Articles
Shortbread
We have been baking our shortbread since 1874. Our recipe came into our hands from the Scottis who flocked to Reefton during the gold mining boom. Its fair to say that we have had some practice, and today we still bake our shortbread the traditional way - buy hand, with the essential and quality ingredients: butter, icing sugar and four. A quality slice is pale, light and melts in your mouth....
We have been baking our shortbread since 1874. Our recipe came into our hands from the Scottis who flocked to Reefton during the gold mining boom. Its fair to say that we have had some practice, and today we still bake our shortbread the traditional way - buy hand, with the essential and quality ingredients: butter, icing sugar and four. A quality slice is pale, light and melts in your mouth....
A buttery sweet biscuit.
Rich and buttery, good shortbread is one of those treats that is far above the realm ordinary biscuits
Ingredients:
250g butter
3/4 cup icing sugar
2 cups flour
Method:
- Preheat oven to 160 C.
- Beat room tempreture butter and icing sugar until pale, creamy and fluffy.
- Sift in flour and mix well.
- Turn out onto a bench and lightly knead.
- Roll into logs approximately 4cm in diameter and with a sharp knife cut in .5 cm slices.
- Place on a cold tray lined with greased baking paper and bake for 15-20 minutes until firm but not coloured.
- Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.
Our bakers tips
Use Icing Sugar
Icing sugar will give a fuller mouth feel and a softer texture. Shortbread made with icing sugar has more of a stick to the roof of your mouth texture and a softer texture.Shortbread made with caster sugar has a sandier texture and I think more crunch.Using brown sugar will give a golden colour and slight caramel flavour.
Use Room Tempreture Butter
Room temperature butter and sugar together until pale and creamy (room temperature butter will mix better with the sugar than chilled butter). Flour is then added and mixed until the dough is smooth.
Keep a close eye on the oven and bake until just cooked
We strive to have perfectly pale shortbread with no browning on the base. This helps to create the melt in the mouth texture. It's not easy to do and requires a lot of attention, but the attention to the oven will pay off in presenting the best shortbread to accompany your sweet treat at morning or afternoon tea.
History
We have been baking our shortbread since 1874. Our recipe came into our hands from the Scottis who flocked to Reefton during the gold mining boom.
Scottish shortbread evolved from medieval biscuit bread, which was a twice-baked, enriched bread roll dusted with sugar and spices and hardened into a Rusk (soft, sweetened biscuit). Eventually butter was substituted for yeast, and shortbread was born. Since butter was such an important ingredient, the word "shortbread" derived from shortening. Shortbread may have been made as early as the 12th Century, however its invention is often attributed to Mary, Queen of Scots in the 16th Century. Petticoat Tails were a traditional form of shortbread said to be enjoyed by the queen. The round shortbread was flavored with caraway seeds, baked and cut into triangular wedges. The triangles resemble the shape of fabric pieces used to make petticoats during the rein of Queen Elizabeth I. Shortbread was also made in individual round biscuits called shortbread rounds and in a rectangular slab, which was cut into thin pieces known as fingers. All of these forms of shortbread are still made today.
In the beginning shortbread was expensive and reserved as a luxury for special occasions like Christmas, Hogmanay (Scottish New Year’s Eve), and weddings. Through the years it developed into an everyday favorite and is now enjoyed all around the world. Traditional shortbread consisted of three main ingredients: flour, sugar and butter. Today many varieties of shortbread exist, but most still include the traditional ingredients. The type and texture of the dry ingredients greatly influences the consistency of the shortbread. The addition of rice flour gives shortbread a grainy, crumbly texture while cornstarch (corn flour) gives it a more dense texture.
Interesting facts about Shortbread:
In Shetland a decorated shortbread was traditionally broken over a bride’s head before she entered her new home.
Shortbread was classified as a bread by bakers to avoid paying the tax placed on biscuits.
The Scottish custom of eating shortbread on New Year’s Eve derives from an ancient pagan ritual of eating Yule Cakes.
January 6th of each year is National Shortbread Day.
