Shortbread biscuits/cookies

[Lee_C]

I'm going to use this recipe with the same amounts of each ingredient, but unsalted butter and some salt added.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLatKPv1A54​

And as I have a fresh bag of ground rice, I'm intending to substitute some of the plain flour with it.
So, 240g plain flour and 100g rice flour, or maybe a bit more of the flour and less of the ground rice?

The reason for the ground rice is because I saw it included in a different recipe that I had looked at, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ovZkhTAy_Y

She says it gives a crispness to the texture.

She also says add a pinch of salt.
And should I add salt at the amount of 1.5% of the 340g flour/ground rice, i.e 5.1g?

What say ye Norcalbaker, I look forward to your thoughts. I'll be coating them with sugar after they've cooled a bit and then melting chocolate and piping zigzags over them and probably dipping the ends too.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

I'm going to use this recipe with the same amounts of each ingredient, but unsalted butter and some salt added.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLatKPv1A54​

And as I have a fresh bag of ground rice, I'm intending to substitute some of the plain flour with it.
So, 240g plain flour and 100g rice flour, or maybe a bit more of the flour and less of the ground rice?

The reason for the ground rice is because I saw it included in a different recipe that I had looked at, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ovZkhTAy_Y

She says it gives a crispness to the texture.

She also says add a pinch of salt.
And should I add salt at the amount of 1.5% of the 340g flour/ground rice, i.e 5.1g?

What say ye Norcalbaker, I look forward to your thoughts. I'll be coating them with sugar after they've cooled a bit and then melting chocolate and piping zigzags over them and probably dipping the ends too.

Video #1: No! She mixed it; then kneaded it; then fraisaged it; then shaped it into square. Then after all the mixing and mashing she committed the cardinal sin of rolling out the shortbread dough.

Video #2 that’s how to mix shortbread. My only quibble is the hot oven. The hallmark of perfectly baked shortbread is it is not baked to golden brown. It should be very light almost no color, not golden brown.

But we need to go back to Genesis because selecting a shortbread recipe begins with your preferences. The use of caster sugar versus powdered sugar and cornstarch versus rice flour has to due with creating specific characteristics in the shortbread.

Before you select a recipe you have to ask yourself what type of shortbread you prefer.

Do you prefer sandy textured shortbread with a nice crunch to the bite?

Or do you prefer a soft buttery melt in your mouth shortbread?

If you prefer a sandy and crunchy, you want a recipe with caster sugar and rice flour.

If you prefer a soft shortbread that melts in your mouth then you want a recipe with caster sugar and cornstarch.

Powdered sugar contains 3% cornstarch so a recipe using powdered sugar Would be equivalent to a recipe using caster sugar and cornstarch.

So you don’t want to use a recipe with powdered sugar, and then add rice flour to it.

If you let me know the type of shortbread you prefer I will get you a recipe. Or rather I will give you percentages and I will help you develop a recipe that you can call your own

Oh and the salt in shortbread is low less than 1%. Are usually use 1% because it’s easier. But .008 is about right.

But I’ll give you all the ratios when you let me know your preference

 

[Lee_C]

That's a good question. I would say melt in the mouth crumbly. I've had crunchy shortbread fingers before and found them a bit dry and hollow.

The ones I normally buy and love have a snap to them when bitten into or broken in half but it's not a crunch as such, and have quite a soft texture and very buttery flavour. Looking at the packet they contain wheatflour, butter, sugar, cornflour and salt. So perhaps that means I should go for a caster sugar and cornstarch recipe.

The way the biscuit looked when broken in half in the first video looks how I want mine, it looks crumbly. Although I think the ones I buy have a bit more snap and not quite as crumbly as hers. But either way is fine for me. I don't really need mine to be exactly the same as the ones I normally have or I might as well just buy some.

I stopped buying caster sugar and powdered sugar and have been grinding my own from granulated. But I've not been adding cornstarch to my powdered sugar. I have a can of cornflour, can I use that? I'm not sure if cornflour and cornstarch are the same, but cornflour is more readily available here. And if so, I presume I could use either my caster or powdered, + the cornflour?

.008 of salt noted, I shall go with that.

Regarding video #1, the final product looked really good to me, it looked soft and crumbly. What would the result of her technique actually created, perhaps a tougher biscuit to bite into than it looked in the video?

And thank you, I look forward to your recipe!

 

[Norcalbaker59]

That's a good question. I would say melt in the mouth crumbly. I've had crunchy shortbread fingers before and found them a bit dry and hollow.

The ones I normally buy and love have a snap to them when bitten into or broken in half but it's not a crunch as such, and have quite a soft texture and very buttery flavour. Looking at the packet they contain wheatflour, butter, sugar, cornflour and salt. So perhaps that means I should go for a caster sugar and cornstarch recipe.

The way the biscuit looked when broken in half in the first video looks how I want mine, it looks crumbly. Although I think the ones I buy have a bit more snap and not quite as crumbly as hers. But either way is fine for me. I don't really need mine to be exactly the same as the ones I normally have or I might as well just buy some.

I stopped buying caster sugar and powdered sugar and have been grinding my own from granulated. But I've not been adding cornstarch to my powdered sugar. I have a can of cornflour, can I use that? I'm not sure if cornflour and cornstarch are the same, but cornflour is more readily available here. And if so, I presume I could use either my caster or powdered, + the cornflour?

.008 of salt noted, I shall go with that.

Regarding video #1, the final product looked really good to me, it looked soft and crumbly. What would the result of her technique actually created, perhaps a tougher biscuit to bite into than it looked in the video?

And thank you, I look forward to your recipe!

What size baking tin are you planning to use? I will help you calculate recipes for both a cornflour version and a rice version. That way you can try both and determine which one you like. And yes you can use sugar and cornflour, you don’t have to use powdered sugar

 

[Lee_C]

I've got an 11" x 9" x 1.75" brownie tin that I was thinking of using primarily. I've also got my trusty 8" x 8" x 3" tin.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

I've got an 11" x 9" x 1.75" brownie tin that I was thinking of using primarily. I've also got my trusty 8" x 8" x 3" tin.

Ok. I will write out the ratios later today. I’m going out for a hike this morning.

 

[Lee_C]

Ok. I will write out the ratios later today. I’m going out for a hike this morning.

Awesome. Enjoy your hike. I'm off now to play a gig.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Awesome. Enjoy your hike. I'm off now to play a gig.

The hallmark of well baked shortbread is the light color. Shortbread should not be browned; the top should be white and the dough that is in contact with the pan should be a light golden browned.

There are as many opinions about the ratios for shortbread as there are bakers. Butter can range from a paltry 50% to 100%. Sugar 25% to a whopping 60%. Cornstarch is typically 25%-30%, but I’ve seen recipes as high as 45%.

Shortbread is a butter cookie. I believe at least 85% butter should be used for a shortbread baked in a tin. The percentage can be reduced to 70% when the dough is going to be cut out into cookies. But 85% is the minimum really to make a good shortbread IMO.


Since you know you like a particular brand of shortbread that is commercially produced, I would recommend you start with the standard ratio shortbread with 85% butter. The reason being is I doubt a commercially produced shortbread would be made with equal parts butter and flour. It would be a very fragile biscuit, probably too fragile to ship. My guess is a commercially produced shortbread would probably be somewhere around 70% butter to flour. But start with the 85% and see how you like it.

Back when I ate wheat I was a rice flour shortbread person. But if I had to choose a cornstarch version of shortbread it would be the 100% butter version. That one is extremely soft but it melts in the mouth. I baked a batch so you could see what it looks like.


If after making a batch of shortbread with cornstarch, you decide it is too soft or prefer a sandier or crunchier shortbread, let me know and I will help you revise the recipe to your liking. When it comes to shortbread, people have strong preferences, so tweaking the recipe to your liking may be necessary.


===================



Ratios for premium shortbread

• 100% plain flour
• 29% cornstarch
• 100% unsalted butter
• 30% caster sugar
• .008 salt

===============


Ratios for standard shortbread

• 100% plain flour
• 25% cornstarch
• 85% unsalted butter
• 45% caster sugar
• .008 salt

===============


Scale: 4.25g flour x area of tin


Example using 8” tin and premium ratios


Find the area of the tin, multiply the length by the width: 8 x 8 = 64


Multiply the area of the tin x 4.25g flour:


64 x 4.25 = 272g flour


For the 8” tin, use 272g flour.


272 x .29 = 78.88.

Use 79g cornstarch


272 x 1.00 = 272


Use 272 g unsalted butter


272 x .30 = 81.6

Use 82g castor sugar


272 x .008 = 2.176

Use 2 g salt



===============


NOTE: Shortbread requires top quality butter. The butter must be soft, the consistency of thick whipped cream. But it should not look oily.


I bake my shortbread in a cake ring. I grease the ring. Then place it on a parchment lined baking sheet.


INSTRUCTIONS


Preheat oven 300°F (150°C)


Butter bottom and sides tin.



Sprinkle the salt over the butter and work with a whisk or fork until it is completely dissolved.


Set the butter aside.


Whisk the cornstarch and flour to ensure they are fully blended. This is an important step, do not skip it.


Add the sugar to the butter and whisk or work with a fork until the sugar and butter are fully combined.


Sift the flour over the butter and sugar. Use a rubber spatula or large spoon and gently stir until it forms a crumbly dough. Then with a clean hand, gently mix to form a dough. It will still be crumbly, but smoother.


Spread clumps evenly in tin. It’s important to distribute them very evenly before you pat them down. Gently pat the dough into the tin. Use a small offset spatula to gently smooth the top.


Score the dough into rectangles 1/2” wide x 2” long. Then use a skewer or fork to prick it with a fork.


Chill the dough 15 minutes.


Bake 35 - 45 minutes. Shortbread it is done when there is a hint of browning on dough touching the edge of the pan. The top will remain light in color.


Cool the shortbread about 10 minutes, then use a sharp knife to cut along score lines. However do not remove from pan until completely cool. The first cookie



NOTE: you don’t really have to score the dough before baking. I slice my shortbread after baking. I also bake in a cake ring that is placed in a rimmed baking sheet. After cooling for 5 - 10 minutes I remove the ring. I then lay a ruler across the baking sheet rim and slice the shortbread.


If you want to flavor your shortbread, rub the zest of a lemon or 1/2 of an orange into the sugar with your fingers. You can also add vanilla bean paste to the butter.


You can also make flavored sugars like lavender and vanilla. But this requires some advanced planning.

The butter must be soft and the consistency of thick whipped cream. Work the salt into the butter with a fork or whisk until it’s completely dissolved

Work the sugar into the butter with a fork or a whisk until it is fully combined.

Sugar and butter fully combined

Whisk flour and cornstarch to ensure even distribution

Sift flour and cornstarch over butter and sugar

Stir with rubber spatula or spoon. Dough will be very crumbly

Then mix with your hand. Dough will be smoother, but still crumbly

Distribute evenly in tin. It’s important to distribute it evenly before you pat down. Otherwise it will bake up an even.

Gently pat down. Use an offset spatula to smooth top. Do you want to brush across the top rather than press down. You can see I started to smooth the dough in the corner.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Right out of the oven

Sprinkled with 50/50 caster sugar and granulated sugar right out of the oven. Cooled about five minutes. And sliced

Are use a sharp chefs knife

I trim off the brown crust on the sides

What the interior looks like

Top: Color and texture of an decorated shortbread

Center: Color and texture of bottom of shortbread

Bottom: shortbread sprinkled with 50/50 caster sugar and granulated sugar

Everything looks dark but the lighting is really bad. It’s actually pretty light colored.

Baked in baked in 8” cake ring I did not scale the recipe, rather I just used a block of butter 225g and calculated everything based on that. Had I scaled at 4.25g the amount of flour would have been 272g, So the shortbread fingers would be just a tad bigger.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

The hallmark of well baked shortbread is the light color. Shortbread should not be browned; the top should be white and the dough that is in contact with the pan should be a light golden browned.

There are as many opinions about the ratios for shortbread as there are bakers. Butter can range from a paltry 50% to 100%. Sugar 25% to a whopping 60%. Cornstarch is typically 25%-30%, but I’ve seen recipes as high as 45%.

Shortbread is a butter cookie. I believe at least 85% butter should be used for a shortbread baked in a tin. The percentage can be reduced to 70% when the dough is going to be cut out into cookies. But 85% is the minimum really to make a good shortbread IMO.


Since you know you like a particular brand of shortbread that is commercially produced, I would recommend you start with the standard ratio shortbread with 85% butter. The reason being is I doubt a commercially produced shortbread would be made with equal parts butter and flour. It would be a very fragile biscuit, probably too fragile to ship. My guess is a commercially produced shortbread would probably be somewhere around 70% butter to flour. But start with the 85% and see how you like it.

Back when I ate wheat I was a rice flour shortbread person. But if I had to choose a cornstarch version of shortbread it would be the 100% butter version. That one is extremely soft but it melts in the mouth. I baked a batch so you could see what it looks like.


If after making a batch of shortbread with cornstarch, you decide it is too soft or prefer a sandier or crunchier shortbread, let me know and I will help you revise the recipe to your liking. When it comes to shortbread, people have strong preferences, so tweaking the recipe to your liking may be necessary.


===================



Ratios for premium shortbread

• 100% plain flour
• 29% cornstarch
• 100% unsalted butter
• 30% caster sugar
• .008 salt

===============


Ratios for standard shortbread

• 100% plain flour
• 25% cornstarch
• 85% unsalted butter
• 45% caster sugar
• .008 salt

===============


Scale: 4.25g flour x area of tin


Example using 8” tin and premium ratios


Find the area of the tin, multiply the length by the width: 8 x 8 = 64


Multiply the area of the tin x 4.25g flour:


64 x 4.25 = 272g flour


For the 8” tin, use 272g flour.


272 x .29 = 78.88.

Use 79g cornstarch


272 x 1.00 = 272


Use 272 g unsalted butter


272 x .30 = 81.6

Use 82g castor sugar


272 x .008 = 2.176

Use 2 g salt



===============


NOTE: Shortbread requires top quality butter. The butter must be soft, the consistency of thick whipped cream. But it should not look oily.


I bake my shortbread in a cake ring. I grease the ring. Then place it on a parchment lined baking sheet.


INSTRUCTIONS


Preheat oven 300°F (150°C)


Butter bottom and sides tin.



Sprinkle the salt over the butter and work with a whisk or fork until it is completely dissolved.


Set the butter aside.


Whisk the cornstarch and flour to ensure they are fully blended. This is an important step, do not skip it.


Add the sugar to the butter and whisk or work with a fork until the sugar and butter are fully combined.


Sift the flour over the butter and sugar. Use a rubber spatula or large spoon and gently stir until it forms a crumbly dough. Then with a clean hand, gently mix to form a dough. It will still be crumbly, but smoother.


Spread clumps evenly in tin. It’s important to distribute them very evenly before you pat them down. Gently pat the dough into the tin. Use a small offset spatula to gently smooth the top.


Score the dough into rectangles 1/2” wide x 2” long. Then use a skewer or fork to prick it with a fork.


Chill the dough 15 minutes.


Bake 35 - 45 minutes. Shortbread it is done when there is a hint of browning on dough touching the edge of the pan. The top will remain light in color.


Cool the shortbread about 10 minutes, then use a sharp knife to cut along score lines. However do not remove from pan until completely cool. The first cookie



NOTE: you don’t really have to score the dough before baking. I slice my shortbread after baking. I also bake in a cake ring that is placed in a rimmed baking sheet. After cooling for 5 - 10 minutes I remove the ring. I then lay a ruler across the baking sheet rim and slice the shortbread.


If you want to flavor your shortbread, rub the zest of a lemon or 1/2 of an orange into the sugar with your fingers. You can also add vanilla bean paste to the butter.


You can also make flavored sugars like lavender and vanilla. But this requires some advanced planning.

The butter must be soft and the consistency of thick whipped cream. Work the salt into the butter with a fork or whisk until it’s completely dissolved
View attachment 2500



Work the sugar into the butter with a fork or a whisk until it is fully combined.
View attachment 2499

Sugar and butter fully combined
View attachment 2501

Whisk flour and cornstarch to ensure even distribution
View attachment 2503

Sift flour and cornstarch over butter and sugar
View attachment 2504


Stir with rubber spatula or spoon. Dough will be very crumbly
View attachment 2506


Then mix with your hand. Dough will be smoother, but still crumbly
View attachment 2505

Distribute evenly in tin. It’s important to distribute it evenly before you pat down. Otherwise it will bake up an even.
View attachment 2507

Gently pat down. Use an offset spatula to smooth top. Do you want to brush across the top rather than press down. You can see I started to smooth the dough in the corner.
View attachment 2508

Oh! It just dawn on me on the standard ratio, The sugar at 45% is for American tastes. A more traditional Scottish and British shortbread should be around 30%-33%. But when I use that amount the peanut gallery whines waah waah waah. Last time I made shortbread my brother actually texted me to complain right in the middle of eating it. But that’s how much emotion shortbread evokes in people

 

[Lee_C]

NCB, sorry, I've been out all day. Thanks for all that, really excellent! Great photos too thanks, shows me the process even better.

Right then, so, I'm going to opt for the standard recipe with 85% butter.
I think these are the correct amounts?

272g flour
68g cornflour
231g butter
82g caster sugar (@30%)
2g salt

Where does the 4.25g scale come from out of interest?

I've never used anything other than standard priced butter, but I've done some research and President unsalted should be the best one according to what I've read. I was worried when you said I need the highest quality, but the President is actually only pennies more than the normal butter I buy. It seems all butter uses 80 to 82% butterfat, so I don't know how to tell what is top quality just from that, other than reviews.
https://groceries.morrisons.com/webshop/product/President-Unsalted-Butter/112336011?from=search&param=unsalted butter

I'll skip using the rectangular tin as it would require more of each ingredient so the 8 x 8 tin is ideal.

So the butter must be soft like whipped cream, I guess that means it needs to be a bit warmer than my room temperature which is usually around 22 to 24c this time of year.

If I score the dough into rectangles before baking, should I cut right through to the bottom or almost to the bottom?

Lol, sorry about your brother complaining, I'm sure your shortbread was perfect and he obviously has too much of a sweettooth he didn't appreciate what you'd made.

My tin of cornflour is a few months out of date, is it ok to use?

 

[Norcalbaker59]

NCB, sorry, I've been out all day. Thanks for all that, really excellent! Great photos too thanks, shows me the process even better.

Right then, so, I'm going to opt for the standard recipe with 85% butter.
I think these are the correct amounts?

272g flour
68g cornflour
231g butter
82g caster sugar (@30%)
2g salt

Where does the 4.25g scale come from out of interest?

I've never used anything other than standard priced butter, but I've done some research and President unsalted should be the best one according to what I've read. I was worried when you said I need the highest quality, but the President is actually only pennies more than the normal butter I buy. It seems all butter uses 80 to 82% butterfat, so I don't know how to tell what is top quality just from that, other than reviews.
https://groceries.morrisons.com/webshop/product/President-Unsalted-Butter/112336011?from=search&param=unsalted butter

I'll skip using the rectangular tin as it would require more of each ingredient so the 8 x 8 tin is ideal.

So the butter must be soft like whipped cream, I guess that means it needs to be a bit warmer than my room temperature which is usually around 22 to 24c this time of year.

If I score the dough into rectangles before baking, should I cut right through to the bottom or almost to the bottom?

Lol, sorry about your brother complaining, I'm sure your shortbread was perfect and he obviously has too much of a sweettooth he didn't appreciate what you'd made.

My tin of cornflour is a few months out of date, is it ok to use?

Yes, Presidents butter is excellent. That is a good choice.

I would purchase a new package of cornflour. The shortbread has so few ingredients, and it is all about the quality of its ingredients. Since cornstarch is hygroscopic, living in a humid environment, it will absorb some humidity from the air. So even though technically corn flour can sit around for years, there is the staleness factor to consider. If using good butter it’s best to use fresh corn flour.

When you score the dough you don’t need to go all the way down. You definitely want to go deep, but don’t cut through you want the shortbread to hold together.

The temperature in your kitchen should be fine. Better with a high butterfat content softens up fast. Once the butter gives easily. Cut it into large cubes and put it in the bowl. Then start running a fork through it. Once you run a fork through it several times it is going to warm up very quickly. Then sprinkle the salt on it. By the time you work the salt through it it is going to be like whipped cream.

The 8” tin makes plenty enough shortbread.

The 4.25g comes from scaling an original recipe from the Tartine cookbook some years ago. The recipe was so strange in that it called for a pan size that I had never heard of, 6” x 10”. Oh and a glass pan to boot. I was like, “On what planet does she live on? “ So being a baking nerd I did what any baking nerd would do. I calculated the area of the pan, divided it into the weight of the flour to figure out the grams. Then I applied that to the area of the pan I was going to use. Seem the only practical solution to me since I’m sure there are no glass 6” x 10” baking pan in the US. Her recipe was good, but I had to make changes to get it to work. It’s the 100% butter recipe. I increased the sugar from 24% to 30%; reduced the baking temperature by 25°F; increase the baking time from 25 minutes to 40 - 45 mins. And since she made no specifications on bleached or unbleached flour, after trying flours several, I finally concluded an organic low protein unbleached flour works best.

 

[Lee_C]

Yes, Presidents butter is excellent. That is a good choice.

I would purchase a new package of cornflour. The shortbread has so few ingredients, and it is all about the quality of its ingredients. Since cornstarch is hygroscopic, living in a humid environment, it will absorb some humidity from the air. So even though technically corn flour can sit around for years, there is the staleness factor to consider. If using good butter it’s best to use fresh corn flour.

When you score the dough you don’t need to go all the way down. You definitely want to go deep, but don’t cut through you want the shortbread to hold together.

The temperature in your kitchen should be fine. Better with a high butterfat content softens up fast. Once the butter gives easily. Cut it into large cubes and put it in the bowl. Then start running a fork through it. Once you run a fork through it several times it is going to warm up very quickly. Then sprinkle the salt on it. By the time you work the salt through it it is going to be like whipped cream.

The 8” tin makes plenty enough shortbread.

The 4.25g comes from scaling an original recipe from the Tartine cookbook some years ago. The recipe was so strange in that it called for a pan size that I had never heard of, 6” x 10”. Oh and a glass pan to boot. I was like, “On what planet does she live on? “ So being a baking nerd I did what any baking nerd would do. I calculated the area of the pan, divided it into the weight of the flour to figure out the grams. Then I applied that to the area of the pan I was going to use. Seem the only practical solution to me since I’m sure there are no glass 6” x 10” baking pan in the US. Her recipe was good, but I had to make changes to get it to work. It’s the 100% butter recipe. I increased the sugar from 24% to 30%; reduced the baking temperature by 25°F; increase the baking time from 25 minutes to 40 - 45 mins. And since she made no specifications on bleached or unbleached flour, after trying flours several, I finally concluded an organic low protein unbleached flour works best.

As it happens, I'm taking my mum food shopping on Wednesday and she likes to shop at a supermarket that just happens to sell President butter at the best price and cornflour at the best price, so that's where I'll be buying them!

Thanks for answering all my questions, and you've made it very easy for me to understand how to make my shortbread fingers, I can't wait to do it!

Couple of other questions. I noticed in the Waitrose video she sprinkled sugar on top before baking. I'm wondering how the sugar didn't melt and what the advantage might be instead of sprinkling sugar while it cools after it's baked?

I want to melt chocolate to dip the biscuits and also to pipe on. This brings me back to tempering chocolate. In the other video I posted, she melted 90g chocolate but didn't talk about tempering so I'm assuming she didn't do that. I also recall you once said "Minimum of 1/2 lb chocolate is required for tempering" So, that means I wouldn't need to consider tempering if I only use up to 100g chocolate. But I forgot to ask you in the thread where we were originally discussing chocolate, why is a minimum of 1/2 lb necessary and does chocolate simply not temper if there's less of it?

 

[Norcalbaker59]

As it happens, I'm taking my mum food shopping on Wednesday and she likes to shop at a supermarket that just happens to sell President butter at the best price and cornflour at the best price, so that's where I'll be buying them!

Thanks for answering all my questions, and you've made it very easy for me to understand how to make my shortbread fingers, I can't wait to do it!

Couple of other questions. I noticed in the Waitrose video she sprinkled sugar on top before baking. I'm wondering how the sugar didn't melt and what the advantage might be instead of sprinkling sugar while it cools after it's baked?

I want to melt chocolate to dip the biscuits and also to pipe on. This brings me back to tempering chocolate. In the other video I posted, she melted 90g chocolate but didn't talk about tempering so I'm assuming she didn't do that. I also recall you once said "Minimum of 1/2 lb chocolate is required for tempering" So, that means I wouldn't need to consider tempering if I only use up to 100g chocolate. But I forgot to ask you in the thread where we were originally discussing chocolate, why is a minimum of 1/2 lb necessary and does chocolate simply not temper if there's less of it?

Sprinkling the shortbread with sugar before baking is pretty common. Some of the sugar will melt unless you use sanding sugar. When making a petticoat, cookie, or when I dock the shortbread fingers I will sprinkle with a sanding sugar.

The method I used of sprinkling a combination of granulated sugar and caster sugar after baking the undocked fingers is less common. It creates a very white coating on top, so creates a really lovely presentation. But if you do that you need to drop the sugar in the dough to about 25%. And I think that treatment of shortbread really works better with a crisper style of shortbread. But it is a really very beautiful plated and served with tea and fresh berries. The beauty of shortbread is you can make it as elegant or simply as the occasion. It’s such a perfect little biscuit.

The reason you need to use 1/2 lb is to avoid burning the chocolate. It’s about volume. Not all of the chocolate melts at once. The chocolate that melts first is going to reach maximum temperature very quickly and before the rest of the chocolate is melted. So that’s why you stir to continue to melt the unmelted chocolate and use it in part to keep the melted chocolate below the maximum temperature. You’re also aligning those crystals. If there’s too little chocolate, it becomes impossible to keep the chocolate under the maximum temperature. Once you exceed the maximum temperature the chocolate is burnt. And there’s no fixing burnt chocolate.

If you’re going to use a small amount of chocolate tried this. Chop the chocolate up real fine. Place the chocolate in a airtight Ziploc bag. You need to make sure that no water can get in the bag. Fill a container with water that is about 89F-90F/32C. Then place the Ziploc of chocolate in the bag. Make sure that you have the opening of the bag above the water line so no water gets in the bag. And let the warm water melt the chocolate. May take a little while for it to melt. But at that temperature it shouldn’t take it out of temper. Once the chocolate is melted dry the bag off really well so there’s no water on it because water and chocolate don’t mix. Then snap a little tiny Hole in one corner of the bag and use that to drizzle the chocolate over your shortbread. Technically your chocolate should be in temper and it should hard.

I just looked at the Waitrose recipe. I was surprised that she bakes at 150°C. I thought she baked in a hotter oven because her shortbread is pretty brown in the video. But she bakes for 45 - 50 minutes. She also mixes of her dough more throughly. There’s two schools of thought on mixing the dough. Those that will form a smooth dough like she has done, and those like me that will bring it to a smooth crumbly go and then press it into a tin and smooth out the top. The only time I form a smooth dough is when I make it into a cutout cookie. But overall I like her recipe. She make shortbread in the traditional way. The baker in the first video not so much.

Since you talked about adding rice flour to the recipe you were going to try originally I’ve been thinking about what a shortbread recipe would be like mixed with both cornstarch and rice flour. So I’m going to make a batch and see what it’s like

It’s really nice of you to take your mother shopping. At her age she needs assistant. And it’s good that she can depend on you to help her.

 

[Lee_C]

Hi NCB, ooh, I've never heard of sanding sugar and had to look it up. Now I know.

I think I'd like to sprinkle with caster and granulated and achieve the white coating like you do so I guess I'll reduce the dough sugar to 25%.

I like your suggestion of the ziploc bag and I have one of those. Although I'm wondering how long the water will stay at 32c while waiting for the chocolate to melt. I'm considering either dark chocolate or melting milk chocolate chips. Do you think milk chocolate would work or better with dark? I think the dark colour of dark chocolate would look more striking. I won't be using chocolate on all of them, and the ones I do I think I'll need to not coat with too much sugar.

I forgot to ask you, when you press down your dough into the tin, are you aiming for a certain biscuit thickness, like about half an inch? Would you recommend I put dough straight into my loose base square tin instead of lining it, and would you recommend greasing with butter or making up some more bakers grease?

Did you make the cornstarch and rice flour recipe yet and how did it turn out?

Yes, went with my mother shopping today and bought the cornflour and President unsalted butter. We're in a heatwave here and the butter was getting quite soft in my car so I got it into a fridge as soon as I could!

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Hi NCB, ooh, I've never heard of sanding sugar and had to look it up. Now I know.

I think I'd like to sprinkle with caster and granulated and achieve the white coating like you do so I guess I'll reduce the dough sugar to 25%.

I like your suggestion of the ziploc bag and I have one of those. Although I'm wondering how long the water will stay at 32c while waiting for the chocolate to melt. I'm considering either dark chocolate or melting milk chocolate chips. Do you think milk chocolate would work or better with dark? I think the dark colour of dark chocolate would look more striking. I won't be using chocolate on all of them, and the ones I do I think I'll need to not coat with too much sugar.

I forgot to ask you, when you press down your dough into the tin, are you aiming for a certain biscuit thickness, like about half an inch? Would you recommend I put dough straight into my loose base square tin instead of lining it, and would you recommend greasing with butter or making up some more bakers grease?

Did you make the cornstarch and rice flour recipe yet and how did it turn out?

Yes, went with my mother shopping today and bought the cornflour and President unsalted butter. We're in a heatwave here and the butter was getting quite soft in my car so I got it into a fridge as soon as I could!

Yes you should grease the tin.


Regarding biscuit thickness… Remember I mentioned that there’s two schools of thought on mixing the dough. Those that will form a smooth dough like the Waitrose recipe, and those like me that will bring it to a smooth crumbly dough and then press it into a tin? The reason for leaving it a more crumbly dough is to spread the dough evenly in the tin before pressing it down. I check to make sure that it is very evenly spread out. If the dough is formed into a smooth cohesive ball it’s very difficult to spread it out in the tin. If you look at the Waitrose video, she uses the back of a spoon to spread her dough out. That makes it difficult to get it even and it really compacts the dough, so it can make it tough. But if it’s left a little bit crumbly you can sprinkle it in, and move it around where you want, make sure it’s even and then pat it down (look that the photos on my dough). Then when you smooth over the top with a spatula you’re not compacting it either. Plus if it’s left a little bit crumbly it’s not overworked. If you look at the photos of the shortbread fingers, the bottom piece, you can see the dough is not compacted.

And that scale 4.25g flour to the area of the pan? When you calculate your ingredients based on that amount of flour, based on the area of your pan, it will create the appropriate thickness of just over 2/3” when you gently pat it down. So how you Measure by weight using this scale 4.25 g flour, how you mix the dough and pan place it in the tin, it will automatically come out to the correctness. Scale is important; that’s why when I did not have a 6” x 10” glass baking pan as the original recipe called for I calculated out the area of the pan and the flour quantity to adjust it to my 8” cake ring.

Regarding the chocolate…You may need to re-heat the water a few times. The most important thing is not heat the chocolate above 32°C. You can heat the water above 32°C since the temperature of the water will not fully transfer into the chocolate. And the cooler temperature of the chocolate will reduce the temperature of the water. Plus the plastic will insulate the chocolate some from the heat of the water.

Oh I understand the perils of getting the butter home in the summer heat. It’s a 30 minute drive from my house into town. When it’s really hot I’ll ask the seafood department for a bag of ice to keep my butter cold.

 

[Lee_C]

Thanks, all understood! I'm hoping to make them tomorrow. Yes, that's quite a long drive in hot weather so how cool (no pun intended) they give you a bag of ice.
Tomorrow is due to be a record breaking hot day in the UK, it's meant to hit 39c here.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Thanks, all understood! I'm hoping to make them tomorrow. Yes, that's quite a long drive in hot weather so how cool (no pun intended) they give you a bag of ice.
Tomorrow is due to be a record breaking hot day in the UK, it's meant to hit 39c here.

We are in a heat wave here too. Oh I forgot to answer your question regarding trying a batch using both cornflour and rice flour. No I haven’t tried it yet. I plan to bake this weekend. I’m going to my sister’s house on Saturday to do some cloth dying with friends. I’m supposed to bring a dish. I want to bring shortbread. I bought some peaches to make either a pie or cobbler as well.

Oh I was just thinking too there will be a little less volume of dough because you’ll be at 80% butter rather than 100% butter. The fingers will be the size of the ones in my photo because those weren’t a full batch.

 

[Lee_C]

Cloth dying, that actually sounds like it might be fun.
Looking forward to hearing about your shortbread experiment.

I've made mine and they taste great! Ever so soft and crumbly, delicious. Baked at 150c for 35 minutes, took a look, seemed about done but then I gave them another 5 minutes for good measure. I think they might be ever so slightly underbaked as the colour in the centre is slightly darker. But I didn't want to risk overbaking. Also I wasn't sure if baking for longer would make them less or more fragile.

They're very fragile and break easily. I tested a small piece by chilling in the fridge for 15 minutes and it held together better once cold but still fragile, so picking them up to dip in chocolate without breaking might be tricky. I found it difficult smoothing the surface of the dough once patted down as I can't get my offset spatula completely flush inside my tin.

And my scoring leaves a lot to be desired. Also, during baking, the fork holes I'd docked into the surface and the lines I'd scored got blurred so I redid them while it was cooling.

I mixed up 25g caster and 25g granulated. I've left some of the shortbread unsugared as those ones will get chocolate. I'll post pics with the chocolate once I've done those.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Cloth dying, that actually sounds like it might be fun.
Looking forward to hearing about your shortbread experiment.

I've made mine and they taste great! Ever so soft and crumbly, delicious. Baked at 150c for 35 minutes, took a look, seemed about done but then I gave them another 5 minutes for good measure. I think they might be ever so slightly underbaked as the colour in the centre is slightly darker. But I didn't want to risk overbaking. Also I wasn't sure if baking for longer would make them less or more fragile.

They're very fragile and break easily. I tested a small piece by chilling in the fridge for 15 minutes and it held together better once cold but still fragile, so picking them up to dip in chocolate without breaking might be tricky. I found it difficult smoothing the surface of the dough once patted down as I can't get my offset spatula completely flush inside my tin.

And my scoring leaves a lot to be desired. Also, during baking, the fork holes I'd docked into the surface and the lines I'd scored got blurred so I redid them while it was cooling.

I mixed up 25g caster and 25g granulated. I've left some of the shortbread unsugared as those ones will get chocolate. I'll post pics with the chocolate once I've done those.

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They do look very nice @Lee_C. You got a very nice even dough. It doesn’t look compact. Considering you baked it in a deep cake tin, you got a very good result.

Yes that tin is deep so smoothing the top must have been a chore.

Yes I agree I think you’re a little under baked.

I’m sorry I should’ve explained the cooling process a little bit better.

When it’s baked in a tin, let it cool for a good 5 minutes or so. Then just make the cut marks. Then leave leave it totally alone. Don’t touch it for several hours. It needs to be totally cooled. Homemade shortbread is more fragile because it’s made with more butter and better butter than commercial shortbread.

The reason I use a cake ring is you can lift the ring right off the shortbread, Making it so much easier than trying to lift it out of the pan. But even with a cake ring I always end up with one or two broken fingers, shortbread is fragile.

The rice flour versions hold the docking marks a lot better than the cornflour versions. That’s why I usually don’t bother with the docking marks on the cornflour versions.

I’ll let you know how the combination corn flour and rice flour turn out. My sister gave me a shortbread tin a few years ago. It’s dark metal, not my favorite type of tin, but I’ll probably use that to make the shortbread if I can locate in my storage room.

But really you did a very good job.