to bake them at a temperature where the water in the butter turns quickly to steam. This steam is a big part of how the biscuits achieve their height, as it evaporates up and out.

Fiber content

Unlike many store-bought cookies that are low in fiber, digestive biscuits made with whole wheat flour and oats are healthier – thanks to the dietary fiber they offer. This good-for-you fiber aids digestion and keeps the gut healthy.

Graham crackers are slightly sweet, whole wheat crackers that are often enjoyed on their own, used as a base for pie crusts, or paired with various spreads. They have a distinct flavor and texture that can make them a suitable substitute for digestive biscuits in certain recipes.

In Britain we do use the word cookies but many British “ cookies “ are called biscuits. Digestives is a brand or variety name. The reason it has got this strange name is in 1839 two Scottish Doctors invented Digestive biscuits because they contained Sodium Bicarbonate which helped digestion.

Nutritionists often emphasize that one should exercise moderation when consuming these biscuits. While they can be a source of dietary fibre and be a satisfying snack, overindulging in these biscuits can lead to an excessive intake of calories and added sugars.

Digestive or diabetic-friendly biscuits are not calorie-free or necessarily healthy. They may contain just 15-20 per cent fewer calories than the regular variety and may encourage you to consume large portions, thinking that they are safe. Many of them are loaded with sugar.

The secret to the best biscuits is using very cold butter and baking powder. We've made a lot of biscuits, but this easy biscuits recipe is the one we turn to the most (they are so fluffy!). See our easy drop biscuits and cheese drop biscuits for even easier biscuits.

Is buttermilk or heavy cream better for biscuits? ›

Heavy Cream.

The heavy cream adds flavor to the biscuit by adding a little more fat and helps hydrate the dough. The extra fat in the heavy cream is helpful because buttermilk in stores is often “low-fat” buttermilk.

But if you chill your pan of biscuits in the fridge before baking, not only will the gluten relax (yielding more tender biscuits), the butter will harden up. And the longer it takes the butter to melt as the biscuits bake, the more chance they have to rise high and maintain their shape. So, chill... and chill.

"I've just Googled it and it turns out in 1839 two Scottish doctors developed these to help with the aid of the digestive system because they've got sodium bicarbonate in them, which is a laxative.

Like most cereals and biscuits, digestives are mainly made up of wheat flour, which is bad news for people with gluten sensitivity. This condition involves adverse reactions to gluten that is commonly present in rye, barley, and wheat. Common symptoms include bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and constipation.

Digestive biscuits use Sodium bicarbonate, an over-the-counter antacid that relieves heartburn and stomach upset. However, too much of it makes you feel thirsty, and have bad stomach cramps, and gas.

A digestive biscuit, sometimes described as a sweet-meal biscuit, is a semi-sweet biscuit that originated in Scotland. The digestive was first developed in 1839 by two Scottish doctors to aid digestion. I'm sure they'd be wholemeal crackers maybe.. BUT they are sold worldwide and are also available in America.

You can actually buy Graham Crackers in the UK, they don't look very cheap though. A common substitute is apparently Digestive biscuits, not the exact same but close. If your need for Graham crackers is to use them in a recipe, I'd suggest you use a mix of English digestive and “rich tea” biscuits.

"I would not label this product as a functional food nor would I highlight its health benefits." So in sum, from a nutrition perspective, digestives are essentially just a cookie (albeit a very delicious cookie), and nothing more.

In the US, what us Brits call a biscuit, Americans would call a cookie - whilst an American biscuit is something resembling a British scone… making a name like Biscuiteers seem rather confusing!