Shortbread Query

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ChocFingers

Assistant Cook
Joined
Nov 18, 2017
Messages
38
Location
Stoke-On-Trent
Hi All!

Yesterday I made some shortbread. It was lovely but it was a little bit cakey in the middle.

I used 1 part caster sugar to 2 parts butter to 3 parts plain flour (50g, 100g, 150g) and creamed together the butter and sugar first, then added the flour. Brought it together to make a yellowy coloured dough. I rolled it out and placed it on baking paper on a baking tray and popped it in the fridge for 30 mins. I then baked it for 25 mins on 150c.

Someone thought it may be the temperature of my oven that made it cakey.

What can I do to rectify this? to make it come out more biscuity?

Thanks!
 
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Try this. Substitute 1/2 the flour with corn starch, so 1 and 1/2 parts corn starch and 1 and 1/2 parts flour.

Castor sugar, use powdered sugar instead.

They need to be between 1/8th and 1/4th inch thick. Lightly browned only on the edge.

These turn out falling apart biscuity, nothing cakish about them. They are delicate and fall apart at a moment's notice. Melt in your mouth goodness.
 
Thanks blissful!

I've heard of the cornstarch thing (they call it cornfour here in the UK) or I have heard rice flour instead of the cornflour too. I heard 2/3's plain flour and 1/3 cornflour or rice flour.

And won't icing sugar be sweeter if I use the same amount because the sweetness was fine how it was?

And with your recipe then, does it turn on the same as a cookie, crumbly and crunch to it?
 
Hi choc, I don't have my recipe on hand.

If you are measuring sugar in a volume cup measure, I believe you'll get less sweet flavor by going with powdered sugar. If you go by weight, you'll get more sweet flavor. Use your judgement.

My cookies turn out, disgustingly delicious, falling apart, crunchy, slightly sweet, buttery. Definitely not something I eat when on a healthy diet. ha ha

I like the cookies to turn out just 'slightly' sweet but the texture must be almost chalky. Weird hey? And the tiny brownish on the edges give some flavor to otherwise, bland flavor which I adore.
 
Just done some more shortbread and it's come out cakey a bit again. I madd chocolate shortbread this time and just added cocoa to the mix.

It worked perfectly the other day though. I just used less cornflour than the other day and perhaps I didn't knead it enough. Hardly much at all really. I wonder if that's made a difference.

It's cooling at the moment. I left it 20 mins before trying for the first taste test. It's had another 15 mins now. Hopefully it will be a bit more biscuity in 15-20 mins when it's fully cold.
 
Try this. Substitute 1/2 the flour with corn starch, so 1 and 1/2 parts corn starch and 1 and 1/2 parts flour.

Castor sugar, use powdered sugar instead.

They need to be between 1/8th and 1/4th inch thick. Lightly browned only on the edge.

These turn out falling apart biscuity, nothing cakish about them. They are delicate and fall apart at a moment's notice. Melt in your mouth goodness.
"Cornstarch" = cornflour in UK. I use rice flour if I have it in or cornflour. Rice flour is slightly coarser than cornflour &, imo, helps make the shortbread crispier

8oz plain flour, 4 ounces rice flour or cornflour, 8oz butter, 4-5 ounces castor sugar works for me. (Self-raising flour tends to make it cake-y.) No idea of the science behind chilling the dough before baking but it does
firm it up which seems to make the shortbread crispier. Many generations of Scotswomen have said it does so who am I to argue.

10 minutes at gas mark 4 (180c/350f) then gas mark 2 (150c/300f) for 30-40 minutes until crisp and lightly browned).

Hope that helps. ! can't think of anything else that would cause the cake-y-ness.
 
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Yes the butter must be cool to make a short shortbread, on hot days I even chill the cut out shapes before baking, otherwise it becomes cakey and weird.

I trust my Scottish mother in law when it comes to short bread and she taught me all I know.
 
These two recipes come from the book 'British Cookery', first published in 1976. It was acclaimed as being the most reliable book on British cookery.

Shortbread, traditionally, is essentially Scottish in origin, but now are made all over the British Isles:

1) Shortbread (Scotland)

1/2 lb butter
40z caster sugar
1/2 pound plain white flour
4 oz rice flour
pinch of salt

Method:

Place the butter and sugar on a board and knead until thoroughly blended.
You will need fridge cold butter for this.
Sift the flour and rice flour with a pinch of salt over the board, and gradually work these into the butter and sugar. Keep the butter cool ideally working the mixture on a marble slab.

When all the flour is incorporated, shape the dough into 1/2 thick and 8 inch wide rounds, either by hand or with a shortbread mould. Pinch the edges neatly all round with the finger and thumb; set on greased baking trays and prick closely with a fork.
The mixture can also be shaped into strips and cut into fingers, and, again, prick the biscuits with a fork.

Bake in a hot oven, reducing, the temperature after 5 minutes. Leave to cool before removing from the trays or tins; sprinkle with sugar.

Oven: 425°F; gas mark 7; 5 minutes
325°F; gas mark 3; 30-40 minutes


Ayrshire Shortbread Scotland

4 oz butter
4 oz plain flour
4 oz rice flour
2 oz caster sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp cream

Oven: 350°F, gas mark 4; 30 minutes.

Rub the butter into the sifted flour, add the rice flour and sugar and mix to a stiff dough with the egg and cream. Knead well and turn out onto a floured
board; roll out, 3/4 inch thick, and cut into rounds with a 2 1/2in cutter
Set on greased baking trays, prick with a fork and bake. Sprinkle with sugar while still hot.


di reston


Enough is never as good as a feast Oscar Wilde
 
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