Shortbread Traditional

Source: The Professional Pastry Chef by Bo Friberg

Makes 120 small cookies, full recipe

Preparation time: 1 hour

Tips: A great tiny treat with coffee. A comparable cookie offer at Guglhuf Bakery and Restaurant in Durham, NC

Ingredients

Preparation

Full Recipe = about 120 small cookies

1 pound soft unsalted butter (4 sticks)

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

6 ounces powdered sugar (1 cup + 2 Tbsp.)

12 ounces bread flour (2 1/2 cups)

6 ounces rice flour (1 cup)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Note: Original recipe calls for 1 pound + 2 ounces (4 Tbsp.) of butter. I prefer sligthly less.

1.Place the soft butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat with the paddle attachement until creamy. Incorporate flour, rice flour, and salt at low speed. Please dough in the refrigerator until firm, just enough to handle it about 1 hr.,. If dought gets to firm, the sugar coating will not stick to it.

2.Extend a long piece of plastic wrap or none sticky sheet on flat surface, sprinkle lightly with flour. Place 1/4 the dough for full recipe (1/2 of dough for Half recipe) on the plastic wrap. Wrapping the sheet around the dough work to form a log about 1 inch in diameter and about as long as a baking tray. When log is round and even, open wrap and sprinkle with demerara sugar rolling the log to coat all outer surface. You do not want to incorporate the sugar into the dough, but only to coat surface. Repeat with the rest of the dough to form 4 logs for full recipe and 2 logs for 1/2 recipe.

3.Cut each log into slices of about 3/8” thick, about 30-32 slices per log. Place into trays with teflon sheets. Cookies may flatten slightly when baking.

4.Bake in preheated oven of 350 F degrees for about 15 minutes or until set and edges are slightly brown.

5.Cool on trays. Cookies save well in sealed glass jars for several weeks.

NOTES : 1) You may vary the size of the cookies however, remember that they are fragile and crumbly.

2) A great tiny treat with afternoon coffee or tea. The shape and size I selected, attempting to duplicate a cookie given with each cup of coffee at Guglhuf Bakery and Restaurant in Durham, NC. I am quite happy with the result.