Professional reference formula

Yield: approximately 16 biscuits.

  • 50 g caster sugar
  • 100 g unsalted butter, cool but pliable
  • 150 g plain flour
  • Fine salt, optional but recommended

Method

  • Mix sugar and butter until evenly combined without building unnecessary aeration.
  • Add the flour and mix only until a coherent dough forms.
  • Chill for 30 minutes, roll or press to an even thickness, cut, then chill again for 10–15 minutes.
  • Bake at 170°C / 338°F conventional or 150°C / 302°F fan for about 10–12 minutes, keeping the biscuits pale with only light edge colour.
  • Cool on the tray until firm enough to move.

Identity and source comparison

Shortbread is a low-water, unleavened Scottish butter biscuit whose short texture comes from fat limiting gluten development. The 1:2:3 sugar-butter-flour ratio is a useful classical reference, not a universal legal definition.

Rice flour or cornflour, different sugar types and thicker moulded formats are legitimate variations. They change tenderness and spread and should not be silently averaged into the reference formula.

Critical controls

  • Do not cream aggressively: excess air increases spread and weakens the dense shortbread character.
  • Stop mixing as soon as the flour is incorporated.
  • Chill shaped dough before baking.
  • Bake pale; deep browning materially changes the butter-forward profile.

Evidence status

external_evidence; no Tanya-specific formula or production claim.