Real Scottish Shortbread

Taken from Leith's Cookery Bible:-

This makes 6 to 8 biscuits [cookies]
4 ounces of butter at room temperature
2 ounces of caster /superfine sugar [do not use granulated]
4 ounces of plain flour [not all purpose or it will rise]
2 ounces of rice flour [this is what gives it the effect of gluing it to the roof of your mouth. Some people use Semolina but that's unobtainable around here]

We doubled the ingredients to make American sized portions.




1.Turn on the over to 325 degrees F.
2.Beat the butter and sugar in the mixer until it changes colour and looks creamy and fluffy.
3.Sift the flours together and then add to the mixer on ‘slow’ until you have one big lump of shortbread.
4. Place a fluted shortbread ring onto a baking tray and tip the big lump onto the tray in the middle of the ring.
5. Squish out to the ends of the ring.
6. prick the surface all over with a fork
7. draw lines with a knife on the circle of shortcake to look like spokes of a bicycle wheel.
8. Bake for about 40 minutes until very pale.
9. Leave to cool for five minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.




If you don’t have a shortbread ring you can just roll the dough out into a circle and crimp the edges with your fingers. Put flour on your hands first or the dough will stick to you.

Score = 10 out of 10