This shortbread is inspired by the sweet memories of those evening teas and delightful treats. There’s a hint of turmeric for color and a dash of warm spices for aroma. I’ve also thrown in a few sesame and fennel seeds that bring a crunchy bite and flavor. These also make a lovely gift to share with family and friends. The Basics of Shortbread Making According to Science Butter Butter is an emulsified fat where water droplets are trapped inside the fat. The fat helps coat the gluten-forming proteins in the flour and prevents them from coming together. Any water from the butter that might encounter those proteins gets absorbed by the cornstarch (see below for how that works). Hardboiled Yolk Uncooked fresh egg yolk is about 50% water; during boiling, this water participates in the chemical and physical changes inside the egg and yolk proteins and phospholipids and is no longer readily available. As the egg and yolk proteins denature, the phospholipids change, and the yolk solidifies. These substances form a mesh and squeeze their water out. Why does this matter? Water is an essential component of the gluten-forming reactions when the dough is prepared from flour. If a raw egg yolk were used in this recipe, there would be greater gluten formation because the water from the yolk is much more readily available. In a hardboiled yolk, that water is lost. The cooked yolk provides the necessary fat for the cookie structure without the water. Confectioners’ Sugar When it comes to sugar and texture, the size of the sugar crystals matters; larger crystals take longer to dissolve and produce crunchier textures. For cakes and desserts, bakers often rely on superfine sugar’s/caster sugar’s tiny-sized crystals to dissolve faster and make tender and more delicate crumbs. Confectioners’ sugar/icing sugar is ground down to a tiny size (smaller than superfine sugar), and if you look at the crystal sizes below, you’ll see what I mean. Sugar Crystal Size Comparisons Coarse Sugar 700 to 1400 µM Granulated Sugar 450 to 650 µM Superfine Sugar/Caster Sugar 150 to 450 µM Confectioners’ Sugar/Icing Sugar 10 to 40 µM Cornstarch Cornstarch is pure starch, and when added to flour, it reduces the amount of gluten formed by sitting between the gluten-forming proteins. While mixing the batter, cornstarch hydrates by binding water, making it unavailable for gluten production. This is also why cornstarch makes a quick cake flour substitute; it helps create a more tender crumb. Temperature Cooler temperatures slow down the formation of gluten, which helps us achieve a better shortbread texture. Freezing and refrigerating the dough often during the prep steps will give us another backup in your quest to reduce gluten formation. Now it’s time to bake! Sources Consulted Karl F. Tiefenbacher, Chapter Ten – Glossary of Terms in Wafers, Waffles and Adjuncts, Editor(s): Karl F. Tiefenbacher, The Technology of Wafers and Waffles II, Academic Press, 2019, Pages 325-411. The Ritz Carlton London Cookbook – Mitchell Beazley 4.7 from 3 reviews 1 Tbsp white sesame seeds 1 Tbsp fennel seeds 1 ¼ cups/210 g all-purpose flour ¼ cup/35 g cornstarch ½ tsp ground black pepper ½ tsp ground ginger ½ tsp ground green cardamom ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground turmeric 8 oz/230 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature ⅔ cup/80 g confectioner’s sugar 1 yolk from a large hardboiled egg ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
My freezer is configured differently than yours but there is no way I can fit a half sheet pan in there.
Comment * Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Δ
