Pottery and Friends - Polish Pottery

Simple recipe for a shortcake base. This shortcake base is perfect for a savory or sweet creation like sweet or salty tarts, fruits pies, cookies. The classic shortbread dough consists of flour, butter and cold water or yogurt. Depending on your needs, you can add dried herbs, cocoa powder, sugar or lemon zest. Adding one egg yolk to the dough will make the dough more fragile (ideal for shortcakes), while the addition of the whole egg will make the dough harder thanks to the protein (to be used as the bottom of heavy cakes, e.g. cheesecake). Remember that to make the perfect shortbread dough, all ingredients must be cold, and the kneading process should take a short time. Ingredients: 340 g (2 and 1⁄4 cups) wheat flour, 170 g (6 ounces) cold butter, 90 ml (6 tablespoons) of icy water, cold natural yogurt, 1⁄4 teaspoon salt.

To make a shortcake, you can use a kitchen robot or the work of your own hands. 

The first method - using a kitchen robot. In the bowl of the robot, pour the sifted flour and salt, add the chopped cold butter and mix the pulse mix for a few seconds until the butter with the flour will resemble lumps. Then add the water, or yogurt and stir again until the dough begins to form. If necessary, add more water and make a smooth dough.

The second way – by hand. On the wood pastry board, mix the sifted flour and salt. Add the cold butter and sift with a sharp knife to get a grainy texture. Gradually add water,or yogurt, mix with a spoon, and then quickly knead the dough. Add water only enough so that the dough does not fall apart and allow itself to be kneaded on a smooth dough. Form the dough into a ball.

After making the dough, wrap it in food wrap and put it in the fridge for 45 min to an hour. After this time, on the floured surface, or between two sheets of baking paper, roll out the thin dough and line the mold with it or cut out the smaller shapes depending on your needs. 

Before baking (after laying the dough of the mold) prick with a fork, this will prevent the dough from bulging during baking. If you bake a shortcake as a base under a cheesecake or other cake with mass, bake it earlier for about 10 minutes, and then cool it
before putting in any filling. When you bake the bottoms for tarts or cupcakes, thoroughly pour the baking paper or aluminum foil and load with balls or peas, the beans will prevent the sides of the dough from flowing.

Be sure to bake the dough in a heavily preheated oven at 350 - 375 F. You can leave a portion of dough for your top tart design. 

My favorite tart is a rhubarb tart - cut rhubarb in smaller pieces, mix with sugar powder, bake for about 30 minutes or until dough is golden brown. Put powdered sugar on top as desired. Smacznego!