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Despite being from the same island as the Britons (and the Welsh), Scotland has its own totally unique culture, history, language, and cuisine. Though the Roman Empire heavily influenced the development of British food when the Romans occupied England, they never got very far into Scotland -- heck, the Romans even built Hadrian's Wallto deter the Scots from England. Since the British were the dominant empire in the world for a long time, one might naturally assume they originated popular dishes that are commonly found in English cuisine.
So if you hear the term "Scottish shortbread," you might think it's a different version of the shortbread you're familiar with, right? Well ... actually, no. "Shortbread" is just Scottish shortbread; they're one and the same. While the recipe has changed throughout its history, and there is a version of shortbread from Ireland, the original shortbread you're familiar with comes from Scotland.
Though people always seem to think of haggis (even though its origins aren't Scottish) when the subject of Scottish food comes up, shortbread may be the nation's signature dish. Its history is over a millennia old, dating back to the Middle Agestradition of "biscuit bread," whereby excess dough was left in an oven on low heat until it hardened. Over time, the yeast in the recipe was replaced with butter (probably thanks to cultural exchanges that occurred as part of Scotland's long history with France), and shortbread became a recipe all of its own. That's actually where the name "shortbread" comes from: it has a crumbly (or "short") texture thanks to its ratio of one part sugar to two parts butter.
Because of the cost of butter, though, it was long considered a special occasion food and given rarefied regard. This status was bolstered byMary Queen of Scots' love of shortbread. In fact, cooks in Mary's court during the mid-16th century are sometimes credited with the creation of modern shortbread as it transitioned toward its current buttery state. From Scotland, the treat not only traveled south to England and west to Ireland, but also across the Atlantic with Scottish settlers in the American South -- which is why shortbread is a traditional part of American southern cuisine to this day.
Irish Shortbread Is Distinct From Scottish Shortbread
There isn't really an English version of shortbread; the version the British use is just classic Scottish shortbread from which the word "Scottish" has been shorn. There is, however, a type of Irish shortbread that's similar yet distinct from the more classic version. Irish shortbread not only sometimeschanges up the butter-to-sugar ratio (possibly going with 2/3 a cup of sugar to 1 cup of butter), but also adds cornstarch in place of some of the flour present in the traditional recipe. As cornstarch is a potent thickener relative to flour, this creates a denser cookie.
Whichever version of shortbread you prefer, though, the original -- which is often just called "shortbread" -- came from Scotland. So next time you sit down to enjoy a delicious crumbly confection, be sure to thank the Scots for coming up with it in the first place.
Traditional Scottish shortbread is a simple recipe made with sugar, butter, flour, and salt. Other shortbread styles will include leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda, which makes them crisp instead of crumbly like traditional Scottish shortbread.
So if you hear the term "Scottish shortbread," you might think it's a different version of the shortbread you're familiar with, right? Well ... actually, no. "Shortbread" is just Scottish shortbread; they're one and the same.
The high butter quantity in shortbread (one part sugar to two parts butter) gives it that delightfully crumbly feel. And also its name. This is because the old meaning of the world “short” reflects this crumbliness and so the name 'shortbread' stuck.
Shortbread is so named because of its crumbly texture (from an old meaning of the word "short", as opposed to "long", or stretchy). The cause of this texture is its high fat content, provided by the butter. The short or crumbly texture is a result of the fat inhibiting the formation of long protein (gluten) strands.
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Walker's Shortbread Fingers are our most world famous product and have a unique bite – a crunchy yet crumbly texture with a pure butter taste – which is achieved through Walker's 100-year-old family recipe and using the finest natural ingredients.
As shortbread was made with butter, sugar and flour, it would be both expensive and difficult to get hold of the ingredients, and so became synonymous with wealth, luxury and celebrations.
The word "bread" comes from "biscuit bread" which was made from leftover bread dough that was sweetened and dried out in the oven to make biscuits. Why do you poke holes in shortbread? The holes allow the moisture to escape during baking and more even heat distribution. This helps dry out and crisp up the cookies.
Scotland has gifted the world with many treasures, including the Loch Ness Monster, stuffed sheep stomach, and the voice of Sheena Easton. Scotland has also given the world shortbread. For something traditionally made with just three ingredients (butter, flour, and sugar), shortbread shouldn't be hard to screw up.
Best Butter for Specialty Baking: Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter. The higher fat percentage in European butters, like Kerrygold and Plugra, is ideal if you're working with pastries where the quality of your dough is directly effected by the quality of your butter.
Walker's Shortbread is honoured to carry a Royal Warrant, granted by Her Majesty the Queen, for the supply of Shortbread and Oatcakes. Walker's Shortbread is a gift fit for a king, and a treat befitting any special occasion.
The name "millionaire's shortbread" appears to have originated in Scotland. The "millionaire" prefix to millionaire's shortbread or millionaires slice implies a level of decadence and wealth to the sweet treat, that it is an upgrade from regular shortbread.
Shortbread is traditionally formed into one of three shapes: one large circle divided into segments (“Petticoat Tails”); individual round biscuits (“Shortbread Rounds”); or a thick rectangular slab cut into “fingers.”
Shortbread is similar to shortcake but doesn't include baking powder. Lots of rich butter gives shortbread a high fat content, resulting in a fine, crumbly texture. Shortcake and shortbread biscuits are delicious on their own, with fruit and cream, or simply topped with a delicate dusting of sugar.
It comes from using a high proportion of fat (or shortening) to flour and is also where shortcrust pastry gets its name. Why do you put shortbread in the fridge before baking? Chilling the dough before baking will help the shortbread keep their shape while cooking.
Introduction: My name is Clemencia Bogisich Ret, I am a super, outstanding, graceful, friendly, vast, comfortable, agreeable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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