Scots shortbread (a festive cake at hogmanay)
1 servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| Flour, rice flour, butter, castor sugar | ||
Directions
Only the best materials should be used. The flour should be dried and sieved. The butter, which is the only moistening and shortening agent, should be squeezed free of all water. The sugar should be fine castor. Two other things are essential for success++ the careful blending of the ingredients and careful firing. The butter and sugar should first be blended. Put eight ounces of butter and four ounces of castor sugar on a board, and work with the hand until thoroughly incorporated. Mix eight ounces of flour with four ounces of rice flour, and work gradually into the butter and sugar, until the dough is of the consistency of short crust. Be careful that it does not become oily (a danger in hot weather) nor toughened with over-mixing.
The less kneading, the more short and crisp the shortbread. Do not roll it out, as rolling too has a tendency to toughen it, but press with the hand into two round cakes, either in oiled and floured shortbread moulds or on a sheet of baking-paper. The most satisfactory thickness is three-quarters of an inch for a cake eight inches in diameter, or in such proportion. If you make a large thick cake it is advisable to protect the edges with a paper band or hoop, and to have several layers of paper underneath and possibly one on the top. Pinch the edges with a fork. Decorate with "sweetie" almonds (for small cakes, caraway comfits may be used) and strips of citron or orange peel. Put into a fairly hot oven, reduce the heat presently, and allow the shortbread to crisp off to a light golden brown. "The Infar-Cake, or Dreaming Bread." A decorated cake of shortbread is still the national bride's cake of rural Scotland, and was formerly used as infer-cake. The breaking of the infar-cake over the head of the bride, on the threshold of her new home, is a very ancient custom. Portions were distributed to the young men and maidens "to dream on". From: The Scots Kitchen with Old-Time Recipes (1929) Shared By: Pat Stockett
Submitted By PAT STOCKETT On 12-20-94