Shortbread rounds before being baked

Shortbread is a type of biscuit (cookie) which is traditionally made from one part white sugar, two parts butter, and three parts plain white flour, although other ingredients like ground rice or cornflour are sometimes added to alter the texture. Shortbread is so named because of its crumbly texture (from an old meaning of the word short). The cause of this texture is its high fat content, provided by the butter. The related word "shortening" refers to any fat that may be added to produce a short (crumbly) texture. ^[1] The term "short" is used in reference to the fact that the fat molecules inhibit the formation of long gluten strands, making it "short". Image File history File links Shortbreadrounds. ... Image File history File links Shortbreadrounds. ... For other uses, see Biscuit (disambiguation). ... This article is about the food. ... This article is about sugar as food and as an important and widely-traded commodity. ... For other uses, see Butter (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Flour (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Rice (disambiguation). ... Cornflour may refer to: cornmeal cornstarch, in British English. ... Mouthfeel is a product’s physical and chemical interaction in the mouth. ... For other uses, see FAT. Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. ... Shortening is a semisolid fat used in food preparation, especially baked goods, and is so called because it inhibits the formation of long gluten strands in wheat-based doughs, giving them a short texture (as in shortbread). ... Wheat - a prime source of gluten Gluten is an amorphous mixture of ergastic (i. ...

Shortbread is not to be confused with shortcake, which is similar to shortbread but made using vegetable fat instead of butter, giving it a different texture.[citation needed] Strawberry shortcake Shortcake is a sweet biscuit (in the American sense: that is, a crumbly, baking soda- or baking powder-leavened bread), and a dessert made with that biscuit. ...

Baking procedure

Shortbread is baked at a low temperature to avoid browning. When cooked, it is nearly white, or a light golden brown.

Shapes

Shortbread fingers

Shortbread is traditionally formed into one of three shapes: one large circle, which is divided into segments as soon as it is taken out of the oven ("Petticoat Tails"); individual round biscuits ("Shortbread Rounds"); or a thick (¾" or 2 cm) rectangular slab cut into "fingers." It is made from a stiff dough that retains its shape well during cooking. The biscuits are often patterned, usually with the prongs of a fork before cooking; they are then sprinkled with more sugar while cooling. Shortbread biscuits are often associated with normal egg-based biscuits, but they hold their shape under pressure, making them ideal for packed meals. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1395x1290, 180 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Shortbread User talk:FeloniousMonk User talk:Jim62sch User talk:KillerChihuahua ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1395x1290, 180 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Shortbread User talk:FeloniousMonk User talk:Jim62sch User talk:KillerChihuahua ... Madame de Pompadour in an elaborately embroidered gown with matching petticoat, 1760s A petticoat or underskirt is an article of clothing for women; specifically an undergarment to be worn under a skirt, dress or sari. ...

Shortbread is often found in biscuit selections or made by hand and given as a gift. It has a sweet buttery taste and a firm but crumbly texture and is suitable for dunking. Shortbread and tablet (a type of crumbly fudge) can be found in every tourist shop in Scotland and is just as popular with the locals. To dunk is to dip biscuit, bread, cake, or doughnut into a beverage, usually hot, especially tea or coffee, but the popular American snack milk and cookies features cookies dunked into cold milk. ... Scots Tablet is a medium-hard, sugary confection from Scotland. ... Fudge is a type of confectionery, usually extremely rich and often flavored with chocolate. ...

Shortbread is also sometimes shaped in stars and other shapes for special occasions

Cultural associations

Shortbread is generally associated with and originated in Scotland, but due to its popularity it is also made in other countries like Denmark, England, Ireland and Sweden. In the latter a popular recipe of it is called "Drömmar", literally meaning "dreams" in English. The Scottish version is the best-known, and Walkers Shortbread Ltd is Scotland's largest food exporter.^[2] This article is about the country. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Walkers Shortbread logo Walkers Shortbread is a Scottish manufacturer of shortbread, biscuits, cookies and crackers. ...

Shortbread was chosen as the United Kingdom's representative for Café Europe during the 2006 Austrian Presidency of the European Union. Café Europe or Café dEurope was a cultural initiative of the Austrian presidency of the European Union, held on Europe Day (9 May 2006) in 27 cafés of the capitals of the 25 EU member states and the two countries scheduled to join the EU in 2007. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• The Origins of Shortbread Article that traces shortbread as far back as medieval times, from the Vermont Shortbread Company
• Shortbread Secrets and Entertaining Ideas Shortbread recipes you can download or print
• Shortbread Short Stories, a website for authors