For a really good shortbread it is essential to use butter. I like to use semolina as well as flour to give the shortbread crunch, but you can use cornflour or ground rice instead.
Ingredients
- 225g (8oz) plain flour
- 100g (4oz) semolina
- 225g (8oz) butter
- 100g (4oz) caster sugar
- 50g (2oz) flaked almonds (optional)
- 25g (1oz) demerara sugar, for dusting
Essential Kit
You will need a 30 x 23cm (12 x 9in) traybake or roasting tin.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 160°C/Fan 140°C/gas 3.
- Lightly grease a 30cm x 23cm roasting or traybake tin.
- Mix together the flour and semolina in a bowl or food processor. Add the butter and sugar and rub together with your fingertips until the mixture is just beginning to bind together. Knead lightly until the mixture forms a smooth dough.
- Press the dough into the prepared tin and level it with the back of a spatula or a palette knife, making sure the mixture is evenly spread. Prick all over with a fork, sprinkle over the flaked almonds if using, and chill until firm.
- Bake for about 35 minutes or until a very pale golden brown. Sprinkle with demerara sugar and leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then cut into 30 fingers.
- Carefully lift the fingers out of the tin with a palette knife and finish cooling on a wire rack.
- Store in an airtight tin.
