Shortbread, a traditional biscuit of Scotland, originates from the 12th century and rose to popularity in the 16th century through Mary, Queen of Scots. The ‘short’ in shortbread mostly refers to its high butter or fat percentage which gives it a tender and crumbly texture, as opposed to a crunchy and chewy consistency.
I have conducted a practical trial on six shortbread recipes by David Tanis, Alison Roman, Benjamina Ebuehi, Melissa Clark, and Claire Saffitz. Additionally, I have included Thalia Ho’s sablé biscuit for comparative purposes. Sablés, often linked to the French version of shortbread, share a similar mixing method and ingredient list.
On the subject of mixing methods, my previous notion was that shortbread is typically prepared by gently incorporating butter into flour either using your hands or a food processor. Strikingly, the majority of these recipes (that of Tanis, Roman, Ho, Ebuehi, and Saffitz) require the ‘creaming’ method where butter and sugar are first amalgamated until light and fluffy before adding the dry ingredients. The only deviation is Melissa Clark who adopts a method that includes melting the butter before amalgamating it with the dry ingredients. Reflecting upon these methods, the ‘creaming’ method seems logical – it allows for substantial air to be incorporated into the butter and sugar mixture and then the dry components are gently folded in, this prevents overworking the gluten and potentially leads to a hard, chewy dough.
In terms of ingredients, butter is the principal flavour in shortbread and the amount subsumed in these recipes range from 77% (Tanis) to 100% (Saffitz) of total flour used. It is noteworthy that the two most delicious shortbreads (Ho and Saffitz) contained the maximum proportion of butter. An increased butter proportion enriches the fat content, providing the biscuits with a delightful and tender consistency. Salt is arguably the second vital component and all the recipes either include salt within the dough or use salted butter. Personally, I favour both plus the additional of a bit of flaky sea salt (for instance, Maldon) over the pre-baked biscuits.
The most frequently utilised ingredient in making shortbread is plain flour, with several supplementary ingredients depending on individual recipes. Clark’s recipe incorporates rice flour, a common choice that adds an interesting texture. While I wasn’t a fan of the taste, it offered a remarkable short texture to the cookies. Ebuehi enhances her shortbread by integrating ground almonds, furnishing it with a distinct flavour and composition. However, this may result in a slightly denser texture than some may appreciate. Saffitz’s shortbread recipe includes some cornflour, a touch I found appealing. Coupled with an egg yolk, as done by Saffitz and Ho, the shortbread proves light with an exquisite texture, yet isn’t overly brittle.
When it comes to flavouring, Roman introduces chocolate chunks to her shortbread cookies, though this may be a bit unconventional for some. Similarly, Tanis incorporates toasted pecans and cardamom, resulting in an enjoyable taste. Saffitz employs brown butter, greatly enhancing the flavour, but admittedly it might be considered as an unnecessary complexity for a basic shortbread recipe. She also coats the shortbread in tasty sage sugar before proceeding with baking. Several other recipes vibrant with subtle vanilla tones also rely on the combination of butter and salt for their flavour profiles.
The baking instruction varies among the recipes tested, with three recipes by Tanis, Clark, and Ebuehi advising the dough to be moulded into the tin, then sliced post-baking. Ebuehi’s unique touch includes using a fork to make the distinguishing marks associated with Scottish shortbread. Alternatively, Saffitz, Ho, and Roman’s recipes involve rolling the dough into a log, chilling it before slice-baking it in rounds. This method provides ease in storing any leftover dough for later baking. For optimum results, I’d suggest rolling the dough in sugar, particularly after coating with a touch of egg white, prior to slicing and baking. This gives the cookies a lovely caramelised crust. Likewise, if tray baking is your preferred method, Clark suggests sprinkling sugar on the finished shortbread for extra sweetness and crunch.
“Baking Procedure: Shortbread biscuits flavoured with lemon and poppyseed
Credited Sources:
– David Tanis
– Melissa Clark
– Alison Roman
– Thalia Ho
– Benjamina Ebuehi
– Claire Saffitz, author of ‘Dessert Person'”