You cannot go wrong with shortbread. It's simple, delicious and doesn't take long to knock together. It's also versatile, benefitting from the addition of different flavours, be they traditional or a little more unusual, the Express reports.
Celebrity bakers each have their own twist on the recipe and Mary Berry has added something a little different in a bit to add a little extra crunch. The former Bake Off judge adds as much semolina as she does caster sugar, although in her book ‘My Kitchen Table’, Mary wrote: “For a really good shortbread it is essential to use butter.
"I like to use semolina as well as flour to give the shortbread crunch, but you can use cornflour or ground rice instead.”
Read more: Indulgent chocolate cake recipe that is so popular it has a cult following Read more: Recipe for classic twist on Battenberg cake that's only for experienced bakers How to make Mary Berry’s simple shortbreadIngredients 225g of plain flour (8oz) 225g of butter (8oz) 100g of semolina (4oz) 100g of caster sugar (4oz) 25g of demerara sugar for dusting (1oz) Kitchen equipment: 30 x 23cm (12 x 9 inches) traybake Mixing bowl or food processor Instructions To begin, lightly grease your traybake with butter. Mix both the flour and semolina together either using a mixing bowl or a food processor. Add the butter and sugar to the mixture. Use your hands to rub the mixture together until it is beginning to come together. Continue to use your hands to lightly knead the shortbread mixture until a dough begins to form. Press the dough into the prepared tray and use the back of a spoon or spatula to make sure it is evenly spread. Use a fork to prick the dough all over to help any trapped steam escape while the shortbread is baking. Chill the shortbread in the fridge until it feels firm, which is essential to solidify the butter and stop the mixture from spreading too much in the oven. Preheat the oven to 160C (320F) before placing the shortbread in the oven. Bake for around 35 minutes or until the shortbread is a pale golden brown colour. Once ready, take out the oven, sprinkle with demerara sugar and leave to cool for a few minutes. Use a knife to cut the shortbread into 30 fingers, and your crumbly yet buttery shortbread is now ready to serve. For storage, it is best placed in an airtight tin
