Shortbread, Reynardo Style
Dec. 11th, 2011 10:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
reynardoFor something made with only three ingredients, it works rather well.
First make the decision whether you want to make a large round shortbread that will be divided into wedges (Petticoat tails) or little shortbread biscuits. In either case you will want a flat baking tray, preferably lined with baking paper or foil. You can just grease it if you want, but I found I lost too much shortbread that way.
If you're doing the round tails, you will need some sort of a mould or a template to get the shape right. A flan tin works well, I find.
If you're not baking in a round tin, you will need a couple of sheets of plastic (cling) wrap and a rolling pin. The dough rolls out nicely between the sheets, and it saves you getting your rolling pin covered in dough and little bits sticking and pulling off your nice smooth dough slab.
You will need:
3 parts (by weight) plain flour1
2 parts (by weight) butter2
1 part (by weight) castor sugar3.
A small batch would be 450g flour, 300g butter and 150g castor sugar. This makes almost a kilogram, or 2 pounds. I don't use normal sugar as I find it ends up too crunchy. Also, I'm not a fan of adding rice flour to it. According to Wikipedia you can use oatmeal flour - I must try that one day. The largest batch I've ever done was 1.5kg flour, 1kg butter, 500g sugar.
Have a slow oven ready (150C, 300F). Make sure your oven shelves are in the centre, or if you're using two shelves, centre and top. Remember that the top will cook fastest.
Mix the dry ingredients.
Soften the butter (*just* melted is fine but you don't want scalding) and mix lightly through the dry stuff. You will then need to gently finish the mixing by hand. You should end up with a soft doughy mix that holds together nicely in a ball. It'll also be slightly warm - this is important, as it's easier to shape.
For cut-out biscuit shapes (with a cookie cutter):
(X) Put a layer of cling film (plastic wrap) on a flat surface, put the ball of dough on the plastic then cover with another layer of plastic. Then roll the dough out gently until it's about 6-8 mm thick.
Lift the top plastic and then cut your shapes out. Pull the scrap dough from around the shapes, then lift the shapes carefully onto the baking tray. (I find a spatula really useful here.) Squish the scrap dough together then repeat from (X) until you have no dough left. If the last little bit of dough disappears into a "taste test", don't be surprised.
Bake in a slow oven about 15-25 minutes, checking from time to time. They're cooked when they're *just* starting to get a bit of colour. Remove from the oven, sprinkle over a tiny bit of castor sugar, and then put them onto a cooling rack.
If you're wanting a bundle of little circular biscuits:
Make a ball of dough in your hands then roll into a cylinder about 2.5 cm diameter (You may need to do this in batches). Slice off rounds about 1cm thick. Roll each round into a ball again, place on the baking tray, then gently squish down with a fork with wide tines. This should make a small, slightly flattened round biscuit about 3 cm diameter and 8mm thick, and with an interesting ridge pattern across the top.
Bake in a slow oven about 10-20 minutes, checking from time to time. They're cooked when they're *just* starting to get a bit of colour. Remove from the oven, sprinkle over a tiny bit of castor sugar, and then put them onto a cooling rack.
For the Petticoat Tails:
If you're cooking them *in* a round tin, put in enough dough to make a layer about 8-10mm thick. Smooth it down as much as possible. Use your fingers around the edge to make sure it's right into the tin. The fingermarks will make a pretty indentation pattern!
If you're just using the tin to cut the shape, put a layer of cling film (plastic wrap) on a flat surface, put the ball of dough on the plastic then cover with another layer of plastic. Then roll the dough out gently until it's about 8-10 mm thick. Lift the top plastic and then use your template to cut out the large circular shape. Put it onto a baking tray, remembering to remove the plastic underneath on the way!
In either case, gently prick the top with a fork in a circular pattern. This will pretty much close up as it's cooking, but do it anyway - it makes a nice indentation.
Bake in a slow oven for about 45-60 minutes, checking from time to time. It's cooked when it's got the slightest "tan" of colour - you don't want crispy brown. Remove from the oven, and while it's hot and still soft, score the "wedges" that it'll be broken into eventually, and again use a fork to prick a nice set of holes in the top. For an 8 inch tin (20 cm), 12 pieces will do well.
Sprinkle over a tiny bit of castor sugar (about half a teaspoon), and let it cool until firm, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Afterwards
They will keep for ages in a sealed tin. Lovely when served with a hot cup of tea. These make awesome Yummy Baked Goods Christmas Presents - a round "Petticoat Tail" or a bundle of smaller ones, wrapped in red tissue paper and tied with a tartan ribbon works like a dream. (Yes, some of my friends reading this may well be getting some for themselves for Christmas)
If you've made them a week or two ago and they're a little soft, you can freshen them up with 5 minutes at 160C/320F.
Footnotes
1. Feel free to use non-gluten flour They tend to be a little crisper, so use a bit more butter.
2. They can be made with non-dairy margarine such as Nuttlex.
3. Castor sugar is, in Australia, the grade between normal sugar and icing sugar. In the US it's called superfine sugar. If you can't find it, use table sugar.
Warnings:
Make sure your mixing bowl is in a secure place or you may find the dough shrinks every time someone walks past.
Make sure your cooling racks are in a secure location or you may find the freshly-cooked biscuits disappear.
Hide the biscuit tin. Keep a spare stash in a safe place. They may still disappear, but at least you tried.
First make the decision whether you want to make a large round shortbread that will be divided into wedges (Petticoat tails) or little shortbread biscuits. In either case you will want a flat baking tray, preferably lined with baking paper or foil. You can just grease it if you want, but I found I lost too much shortbread that way.
If you're doing the round tails, you will need some sort of a mould or a template to get the shape right. A flan tin works well, I find.
If you're not baking in a round tin, you will need a couple of sheets of plastic (cling) wrap and a rolling pin. The dough rolls out nicely between the sheets, and it saves you getting your rolling pin covered in dough and little bits sticking and pulling off your nice smooth dough slab.
You will need:
3 parts (by weight) plain flour1
2 parts (by weight) butter2
1 part (by weight) castor sugar3.
A small batch would be 450g flour, 300g butter and 150g castor sugar. This makes almost a kilogram, or 2 pounds. I don't use normal sugar as I find it ends up too crunchy. Also, I'm not a fan of adding rice flour to it. According to Wikipedia you can use oatmeal flour - I must try that one day. The largest batch I've ever done was 1.5kg flour, 1kg butter, 500g sugar.
Have a slow oven ready (150C, 300F). Make sure your oven shelves are in the centre, or if you're using two shelves, centre and top. Remember that the top will cook fastest.
Mix the dry ingredients.
Soften the butter (*just* melted is fine but you don't want scalding) and mix lightly through the dry stuff. You will then need to gently finish the mixing by hand. You should end up with a soft doughy mix that holds together nicely in a ball. It'll also be slightly warm - this is important, as it's easier to shape.
For cut-out biscuit shapes (with a cookie cutter):
(X) Put a layer of cling film (plastic wrap) on a flat surface, put the ball of dough on the plastic then cover with another layer of plastic. Then roll the dough out gently until it's about 6-8 mm thick.
Lift the top plastic and then cut your shapes out. Pull the scrap dough from around the shapes, then lift the shapes carefully onto the baking tray. (I find a spatula really useful here.) Squish the scrap dough together then repeat from (X) until you have no dough left. If the last little bit of dough disappears into a "taste test", don't be surprised.
Bake in a slow oven about 15-25 minutes, checking from time to time. They're cooked when they're *just* starting to get a bit of colour. Remove from the oven, sprinkle over a tiny bit of castor sugar, and then put them onto a cooling rack.
If you're wanting a bundle of little circular biscuits:
Make a ball of dough in your hands then roll into a cylinder about 2.5 cm diameter (You may need to do this in batches). Slice off rounds about 1cm thick. Roll each round into a ball again, place on the baking tray, then gently squish down with a fork with wide tines. This should make a small, slightly flattened round biscuit about 3 cm diameter and 8mm thick, and with an interesting ridge pattern across the top.
Bake in a slow oven about 10-20 minutes, checking from time to time. They're cooked when they're *just* starting to get a bit of colour. Remove from the oven, sprinkle over a tiny bit of castor sugar, and then put them onto a cooling rack.
For the Petticoat Tails:
If you're cooking them *in* a round tin, put in enough dough to make a layer about 8-10mm thick. Smooth it down as much as possible. Use your fingers around the edge to make sure it's right into the tin. The fingermarks will make a pretty indentation pattern!
If you're just using the tin to cut the shape, put a layer of cling film (plastic wrap) on a flat surface, put the ball of dough on the plastic then cover with another layer of plastic. Then roll the dough out gently until it's about 8-10 mm thick. Lift the top plastic and then use your template to cut out the large circular shape. Put it onto a baking tray, remembering to remove the plastic underneath on the way!
In either case, gently prick the top with a fork in a circular pattern. This will pretty much close up as it's cooking, but do it anyway - it makes a nice indentation.
Bake in a slow oven for about 45-60 minutes, checking from time to time. It's cooked when it's got the slightest "tan" of colour - you don't want crispy brown. Remove from the oven, and while it's hot and still soft, score the "wedges" that it'll be broken into eventually, and again use a fork to prick a nice set of holes in the top. For an 8 inch tin (20 cm), 12 pieces will do well.
Sprinkle over a tiny bit of castor sugar (about half a teaspoon), and let it cool until firm, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Afterwards
They will keep for ages in a sealed tin. Lovely when served with a hot cup of tea. These make awesome Yummy Baked Goods Christmas Presents - a round "Petticoat Tail" or a bundle of smaller ones, wrapped in red tissue paper and tied with a tartan ribbon works like a dream. (Yes, some of my friends reading this may well be getting some for themselves for Christmas)
If you've made them a week or two ago and they're a little soft, you can freshen them up with 5 minutes at 160C/320F.
Footnotes
1. Feel free to use non-gluten flour They tend to be a little crisper, so use a bit more butter.
2. They can be made with non-dairy margarine such as Nuttlex.
3. Castor sugar is, in Australia, the grade between normal sugar and icing sugar. In the US it's called superfine sugar. If you can't find it, use table sugar.
Warnings:
Make sure your mixing bowl is in a secure place or you may find the dough shrinks every time someone walks past.
Make sure your cooling racks are in a secure location or you may find the freshly-cooked biscuits disappear.
Hide the biscuit tin. Keep a spare stash in a safe place. They may still disappear, but at least you tried.
