SC - Shortbread

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Peters, Rise J. wrote:

> Does anyone have (a) a period shortbread recipe
> and/or (b) a good modern shortbread recipe?

I don't know of a period shortbread recipe. It probably evolved from
sgian oatcake recipes, many of which call for fat to be rubbed into
meal, sometimes sweetened slightly, but not always, and baked on a
griddle or bakestone of some kind. No period recipes for them, either,
but the people who've researched such things are pretty sure that sgians
(scones) existed in period, despite the lack of direct documentation.
(Neolithic ones have been found, for example).

Get enough Englishmen into an honest Celtic land ;  ), and you find
things like wheat flour, butter, and sugar entering into your oatcakes.
There goes the neighborhood. (Aoife, please, I swear I'm only joking!
Put down that knife! If I give you my recipe for shortbread, will you
forgive me?)

Loosely adapted from Malachi McCormick's "Irish Country Cooking",
Clarkson N. Potter, 1988. Text is mine.

SHORTBREAD

Eaten at tea-time for New Year’s Day in Ireland and Scotland, (often in
round cakes which probably denote the shape of the sun) 

Yield: Makes 2 eight-inch cakes.
Time: 20 minutes plus 1 hour baking.

12 ounces butter or margarine (3 sticks)
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups flour
1/2 cup rice flour or cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
	
	1. Preheat oven to 325° F.
	2. Using your fingers, cream the butter and sugar together until
smooth. You can use a knife at first to cut the butter up into small
pieces, but the fingers are the best for finding lumps and breaking them
up.
	3. Combine the other dry ingredients and add them, in three batches, to
the butter mixture. Work the flour into the butter, (fingers again)
until there is no dry flour left. Form the dough into a ball.
	4. Cut the ball into two equal pieces and shape each piece into a round
flat cake about 3/4 inch thick. Place into two 8-inch round cake pans,
lined with wax paper, or on a cookie sheet. If you want you can flute
the edges or decorate the cakes with any pattern you like, using a fork,
a knife, your fingers or whatever. Using a knife, score lines about 1/4
inch deep into the surface of the cakes; an asterisk (*) is traditional,
but crosshatching is good too. This helps the cakes cook faster and when
they are done, you break the cakes along these lines to serve.
	5. Bake one hour at 325° F. The cakes shouldn’t really brown, and they
will seem soft at first, but will crisp up as they cool. Break along the
lines and serve.

Adamantius
______________________________________
Phil & Susan Troy
troy at asan.com
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