#BiscuitDay: Digestive, gingernut biscuits: Dunkable delights for your tea

Indians adore tea, and there’s nothing quite as satisfying as dunking a good biscuit into our cuppa. Yet, few things are as disappointing as a biscuit that crumbles into your mug, creating a sad mess. Here are some biscuits perfect for dunking in tea and coffee without getting soggy:

Digestive: While reliable in taste, digestive biscuits tend to crumble at the first hint of warmth. Its almost savoury flavour pairs perfectly with sweet tea. Dunking a chocolate digestive in cappuccino intensifies the experience with an extra hit of chocolatey sweetness.

Viennese finger: The Viennese finger typically crumbles after 12 dunks, thanks to its robust double biscuit sandwich structure.

Gingernut: The gingernut holds up to several dunks despite its thinness, but it's a goner after 18 dunks.

Chocolate cookies: These can be dunked in tea, but their dunkability depends on their texture and structure. Some chocolate cookies may hold up well to dunking, maintaining their shape and texture without becoming too soggy.

Shortbread: With its buttery richness, shortbread is often a favourite for dunking in tea or coffee.

Rich tea biscuits: The rich tea boasts impressive dunking endurance, holding its structure for 50-51 dunks, although it becomes quite wobbly after the second or third dunk. It pairs perfectly with Builder's tea, a strong black tea with milk.

THE PERFECT DUNK

To avoid a soggy mess, timing your biscuit dunk is crucial. Most biscuits only need a fraction of a second — known as 'the micro-dunk'. According to a dunking experiment by a UK biscuit brand, optimal dunking occurs when the biscuit absorbs an extra 20% in weight, enhancing flavour and structure. For instance, ginger nut and fruit shortcake require the shortest dunking time at 0.3 seconds, while rich tea biscuit lasts up to 8.8 seconds before breaking apart. “A perfect dunking biscuit should have a crunchy and crusty exterior, with a soft and porous inside. For instance, almond biscotti are ideal with cappuccino, latte, or mocha, while coconut cookies pair perfectly with masala chai,” says Shailesh Halde, Bakery Chef, Courtyard by Marriott Mumbai International Airport.

Mahesh Nasare, Pastry Chef, The Westin Mumbai Garden City, adds, “Pairing the perfect biscuit with your favourite coffee is an art. Whether it's the robust crunch of biscotti in an espresso, the sweet indulgence of chocolate chip cookies with a creamy latte, or the airy almond essence of amaretti biscuits alongside a frothy cappuccino, each combination elevates the coffee experience to new heights.”

Why Are Biscuits Dunked?

Dunking biscuits releases more flavour by dissolving sugars and softening their texture. It provides a comforting experience akin to curling up with a mug of tea or coffee. This practice is popular worldwide: Italians enjoy biscotti with cappuccinos, and in Hyderabad, Osmania biscuits are dunked into Irani chai.

TRIVIA

The word 'biscuit' comes from the Latin 'bis' (twice) and 'coctus' (baked). Originally baked twice, biscuits were a staple for sea explorers due to their long shelf life.

A 2009 study found that 25 million Britons were injured by biscuits, often while fishing remnants from hot tea, with Custard Creams being the most dangerous.

As You Like It and Troilus and Cressida are the only Shakespeare plays that mention a biscuit.



DID YOU KNOW?UK's Chief Dunking Officer, Dr Helen Pilcher, in her Biscuit Immersion study, defines the 'perfect dunk' as when a biscuit absorbs enough liquid for added softness and flavour without becoming mushy. Warning signs of over-dunking include disintegration, bending, and cracking. For instance, a gingernut biscuit achieves dunking perfection in just 0.30 seconds, while a chocolate hobnob requires 3.7 seconds.