4 Reasons Your Shortbread Is Dough Too Dry (Solutions)

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Shortbread is a traditional Christmas food that many of us will be making at this time of the year. It’s good all year round too! It’s fairly easy to make and doesn’t require many ingredients but there are a few things to look out for if you want it to turn out perfectly.

One thing to watch for is that it doesn’t overcook. Shortbread scorches easily and should be removed from the oven as soon as it’s a golden color. Don’t wait for it to turn brown. It can also sometimes be hard and tough when you bite into it. This could be from overworking the dough.

The dough should never be kneaded like bread dough or over-mixed in the food processor. Just mix it until the ingredients are mixed together then stop. The problem we’re going to look at in-depth today is dough that’s too dry. It’s fairly easy to fix, so please don’t panic.

You’ll soon be on your way to the perfect batch of shortbread or shortbread cookies. Shortbread originated in Scotland. It is made from a simple combination of a few basic ingredients. Firstly, white sugar – preferably fine castor sugar to provide sweetness and crunch.

A combination of cake flour and cornflour is used as the main ingredient. The cornflour provides the “short” melt-in-the-mouth crumble that characterizes shortbread so don’t be tempted to use cake flour alone. Some recipes call for icing sugar instead of cornflour and castor sugar.

Lastly, the shortening ingredient is butter. Real butter only, please. Never, ever margarine. If your dough has turned too hard and dry, there are several reasons for this happening. We’ve got some fixes for you so read on.

Dough Is Too Dry

Tough, dry dough will never let produce a good batch of shortbread or shortbread cookies.

1. Insufficient butter

This is probably the main reason for most dry dough. If you haven’t added enough fat to the dough, your shortbread cookie dough will never be soft and easily manageable.

Remember, the butter is your only source of moisture here as shortbread does not contain any milk, water, eggs, or buttermilk.

2. Addition of too many dry ingredients

Another reason for the shortbread dough becoming tough and hard is that you have added too much flour or cornflour. Even a few spoonfuls of excess flour can make your dough dry and crumby.

3. Over-mixing

You have over-mixed the flour, butter, and the other ingredients that now the existing fat just disappeared within the mixture. This happens easily if you use a high-powered electric mixer.

4. Refrigerated the dough before baking

This is another reason for your dough to dry out and become extra tough. The fridge steals away the required moisture and fat. If you do need to chill the dough due to a hot climate, be sure to wrap it well in clingfilm first.

What To Do When Shortbread Dough Is Too Dry?

Now that you know of all the possible culprits that make your shortbread dough dry and extra tough, we’ll tell you how to fix it. Here are a few things to do to fix too dry shortbread dough:

1. Make sure to always soften the butter to room temperature before mixing it in.
2. Measure the dry ingredients such as flour or cornflour carefully so you don’t add extra flour that makes your dough dry. You may always add a tablespoon of water to soften the dough but we wouldn’t recommend adding more. Add a little extra butter if you need to.
3. You should start with creaming the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Then add the flour and cornflour. Mix until you have a soft but not sticky dough. Do all this before adding any water.
4. Stir the batter thoroughly so there is no loose and unabsorbed flour.

As a bonus, we’ve included an authentic Scottish shortbread recipe. We hope you enjoy making it. Let us know how it turns out for you!

Ingredients:

• Scottish Shortbread
• 100g butter, softened
• 50g castor sugar
• 90g cake flour
• 80g cornflour

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 160˚C.
2. Lightly grease a loose-bottomed 20 cm diameter round cake tin.
3. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and castor sugar together very well until pale and fluffy.
4. Add the flours and combine gently until you have a soft dough. Do not over-handle the dough or your shortbread will not be “short”.
5. Roll the dough into a ball, flatten it, then press it into the cake tin until it covers the base.

6. Smooth it out with the back of a spoon or your fingers.
7. With a knife, score it into 8 even triangles. Don’t cut it all the way through.
8. With a fork, prick the dough at regular intervals.
9. Bake it for 30-40 minutes until golden. Watch it carefully so it doesn’t overcook.
10. Remove from the oven, cut through the wedges while still hot but leave it to cool completely in the pan.
11. Sprinkle with extra castor sugar while still warm.