Beard's Shortbread
Submitted by snowbabie22
James Beard’s classic shortbread recipe uses just four ingredients: flour, sugar, butter, and egg yolk. The simple dough bakes into 32 crisp, buttery triangles or squares with a delicate golden finish.
YIELD
32 ShortbreadsPREP
15 minCOOK
45 minREADY
60 minThis shortbread recipe comes from James Beard, one of America’s most celebrated food writers. With only four pantry staples, it strips the cookie down to its purest form: butter, flour, sugar, and a single egg yolk for richness.
The dough comes together quickly by hand or mixer, then gets divided into four portions, rolled thick, and scored with a fork before cutting. A two-stage bake starts at a higher temperature to set the structure, then drops lower to dry the shortbread through without darkening it too much.
The result is 32 sandy, crumbly cookies with that unmistakable melt-on-your-tongue quality that only real butter shortbread delivers.
Chef Tips
- Use cold-from-the-fridge butter cut into cubes if mixing by hand. Room temperature butter works better in a stand mixer.
- Don’t skip the fork pattern. Those tiny holes release steam and keep the shortbread flat and even.
- Watch carefully after reducing the oven temperature. Shortbread goes from pale to over-browned quickly in the last few minutes.
- Store cooled shortbread in an airtight tin at room temperature. It stays crisp for up to a week.
Ingredients
Directions
In bowl mix flour, sugar and butter together, either by hand or in electric mixer.
Add egg yolk and knead in well. Divide mixture into 4 parts and roll each into square or circle about ½-inch thick.
Mark pattern in crust by lightly tapping with tip of fork.
Cut each circle into 8 triangles or each square into 8 smaller squares.
Place pieces on lightly buttered and floured baking sheet.
Bake at 350℉ (180℃) 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake 30 minutes more, until shortbread is delicate light brown.
Makes 32 shortbreads.
Recipe from James Beard Copyright Los Angeles Times -----
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