There are only three ingredients but no one seems to agree on the ratios or the exact ingredient specification someone quite close to me works in the cement industry but what is the best mix ? and should they be slightly chewy or crumbly? Should I just use plain flour or add some cornflour or rice flour and which sugar is best ? How can this be so hard This is Nigellas 170g softened butter 85g caster sugar (+some for dusting) 170g plain flour 85g rice flour This is the BBC one 125g butter 50g icing sugar 100g plain flour (italian 00) 50g cornflour OMG - this one is telling me to use chilled butter & salt 175 g chilled unsalted butter, plus more for greasing 225 g flour 60 g caster sugar, plus more for dusting 1 pinches salt 1 tsp vanilla extract Help!
The recipe I use (based on that given to me in my school home economics class when I was 10) is: 150g plain flour 100g butter (my school recipe said margarine, but what kind of barbarian uses marg instead of butter for shortbread!) 50g caster sugar (plus a little for springkling on the top when they come out of the oven). Caster sugar is better than granulated - less likely to lead to a grainy textured biscuit. The idea of adding cornflour or rice flour has never occurred to me, or using fancy pasta flour (shortbread has been around in the UK a lot longer than designer pasta flour). In my books shortbread should be slightly crumbly - definitely not chewy.
Neither XXAnthXX! I actually kept my school home ec exercise book in which the recipes were written, just in case any of them came in handy - I still use the crumble topping recipe when I make blackberry crumble.
Just say bollox hit the sherry and either 1. Dig out some custard creams 2. Hit the sherry and send someone to M&S to get some I'd not advise happy shopper shortbread mind.
This jus a receipe for light shortbread one that my mum gave me and they taste just as good as scottish shortbread 6oz plain flour, pinch of salt, 4oz butter, 1&half oz castor sugar. Put all ingreds in bowl and knead mixture into ball. Turn onto lightly floured board and shape into a round. Flour a rolling pin and roll out 2 about qtr to half inch thick. Cut out biscuits & place on baking paper on baking tray. Sprinkle with castor sugar and cook in centre oven for 10-15 mins or until light golden colour. Oven temp 160 deg. U can re-roll dough again until uve used it all. Makes 12-16 biscuits. Just double ingreds for more biscuits. Here's a few I made yesterday
I'm here with the cat and dog - neither of which have opposable thumbs and I don't have a handy mirror
