Cakes & biscuits
Buttery shortbread fingers
Crumbly Scottish-style biscuits with a small addition of rice flour.
- Total time
- 150 min
- Servings / pieces
- 20
- Topic
- Cakes & biscuits
Shortbread makes the flavour of butter particularly noticeable. Rice flour loosens the texture and gives a slightly sandier crumb than wheat flour alone. Bring the mixture together without lengthy kneading. A relatively low oven temperature dries the fingers evenly without deeply browning them. Mark the portions before baking and cut along those lines again while the shortbread is warm. This gives the fragile finished biscuit a clearer breaking point and reduces unpredictable cracking once it is completely cold.
Method
Step by step
- 01
Prepare
Heat the oven to 155°C conventional and line the tin.
- 02
Mix butter
Stir butter and 90 g sugar smooth without beating in much air.
- 03
Form dough
Add both flours and salt. Mix only to damp crumbs, then press together lightly by hand.
- 04
Shape
Press into the tin, smooth the top and mark 20 fingers. Prick with a fork and chill for 20 minutes.
- 05
Bake and divide
Bake for 40–50 minutes until pale golden. Sprinkle with remaining sugar and cut along the marked lines while warm. Cool completely in the tin.
Times are a guide. Your hob, oven and ingredients affect the result; use the cooking cues as well as the clock.
Keeping the colour pale
Shortbread should stay light. Dark edges develop a stronger toasted flavour and are difficult to match evenly across a small tin. Check the colour more frequently near the end rather than trying to reach a deep brown finish.
Serving and storing
The fingers suit black tea and become sturdy only when cold. Pack completely cooled shortbread in an airtight tin. Keep it separate from moist cakes to preserve its crumbly texture rather than letting it absorb moisture. Press the mixture into the corners as evenly as the middle. Loose corners break away more easily during release. If the warm cut lines close again, carefully retrace them without levering the knife against the tin or trying to lift hot pieces out.
Kitchen questions
One more question?
Can I replace rice flour?
Use the same weight of plain flour, accepting a less sandy texture.
Why does warm shortbread crumble?
This is normal. Recut the lines while warm, then cool completely before lifting the fingers out.
Which butter should I choose?
Unsalted butter keeps the salt quantity predictable. Omit added salt when using salted butter. An oil-blended spread is not equivalent because its fat composition differs from solid butter.
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