Ingredients:
- 227g grass-fed unsalted butter, tempered to 60°F
- 100g unrefined superfine cane sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla bean paste
- 300g organic all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tbsp rice flour
Instructions:
- Prep the oven. Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C). Note: Low and slow is the rule for shortbread.
- Cream the butter. Beat the 227g butter and 100g sugar until pale and fluffy. This should take about 3 minutes.
- Add aromatics. Mix in the vanilla bean paste and sea salt.
- Sift dry ingredients. Combine the 300g all purpose flour and 1 tbsp rice flour in a separate bowl.
- Incorporate slowly. Add the dry mix to the butter until a shaggy dough forms. Do not overmix!
- Press into pan. Transfer the dough to your lined pan and press down until the surface is perfectly level.
- Score the dough. Use a knife to lightly cut the dough into 16 rectangles.
- Dock the surface. Use a fork to prick patterns into each piece. Note: This allows steam to escape.
- Bake the batch. Bake for 35 minutes until the edges are just barely golden.
- Final cut. While still warm, slice through your score marks again. Let it cool completely in the pan to set the structure.