Simple, delicious biscuits to have with your tea
Few biscuits are as closely tied to a place as shortbread is to Scotland. Alongside whisky, porridge/oatmeal, and haggis, it's probably the food most closely associated with our lovely northern lands. Happily, for those of us who love to cook, it's as easy to make as it is delicious!
Scottish Shortbread Biscuits
25g (8oz) plain flour
100g (4oz) semolina, cornflour, ground rice, or more plain flour
225g (8oz) butter
100g (4oz) caster sugar
A dash of salt
Extra sugar or cinnamon sugar for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F.
Lightly grease a 30cm x 23cm/12x9in roasting or traybake tin. (It might be a good idea to also create a parchment paper 'sling' to make it easier to lift the biscuits out later.)
Mix together the flour, salt, 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 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.