← Nouns Cooking · Bakery

Ingredients

• 125 g unsalted butter, soft
• 55 g caster (superfine) sugar, plus extra to sprinkle
• 180 g plain flour
• 1 pinch Salt

Method

1. Heat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan, 300°F). Lightly butter a 20 cm round tin, ideally one with a loose base.
2. Beat the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until smooth and creamy but not fluffy. Sift in the flour and salt and work it in with your hands until it just clumps into a soft dough; stop as soon as there are no dry bits.
3. Press the dough evenly into the tin and smooth the top. Crimp the edge with your thumb, mark it into 8 wedges with a knife and prick all over with a fork. Chill for 15 min so it keeps its shape.
4. Bake for 35–40 min until firm to the touch and only just pale golden at the edges; shortbread should not brown.
5. Sprinkle with a little caster sugar while hot, then cut along the marks. Leave in the tin until completely cool, as it is fragile when warm.

Tips

• Swap 30 g of the flour for rice flour or cornflour for an extra-short, sandy crumb.
• Kept airtight, shortbread stays crisp for a week.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

BBC Food King Arthur Baking