Brown, Catherine (2015-04-01). "Shortbread". The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-931362-4. ...not all shortbread is made with white flour. On Orkney, where a tasty Neolithic barley known as "bere" is still grown and milled, bakers add a little of this flour to their shortbread. Others add rolled oats to provide more flavour and texture. Modern recipes also often deviate from the original by splitting the sugar into equal parts granulated and icing sugar and many add a portion of salt. Please see the printable recipe card with exact ingredient quantities and preparation instructions at the bottom of this post. Chef John Quigley discusses and bakes Scottish Shortbread". Scotlandontv.tv. 2006-10-24 . Retrieved 2009-05-29. There's an easy rule for this shortbread pastry and it goes 1 - 2 - 3. And once you've learnt it, you'll never need to look at another butter shortbread recipe again. Let me show you.

In one of the oldest shapes, bakers pinched the edges of a shortbread round to suggest the rays of the sun. [4]

Shortbread is so named because of its crumbly texture (from an old meaning of the word "short", as opposed to "long", or stretchy). [13] [14] [15] The cause of this texture is its high fat content, provided by the butter. The short or crumbly texture is a result of the fat inhibiting the formation of long protein ( gluten) strands. The related word " shortening" refers to any fat that may be added to produce a "short" (crumbly) texture. [16] And you won't even need to learn the exacts of this easy shortbread cookie recipe once I show you one simple rule! Then simply add any spices, dried fruit, chocolate or nuts and away you go! Jump to: In ancient Scottish folklore, sun-shaped cakes, such as shortbread, had magic powers over the Sun during the Scottish New Year's Eve. [4] There's an art to these buttery, crumbly biscuits that are a favourite of Hollywood star Nicholas Cage. Even the Queen had her own Balmoral recipe of shortbread made to her royal tastes.

Dried fruit - for a good shortbread cookie, my family would say swap for chocolate chips, but they're usually a bit more expensive when making as gifts Recently someone asked Granny, “what’s your favourite thing to bake?” and without hesitation, she answered with “Shortbread!” I’ve already shared Granny’s famous Shortbread recipe but inspired by recent events, I thought it was now time to share another variation of the classic Scottish Shortbread – which incidentally is my favourite kind – Highlander Shortbread! Jamieson, John (1841). An etymological dictionary of the Scottish language (2nded.). Edinburgh: Andrew Shortrede. p.191 . Retrieved 10 May 2018. Shortbread or shortie [1] is a traditional Scottish biscuit usually made from one part white sugar, two parts butter, and three to four parts plain wheat flour. Shortbread does not contain any leavening, such as baking powder or baking soda. Shortbread is widely associated with Christmas and Hogmanay festivities in Scotland, and some Scottish brands are exported around the world. a b Clarkson, Janet (2015-04-01). "Shortcake". The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets. Oxford University Press. p.1093. ISBN 978-0-19-931362-4.

Emma Kay, A History of British Baking: From Blood Bread to Bake-Off (Pen & Sword, 2020) pp. 113–114. "Despite the endless citations linking Mary Queen of Scots with 'Petticoat tails', I cannot find any legitimate or authentic links with shortbread and its conception in Scotland. Admittedly, during the 1700s it was the predominant country of manufacture, but not solely and certainly not the first to." Shortbread originated in Scotland. [2] [3] Although it was prepared during much of the 12th century, and probably benefited from cultural exchange with French pastry chefs during the Auld Alliance between France and Scotland, [4] the refinement of shortbread is popularly credited to Mary, Queen of Scots in the 16th century. [5] Despite the enduring popular association, evidence for any connection between Mary and shortbread's origin is sparse. [6] The afternoon/evening involved a lot of waiting but was overall a fantastic experience, with us even getting to see the new episode of The Great British Bake Off days before it debuted on TV. And we even made the final edit and can be seen talking about your selection of regional biscuits. You can see it on All4– I should mention that we were asked before if I minded going along with the joke and of course agreed!