Scottish Shortbread
As much as you are tempted to think that Scottish Shortbread is a type of bread, I have to correct you here and say that it is actually more of a cookie. No idea what I’m talking about? No worries… look at the picture below and I am almost 100% sure you must have seen it before.
My mum and sister are huge fans of those shortbread which M&S sells, especially mum. I adapted the recipe which was originally found in Donna Hay’s Modern Classics 2 together with the few recipes I came across on the internet. It turned out pretty alright… although I should really spend more time on the QC of each individual piece of shortbread.
Scottish Shortbread
210g all purpose flour
70g rice flour
1/4 rounded tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
180g butter, softened
120g castor sugar
- Preheat oven to 170°C.
- Prepare a 8×8 inch baking tin lined with aluminium foil.
- Sift together the all purpose flour, rice flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
- Cream together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl till texture is light and creamy.
- Add in the sifted dry ingredients and mix well.
- Press the dough into the baking tin (I used a lapis press to aid in this step).
- Score the top into long bars (I scored the dough into 8 portions on one side and 3 portions on the other so each bar is about 2.7 x 1 inch). Prick holes all over the dough with a fork.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until shortbread is golden brown in colour.
- Remove baking tin from oven and slice along the score lines with a sharp knife while it is still hot and soft.
- Cool slightly in the baking tin, then remove the shortbread together with the foil onto the wire rack.
Yield : 24 shortbread
If I have any grouse, it has to be how uneven the thickness of my shortbread turned out. It seems that I haven’t spent enough time pressing the dough down to ensure that the thickness is even throughout.
Other than that, I really have no complaints… except that there’s no one at home to finish it up for me since The Hubby is having a bad cough.
Hey Cadenze, tried your recipe on shortbread. Wah, it’s quite crumbly hor? I find it a little too sweet. May reduce the sugar a little next time. Btw, how would you describe the texture of the shortbread you’ve baked?
Hi Belle,
Yes, I find it a little too sweet for my liking too. But my family likes it like that. Guess it depends on individual preferences.
And yup, it turns out quite crumbly, so much so that my dogs always hang around me when I’m eating them hoping I’ll be clumsy enough to drop some crumbs on the floor.
As for the texture, it’s kinda ‘rough’ and crumbly. And a little coarse when put in the mouth. You know… I really suck at describing things, especially describing food. Hope it answers your questions.
Cadenze