Shortbread

18th century shortbread made with yeast

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City/Region: Scotland

Time Period: 1779

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Shortbread likely began as a medieval hardtack (clack clack). We don’t know exactly how it would have transitioned to the tasty treat we have today, but it likely began with the addition of butter, followed by sugar and yeast. Yeast was then replaced with egg in the Victorian era, then that went away and we’re left with modern shortbread of flour, butter, and sugar.

This 18th century version includes yeast and the sugar is optional. The flavor is quite similar to modern shortbread, but the texture is very different. It kind of dissolves in your mouth and forms a paste or glue. It’s a tasty glue, but you need something to wash it down with.

I had a really hard time deciphering what Mrs. MacIver meant when she described the shaping of the shortbread, but with help from viewers on YouTube, we figured out that it was probably petticoat tails, which is in the recipe here.

“Take a Peck of flour, and four pounds of butter English, or three pounds Scots weight; put the butter on to come a-boil; make a hole in the flour, and pour the boiling butter in it; work the flour and butter a little while together; pour in a mutchkin of good yeast amongst the paste; work it together, but not too much; divide the paste, and roll it out oval; then cut through the middle, and plait it at the ends; keep out a little of the flour to work out the bread; flour gray paper, and fire the bread on it; if you make it sweet, allow a pound of sugar to the peck of flour at least; if you want it very rich, put in citron, orange-peel, and almonds, strew white carvy on the top; be sure to mix the sugar and fruit with the flour before you wet it ; remember to prick it well on top. ”

— Cookery and Pastry As Taught and Practised by Mrs. MacIver, Teacher of Those Arts in Edinburgh, 1779

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Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 4 cups, plus 1 tablespoon (488 g) flour, divided
• 2 1/2 cups (285 g) butter
• 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
• Almonds, optional
• Candied peel, optional

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C).
2. Mix the yeast with the warm water and 1 tablespoon of flour. Let it sit for 30 minutes, or until it’s nice and frothy.
3. Heat the butter in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil and keep it moving while it heats so it doesn't burn.
4. Put the flour in a large bowl. If you’re using almonds or candied peel, add it to the flour and toss to coat. Pour the boiling butter into the flour and mix just until it forms a dough. Set it aside to cool slightly.
5. When the dough has cooled to be warm, not scalding, or lower than 110°F (44°C), stir in the yeast mixture. If the mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast.
6. Mix in the sugar and work the dough for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until it’s nice and smooth. I turned mine out and kneaded it.
7. On a piece of parchment paper, roll the dough out into an oval. Score the dough by cutting it through the middle like a pizza, but don’t cut all the way through. Crimp the edges. Alternatively, you can make whatever shape you want. At the time of filming, I couldn’t figure out what she meant by “cut through the middle, and plait it at the ends”, so I made little ovals. Whatever shape you choose, dock the dough several times with a fork.
8. Transfer the parchment paper with the shaped dough on it onto a baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the edges just start to brown. Bake time will depend on how thick you rolled the dough and the size of your shapes.
9. Take them out of the oven and let them cool completely, then serve them forth.

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