Sugar shortbread, a traditional pastry from ancient China, traces its history back to the tea culture of the Tang and Song dynasties. In that era of poetry and songs, sugar shortbread was not only a must-have delicacy for literati and artists, but also contained profound cultural implications. According to the record of "Menglianglu", there were all kinds of shortbread popular in the market at that time, among which sugar shortbread has become a classic with its unique crispiness and sweetness. Imagine that Su Shi was tasting tea under the moon, maybe he was holding a piece of sugar shortbread in his hand, and he took a bite, the softness and sweetness were the best footnotes to his pen "I wish people a long time, thousands of miles together".
Cooking Steps:
**Main Material**:
- All-purpose flour 250 grams
- 100g caster sugar (50g for crust and 50g for filling)
- 120 g lard (100 g cold lard, 20 g melted lard)
- Water 80 ml
- Sautéed white sesame seeds 30g (optional)
1. Divide the flour into two parts, one part 125 grams mixed with 50 grams of caster sugar, 100 grams of cold lard, and knead by hand into coarse grains (puff pastry); Another 125 g of flour is mixed with 30 g of melted lard, 80 ml of water and kneaded into a smooth dough (water-oiled skin).
2. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 20 minutes.
3. Roll out the water and oil skin, wrap the puff pastry, roll it out into a rectangle again, fold it three times and then roll it out, repeat three times, and finally divide it into small pieces.
4. Wrap each filling (the remaining 50g of sugar is mixed with sesame seeds) and pinch tightly.
5. Flatten into a cake shape, brush the surface with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
6. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
Tips:
- Knead the dough with light pressure to prevent the dough from sticking out and affecting the crispiness.
- Resting dough should not be omitted, which helps the dough to loosen and make it easier to handle.
- Use ice water and dough to make the dough softer and easier to handle.
The moment the shortbread is taken out of the oven, the room is filled with the warm aroma of baking, and the golden dough is dotted with sesame seeds, which is as tempting as a work of art. At the touch of a light, the puff pastry immediately shatters, making a crisp sound, which is a herald of happiness. In the mouth, the skin is slightly crispy, followed by the sweetness of the sugar filling and the mellow flavor of sesame seeds.