Prince Biskets

Original Recipe

Drie a pound of very fine wheat flower in an Ouen two houres, after the bread hath beene drawne, or the Ouen being warmed, but not heated for the nonce, the flower were best in an earthen Pipkin couered, least it loose the colour, put to it a pound of double refined Sugar beaten and cearsed fine, then take ten new laid Egges, take away fiue of their whites, straine these Egs into a Bason, with a spoonfull of Rose-water, and sixe spoonfuls of scalded Creame, when you haue all in the Bason, first put in your cearsed Sugar, and let it dissolve by beating it into your Egs, then put in your flower by little and little, vntil both the flower and the other things be incorporated, beat it well together an houre at least, and you shall at last see it turne white, then you must have coffins of white plate indude with butter as thinne as you can, so as it be touched in euery place, then take an ounce and a halfe of sweet Anise-seed, and one of Coriander, dried rubd and dusted, put the Anise-seed in the batter, & the batter into the coffins, and bake it an houre at least if you will, you may make Cracknels of the same batter, driue it thinne vpon the Plates, and when you take it off, rowle it thinne like a Wafer, and dry them again in the Ouen.

Published in 1617

Country of Origin: England

Modern Recipe Interpretation

·        ¾ cup flour

·        ½ cup sugar

·        2 eggs

·        1 Tbsp anise seed

·        2 tsp rose water

Mix all ingredients together and beat for about 45 minutes.  Spray pan well and fill a baking pan with ¼ inch mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, or until the mixture has risen and turns gold brown. (Wright)

In the modern recipe, the amount of the ingredients has been decreased.  Instead of caraway seeds, anise seeds are used.  Both seeds are closely related within the parsley family.  If using small molds instead of a pan, bake at 325 degrees F for 11-12 minutes.

 
Please click here to see a video showing how these were made.

 

Lessons Learned

After playing with this recipe a few times, I found that my biskets came out less brown and crunchy when I lowered the oven temperature slightly and did not bake them for as long. By altering the baking time and temperature, the biskets came out of the oven more like muffins rather than very hard biscotti. Overall, I found that people were more receptive to the softer, muffin-like quality.

A recommendation was also made to me after making the above video. The suggestion given was to use a pastry bag to put the dough in the molds, rather than spooning it out. If a pastry bag is not available, get a heavy duty Ziploc bag and cut a small corner out.

Works Cited

Matter, James L. "To Make Prince Biskets." A Daily Exercise for Ladies and Gentlemen. 1617. http://www.godecookery.com/engrec/engrec156.html

Plat, Hugh.  Delights for Ladies. 1609.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delightes_for_Ladies#. 

8 January 2015.

Wright, Kristen.  “Prince Bisket.” http://www.greneboke.com/recipes/princebisket.html. 

29 March 2019.