Short Bread

I've seen all sorts of strange recipes for shortbread. Some of them get quite complicated with ingredients that'd never have been traditionally available in Scotland, where shortbread developed - probably as a way to use up leftover bread dough.

This recipe's simple:

9oz Flour
6oz Butter
3oz Sugar

throw them in a big bowl and knead them until they form a dough, then knead them some more. You can't over-knead shortbread, and kneading relieves stress, so when you think you've kneaded enough, knead a bit more. You'll feel better for it.

Turn on the oven low. Making shortbread is more like drying than baking, so 150ºC is hot enough.

Knead some more while the oven gets up to temperature.

Flatten out the dough on a baking tray and sprinkle sugar on top. you might want to poke dents in it with a fork to stop it rising.

There're three traditional shapes for shortbread:
1. Rounds - cut individual biscuits with a pastry cutter or jam jar lid.
2. Petticoat Tails - one big circle shape, scored so it'll break into triangles.
3. Fingers - a big rectangle scored into long 'fingers'

Put the shortbread in the oven and leave it for 20 minutes or half an hour. It won't change colour much and when you take it out it'll still be soft, but don't panic. It will cool down and you can wrap it in tartan ribbon or, better yet, eat it.