Week 5: Basic Shortbread Tart Dough, Pâte Sablée

 Week 5: Whip It

Last week, we tuned the flavor of our dough until it was just right. This week I wanted to focus on how whipping the butter and sugar affects the final result. All over the internet you will see people rave about this secret to melt-in-your mouth shortbread. However, I am suspicious because the recipes that claim this use powdered sugar, which doesn't seem like it would create the same air pockets that granulated sugar does in butter. Maybe just whipping air into the butter makes it a bit lighter, but I'm going to put this to the test this week. I also want to try out the baking powder that I saw in Split H in week 3 to see how much it helps make a tender texture. The baking powder should create gas, which should further leaven the dough, making it lighter. I'll bring our reference (Split I) along and compare it to whipped butter + powdered sugar, whipped butter + superfine sugar, and whipped butter + superfine sugar + baking powder:

As expected, Split I and Split L were completely indistinguishable. Split M was much more tender and melted in the mouth compared to Splits I and L. This means that whipping your butter and sugar is only useful if you are using some form of granulated sugar to create air pockets.

Splits M and N were very close, so it seems like whipping with granulated sugar does more for the texture overall than baking powder. The baking powder did make Split N slightly more tender, but it was also a bit flakier and drier, leading to a slightly less satisfying mouthfeel and a desperate need for a glass of milk. The baking powder also gave the tart shell a slightly tangier flavor that reminded me of "birthday cake" flavor. Both Split M and N had some sticking to the parchment paper on the blind bake, but it was very minor on Split M and a bit more significant on Split N. Both stuck less than Splits G and H, and my new working hypothesis for the sticking is that when there are thin layers from the rise, there will be some sticking.

Still some sticking, but much less than before

To me, the texture of Split M combined with less sticking to the parchment in the blind bake is slightly more desirable than the flavor change from the baking powder in Split N, so my new reference is Split M. Next week, I'll look at how adjusting the flour-to-butter ratio affects the texture.