Brittany Shortbreads Recipes

BRITTANY SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180ºC. Line a tray with baking paper.
• Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the egg yolks, retaining a scant tablespoon to use as an egg wash. Add the sifted flour and mix well. With floured hands, pat out the dough to about 1cm thickness and cut into rounds with a 7-8cm cutter. Place on your prepared tray. Mix the reserved egg yolk with milk and brush the tops of each, then score lightly in a lattice pattern.
• Bake for about 12-15 minutes until golden. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

PALET BRETON (BRITTANY SHORTBREAD)

Steps:

• Before starting this Palet Breton (Brittany shortbread) recipe, make sure you have organised all the necessary ingredients.
• In the stand mixer recipient, place the corn flour and guar gum...
• ... the sunflower lecithin...
• ... salt...
• ... and combine with a whisk.
• Add the baking powder...
• ... and combine with the whisk.
• Place the recipient in the stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment.
• Add the castor sugar...
• ... and the egg yolks. Combine until blanched.
• Add the soft butter, cut into cubes. Combine.
• Remove the whisk attachment...
• ... and replace with the flat beater.
• Mix for 5 minutes...
• ... until the butter is completely incorporated.
• Using a scraper, gather the preparation at the bottom of the bowl...
• ... and transfer on a Silpat baking mat.
• Cover the pastry with another silicone mat.
• Press with your hands to spread the pastry over the silicone mat.
• I recommend using a rolling pin with a 7mm disc for precise thickness. Otherwise, place two small rulers (width 7mm) on both sides of the pastry and slide the rolling pin on top.
• Spread the pastry...
• ... to an even thickness.
• Transfer the Silpat baking mat on a Silichef XL perforated baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Remove the baking sheet from the fridge and place a silicone mould with cavities with a diameter Ø 5 cm (such as the mini muffin mould).
• Remove the silicone mat on top.
• Using a Exoglass pastry cutter Ø 5cm, cut the pastry into discs.
• Place one pastry disc inside each cavity, making sure the discs are perfectly flat. It is important to use a mould with cavities the same diameter as the discs so the pastry doesn't spread while cooking.
• Repeat the operation with all discs. Gather the pastry scraps into a ball and spread again to an even thickness before cutting into discs.
• Bake in a fan-assisted oven preheated at 180°C (gas 4) for about 18 minutes.
• The cookies should be golden. Make sure they do not get burnt. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
• Gently release the cookies from the mould...
• ... making sure not to break them. These cookies are delicate to handle.
• Store them in an airtight container. Enjoy these gluten-free treats!

TRADITIONAL ENGLISH SHORTBREADS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 160°C/gas 3.
• Lightly grease baking tray or place a piece of baking paper over the tin (to stop the unlikely event of the Shortbread sticking).
• Place sifted flour and sugar into bowl and mix together.
• Dice the margarine and gradually rub into flour until breadcrumbs.
• Add vanilla essence and carry on rubbing in with fingertips.
• When the mixture sticks together, place on floured workspace and gently knead until a soft ball.
• Roll out until 1.5 cm in thickness, then cut into Shortbread fingers or petticoat tails. (Using a biscuit cutter is a good way to get a more defined shape)
• Prick all over with a fork or a cocktail stick and (for petticoat tails) mark the edges as well.
• Place in the oven for 15-20 mins and then leave to cool. (Make sure you take the Shortbread out when it is starting to darken round the edges of the biscuit)
• Sprinkle caster sugar over the biscuits (after fully cooled).

CLASSIC SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Sift together flour and salt into a medium bowl. Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add sugar gradually, beating between additions; continue to beat until mixture is very pale, about 2 minutes total. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture; beat until just combined.
• Press dough evenly into a parchment-lined 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet; refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes. Cut dough in eighths lengthwise, then quarters crosswise, making 32 rectangles. Evenly pierce all over with a skewer.
• Bake until shortbread is firm in center and golden brown, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer pan to a wire rack; immediately recut rectangles with a paring knife. Let shortbread cool completely in pan.