Cakes & Bakes: Vegan gluten-free shortbread

Home-made vegan gluten-free shortbread petticoat tails | H is for Home

Having specialist dietary requirements has become so much easier to live with in the past couple of years. If you’re vegan or gluten-free, you’re thankfully much more catered for in supermarkets and restaurants.

Since moving to Wales, I joined the local Women’s Institute in the village. The members take it in turns at each meeting to make the tea and provide the cake & biscuits. This week, it’s my turn! In the group, there are a few vegetarians, a vegan and someone with Coeliac disease. I decided I’d make two different things; one biscuit-y and one cake-y. The former would be vegan gluten-free shortbread. The latter, I’ll share on here next week.

Doves Farm produce a huge range of flours, one of which is a gluten-free plain white flour. It’s a blend of rice, potato, tapioca, maize and buckwheat flours. The lack of gluten means that the mixture can be unworkable and the biscuit too crumbly. To combat this, a minuscule amount of xanthan gum is added to the flour to help bind the dough and subsequent biscuit. In addition, I used Trex as the shortening. The brand doesn’t make it apparent on the packaging, however, it is completely vegan.

Floured shortbread mould with ingredients in food processor bowl | H is for Home

I used my favourite antique wooden mould, dusting it with rice flour which is gluten-free.

Round wooden mould with shortbread dough | H is for Home Taking shortbread round out of its wooden mould on to a lined baking tray | H is for Home

The recipe worked well; the dough came together and moulded with no trouble. The round released from the mould easily and slicing it into triangular ‘petticoat tails’ was a breeze.

Home-made vegan gluten-free shortbread round cut into petticoat tails | H is for Home

If I were to make these again, I’d up the sugar content, perhaps sprinkling some granulated over the top just before they went into the oven.

Click here to save the recipe to Pinterest

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Vegan gluten-free shortbread
Serves 8
Cook Time
45 min
Cook Time
45 min
Ingredients
  1. 200g/7oz gluten-free plain Flour
  2. 75g/2⅔oz caster sugar
  3. ¼ tsp xanthan gum
  4. pinch of salt
  5. 1tbsp water
  6. 150g/5¼oz vegan block margarine (e.g. Trex)Vegan gluten-free shortbread ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Line a 15cmx20cm/6"x8" baking tray with parchment
  2. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas mark6
  3. Put the flour, sugar, xanthan and salt into a blender and pulse to mix
  4. Add the water and pulse to mix it with the flour
  5. Chop the margarine into cubes, add this to the bowl and pulse until the dough holds together
  6. Tip the mixture into your prepared baking tray/mould, pressing it into the corners and smoothing the top
  7. Cover the dough and leave it to rest for 20 minutes
  8. Cut the dough into rectangles. If you're using a mould, turn the dough out on to a parchment-lined baking sheet and cut into portions
  9. Press the prongs of a fork into each slice
  10. Bake for 20 minutes
  11. Remove the tray from the oven and carefully cut the slices again, following the original lines
  12. Press the fork prongs into the holes again
  13. Return the shortbread to the oven and bake for a further 25 minutes
  14. Allow the shortbread to cool on the baking tray for 20 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to finish cooling
  15. Store cold biscuits in an airtight container
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Adapted from Doves Farm
Adapted from Doves Farm
H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: Christmas spiced shortbread

Home-made Christmas spiced shortbread | H is for Home

We’re continuing with the festive theme for December’s Cakes & Bakes –  this week’s recipe being delicious Christmas spiced shortbread.

Dry ingredients for Christmas spiced shortbread in a sieve | H is for Home Cubes of butter on top of the dry ingredients for Christmas spiced shortbread | H is for Home

These shortbreads have lots of plus points. They’re quite simple to prepare at this busy time of year, they look very attractive… and they fill the house with wonderful Christmas aromas too.

Pair of vintage wooden shortbread moulds | H is for Home

Simply combine all the ingredients together, press the pastry into moulds, release and bake.

Moulded rounds of Christmas spiced shortbread pastry | H is for Home Rounds of Christmas spiced shortbread cooling on a wire rack | H is for Home

They’d make a lovely home-made gift for someone special, wrap them up with pretty paper & string or present them in a glass jar decorated with ribbon, holly and/or fir cones. Alternatively, treat yourself to a batch – perfect with a warming cup of tea after a winter walk… or perhaps a glass of sweet sherry or port.

Home-made Christmas spiced shortbread | H is for Home

Click here to save my recipe to Pinterest

Christmas spiced shortbread
Ingredients
  1. 175g/6oz/¾ cup plain flour
  2. 50g/2oz/½ cup cornflour
  3. 1tsp mixed spice (or you could make your own from equal parts of ground cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger)
  4. 25g/1oz/¼ cup caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
  5. 25g/1oz/¼ cup soft brown sugar
  6. 115g/4oz/½ cup unsalted butter, chopped
  7. 1tsp vanilla pasteHome-made Christmas spiced shortbread ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas mark 3. Lightly flour the moulds (rice flour works well) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper
  2. Sift the flour, cornflour and mixed into a mixing bowl. Mix in the sugars
  3. Rub the butter and vanilla paste into the spiced flour & sugar mixture until it binds together and you can knead it into a soft dough
  4. Place the dough into the mould and press to fit evenly and neatly (I went over it a couple of times with a rolling pin). Invert the mould on to the baking sheet and tap firmly to release the dough shape
  5. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden in colour
  6. Sprinkle the top of the shortbread with a little caster sugar and cool on a baking sheet
  7. Cut the large rounds into 'petticoat tails' while still warm
Notes
  1. We can attest that these are lovely with a little glass of sweet sherry!
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H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/