Sweet, buttery and delicious, traditional Scottish shortbread is one of the easiest things you will ever bake. For the first time eater (and baker), there is always a good deal of confusion about the name of this biscuit, which is neither short (at least not literally anyway!) nor a bread. The ‘short’ refers to the shortness of the pastry, which means that the dough contains a high percentage of butter, making the finished product very crumbly (similar to shortcrust pastry). ‘Bread’ is a throwback to the humble origins of the pastry which began its life as mediaeval biscuit bread. At this point, any leftover dough from bread making was dried out in the oven similar to a local rusk and then eaten as a biscuit. Eventually, however, the yeast in the recipes was replaced with butter and biscuit bread became shortbread. In its original form, shortbread consists of just three ingredients — butter, flour and sugar — although modern recipes often call for salt. But, to the creative pastry cook, this is merely a canvas for a whole legion of variations. Consider adding dried fruit (cranberries are my personal favourite), nuts or chocolate chips to create your own version. Also remember that shape plays an important role in shortbread and the traditional versions come in one of three shapes: a large circle cut into segments known as ‘petticoat tails’; round biscuits called ‘shortbread rounds’; or thick oblong shapes, also known as ‘shortbread fingers’.

CLASSIC SHORTBREAD

You can never go wrong with a classic shortbread. I like to make it in the petticoat tails style for a beautiful traditional finish.

INGREDIENTS

230g unsalted butter (if you’re using salted butter, you can reduce the salt in the recipe)
240g flour
95g icing sugar
1 ¼ teaspoon salt

METHOD

Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl and set aside. Beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium high speed until it is light and fluffy. Add the icing sugar slowly and continue beating until the mixture is pale. Add the flour and salt to the bowl and mix until just combined. Line a baking tray with wax paper and shape the dough into a circle using your hands. Pinch the sides of the dough using the index finger of one hand and the thumb and index finger of the other hand to create a pretty pattern. Next you will want to score the circle into eight equal segments (but don’t cut all the way down) and finally, if you’re so inclined — as I certainly was — you can use a skewer to create small holes in each segment. Chill the shortbread circle for 15 minutes and then bake at 150 degrees C for one hour. Shortbread is meant to be pale when baked through but you can brown the edges if you like. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before cutting into segments.

These easily-baked buttery biscuits are not only a crowd-pleaser, but also have the most adaptable recipe

ORANGE-ALMOND SHORTBREAD

When fresh oranges are in season, I want to use them in everything. This recipe pays homage to that desire!

INGREDIENTS

150g blanched almonds (toasted in the oven until fragrant)
150g flour
128g caster sugar
145g unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
1.5 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
¼ teaspoon salt

METHOD

Blitz the almonds in a food processer until they are finely chopped (but not powdered). Transfer them to a bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and mix the dough with your hands until it forms a ball. Roll out the dough between two sheets of wax paper and cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter. Chill the rounds for 10 to 15 minutes and bake at 160 degrees C for 15 to 20 minutes, or until your house smells like oranges and almonds.

MOCHA SHORTBREAD

Chocolate is a welcome addition to almost anything and shortbread is no different.

INGREDIENTS

162g flour
25g good quality cocoa powder
A pinch of salt
2 tablespoons instant coffee (ground into a fine powder)
115g unsalted butter
63g icing sugar

METHOD

Sieve the flour, cocoa powder and salt into a bowl, and then add the salt. Beat the butter with an electric beater on medium high speed until light and fluffy. Slowly add the icing sugar and continue beating until pale. Add the dry ingredients in one go and mix until combined. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes. Remove from the fridge and roll it out between two sheets of baking paper. Cut into two-centimetre wide oblongs and prick the cut pieces with a skewer to create a decorative pattern. Bake at 160 degrees C for 20 to 25 minutes.

The writer is an alumna of Le Cordon Bleu.

Published in Dawn, EOS, January 20th, 2019