Traditional Scottish Shortbread

Preparing for Tartan Day 2013

Scottish Shortbread on thistle plate

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons; Spear Thistle

 

What is Tartan Day you ask? A relatively new holiday in the United States to celebrate the culture and significant contributions of Scotland to America’s history and successes. On April 6, Scottish Americans will wear tartan fabrics (ribbons, kilts, skirts, trews, or swatches), eat traditional foods (e.g. shortbread, cullen skink, savory mince pie, cranachan) listen to bagpipe music, sing traditional songs (e.g. Scotland the Brave, Flower of Scotland, Loch Lomand, Robert Burns' songs) and perhaps participate in parades or festivals.

Photo credit: JFPerry on wikia.com Massed Pipe bands at a highland games

An official description & list of events can be found at Tartan Day Scotland: 

“Tartan Day marks the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320 at Arbroath Abbey. This historical occasion sowed the seeds of modern day democracy and was used as a basis for the American Declaration of Independence. Tartan Day was inspired by this historical occasion to celebrate all that is good about Scotland - its people, its heritage, its history, its culture and its amazing legacy to the world.”

And another at the US website National Tartan Day:

“Americans of Scottish descent have played a vibrant and influential role in the development of this country. …In 1998, National Tartan Day was officially recognized on a permanent basis when the U.S. Senate passed Senate Resolution155 (read text here)  recognizing April 6th as National Tartan Day.”

Canada has been celebrating Tartan Day since 1993 and Tartan Day Festivals are now celebrated in US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and United Kingdom.

To kick off the festivities, be sure to bake some Scottish Shortbread. My recipe is for a single batch, but feel free to double and share with friends. And while you are baking, here are two very different & talented musicians to check out - the first is a solo performer with a folksy and pure quality, the second is a bawdy punk fusion band that has original songs and rock interpretations of Scottish songs. Both are singing the traditional Robert Burns' song, "Ye Banks and Braes,"  a poem paying tribute to a lost love and a heavy heart.

Holly Tomas sings a crystal clear, soulful and beautifully moving version:

The Real McKenzies, a Celtic Punk band hailing from Vancouver, Canada, present a rollicking hard rock interpretation:

Slainte! Alba Gu Brath!  

Cathi’s Traditional Scottish Shortbread

Based on Sheila Lukin’s recipe from her All Around the World Cookbook (1994)  

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, softened

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

1¼ cups wholewheat pastry flour

½ tsp sea salt

Optional additions – only use one

2 tsp almond extract (McCormack brand is made with apricot pits in nut-free facility)

1 Tbsp lemon juice OR lime juice for citrus flavor

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F

Unwrap the stick of softened butter and drop into mixing bowl. With butter still clinging to the wrapping, generously grease a 8” round pie dish (I use a glass one) or a ceramic shortbread mold.

Go back to the mixing bowl, cream the butter with a long tined fork. Add in confectioners’ sugar and manually beat until mixture is fluffy. (Sheila recommends using an electric mixer; however, I get good results with vigorous manual beating.)

If using liquid extracts or flavors, add in now and beat vigorously to incorporate.

Now add in flour, all at once, and salt. Still using a long tined fork, stir to combine all ingredients and keep it up until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (Sheila recommends using a wooden spoon at this point and finishes off using her hands to combine thoroughly. I find the long tined fork stirring works just as well for me.)

Crumbly shortbread mixture with all ingredients incorporated

Shortbread dough finger pressed into flat pastry disc in pie dish

 Pour out crumbly mix into greased pie dish or mold. Using your fingers, firmly press the dough into the dish – it should be evenly flattened over the bottom of the dish, it doesn’t come up the sides like a pie crust would. It should resemble a smooth pastry at this point with no crumbles discernible.

VERY IMPORTANT STEP: Score the pastry into 16 slender slices using a sharp knife.

If utilizing a regular pie dish, you can use your long tined fork to prick a pattern in the dough. If utilizing a shortbread mold, there is no need as a pattern is already baked in.

Example of scored and pricked shortbread pastry; this one is scored for 8 slices

Bake for ~30 minutes, until lightly browned around edges. In a clear glass pie dish, you can also monitor browning on the bottom. The tops and center of the pastry will slightly change color but will not be evenly browned or as deep in color as bottom. The pastry will not raise or expand after baking.

VERY IMPORTANT STEP: As soon as the pastry comes out of the oven, immediately & carefully re-cut the scores with a clean, sharp knife. The pastry is soft and a bit fragile when it first comes out of the oven, but it will quickly become solid as it cools. The final shortbread will not be soft or doughy – it will be somewhat crunchy, and just a tad crumbly, as it is eaten.

Allow shortbread to cool completely before carefully removing from dish.

ALLERGENS: Contains wheat and dairy.

ALLERGY ACCOMMODATIONS: To avoid wheat, use a gluten-free baking mix. To avoid dairy is a bit trickier, as traditional shortbread uses the butter as a primary flavor and there are so few ingredients. However, check out the suggestions by Vaishali at the Holy Cow! Vegan Food Blog. She suggests a combination of vegan butter plus vegetable shortening.