An article of food, in the form of flat (usually round) cakes, the essential ingredients of which are flour, butter, sugar, mixed in such proportions as to make the cake ‘short’ when baked.
1801 Farmer's Mag. Apr. 217 It can be used for biscuit, bunns, and particularly for short-bread. 1853 MRS. CARLYLE Lett. II. 226 A decanter of wine..and a plateful of shortbread. 1891 BARRIE Little Minister (1892) 201 Two of those pans, that could be broken in the hands to-day like shortbread.
note that the 'short' in 'shortbread' is the same 'short' as in 'shortening', and can refer to any kind of fat used in cooking; the critical axis along which shortness is measured is between fat content and water content.
ah! i had always expected that shortbread had something to do with shortening, but i didn't make the connection bewteen the etymologies when i looked them up today... thanks!
Adding lots of shortening actually does physically shorten the strands of gluten formed when the flour is worked, resulting in a more tender and flaky pastry.
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1801 Farmer's Mag. Apr. 217 It can be used for biscuit, bunns, and particularly for short-bread. 1853 MRS. CARLYLE Lett. II. 226 A decanter of wine..and a plateful of shortbread. 1891 BARRIE Little Minister (1892) 201 Two of those pans, that could be broken in the hands to-day like shortbread.
so sayeth the OED.
to elaborate a bit
Re: to elaborate a bit
i had always expected that shortbread had something to do with shortening, but i didn't make the connection bewteen the etymologies when i looked them up today... thanks!
Re: to elaborate a bit