Recipe For Shortbread Biscuits.

Shortbread Recipe

• 6 oz (175 g) butter (room temperature)
• 3 oz (75 g) caster sugar, plus extra to sprinkle on top
• 6 oz (175 g) plain flour, sifted
• 3 oz (75 g) fine ground rice 
• Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 2, 300°F (150°C) 

probably ten degrees less with a fan oven.

This is a recipe for shortbread biscuits that my grandmother used to make.  The rice gives them plenty of crunch.

Check-list

Is the oven on.

Have you got a flan tin or baking tray (with sides).

Is the butter room temperature.

Have you got frosty chilling because its going to take 60mins to bake.

Mixing Shortbread

Mix the butter in a bowl with a wooden spoon to get it nice and soft, mix in the sugar, followed by the  flour and ground rice. Mix it all together, pressing the dough to the side of the bowl, then need into a dough with your hands until smooth. If you've done it right there won't be any bits of mixture in the bowl.

Rolling Shortbread

Put the dough on a lightly floured surface, and roll it lightly into a round about the same diameter as the flan tin, move the rolled dough to the tin and lightly press the dough into the edges of the tin. To prevent the dough rising in the middle while baking prick it all over with a fork.

Baking Shortbread

Bake for 60 minutes on a centre shelf of the oven. When it is ready it should have turned pale gold and feel firm in the centre. Remove it from the oven and, immediately mark it into wedges. Sprinkle it lightly with castor sugar and when cool break into wedges and store in an airtight box or tin.