Talk:Shortbread
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[edit] why call this a biscuit
Should be cookie, more people speak American English -- (Anon)
- I suppose because it is a UK recipe so you use UK English. Interestingly, or course, 'cookie' is from a dutch word for 'cake' so you could argue that cookie is a good word to use for shortCAKE. BTW I didn't write the question in the first place, but whoever did didn't sign it.
Ewan carmichael 13:08, 20 December 2006 (UTC)
[edit] differences with shortcake
The last sentence of this article is in contradiction to the shortcake article. There it says that shortcake can have butter in too.
[edit] general inaccuracies
The baking guidelines are incorrect in that, whilst shortbread is baked slowly, it needn't be merely light gold or white. Some of the nicest shortbread (ie the stuff that I make) is a reasonably dark on top making it crispy on the outside and slightly chewy inside. I propose that the comment is changed.
The comment about shapes is incorrect, or are the shortbread shapes that I made figments of my imagination? The fact that, as the article states, the dough is firm and holds its shape well, means that any shape can be made out of shortbread. For example, at Christmas people make stars and Christmas tree shapes. Oh yes, and you don't cut peticoat tails as soon as they are out of the oven because you can't get the shortbread of of the tin without it breaking then - you have to wait until it is cold and solid before cutting. Perhaps you could if you have baked a moulded version on a baking sheet rather than one in a round tin with wavy edges.
Lastly, many shortbread recipes add additional ingredients (reducing the amount of flour accordingly) to influence the texture of the shortbread. Fine semolina is added to make rougher shortbread, whereas rice flour is use to make finer crisper shortbread.
If no-one objects I will revise the article to reflect these facts.
Ewan carmichael 12:59, 20 December 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Origin of name
Based on the Online Etymology Dictionary entry (linked in References), I have changed the article to reflect that the name shortbread refers to texture, not shortening. At least, that's how I interpret the entry. And it makes more sense to me that the dish would be named for its texture, rather than for a particular ingredient (why not "butterbread" then?) GeoGreg 21:28, 25 January 2007 (UTC)
