thyme & lemon – sweet & savory
The basic flavours of lemon & thyme are combined in shortbread: once adding sugar to get sweet shortbread, once adding cheese for a savory shortbread.
for the sweet shortbread:- 150 g all-purpose flour
- 50 g caster sugar
- 125 g butter
- zest of 1/2 an organic lemon
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp salt
for the savory shortbread:- 150 g all-purpose flour
- 50 g freshly grated pecorino
- 125 g butter
- zest of 1/2 an organic lemon
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp finely ground white pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
Grate lemon zest.
Grate pecorino.
for the sweet shortbread:Mix flour, sugar, dried thyme, 1/2 of the lemon zest & salt.
Add butter cut into cubes.
Knead everything w/ your hands until smooth.
Form somewhat like a roll, wrap in cling film & roll over the surface until even (length approximately 20 cm).
Store in the fridge (fresh department of about 0 degrees C!) for about 30 min.
for the savory shortbread:Mix flour, grated pecorino, dried thyme, 1/2 of the lemon zest, pepper & salt.
Add butter cut into cubes.
Knead everything w/ your hands until smooth.
Form somewhat like a roll, wrap in cling film & roll over the surface until even (length approximately 25 cm).
Store in the fridge (fresh department of about 0° C!) for about 30 min.
for both:Preheat the oven to 160° C w/ fan.
Line 2 baking trays w/ baking parchment.
Unwrap one of the dough rolls & cut into slices of about 5 mm.
Arrange on the baking tray (5 x 4 resp. 4 x 3).
Bake in the oven for about 14-15 min.
Unwrap the next dough roll & cut into slices of about 5 mm.
Arrange on the baking tray (5 x 4 resp. 4 x 3).
Bake in the oven for about 14-15 min.
Let them cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Prep Time: Cooling time for the dough is not included.
Cooling time: It’s about 30 min in the fresh department of about 0° C; it’s about 1 h (minimum!) in the rest of the fridge.
Cook Time: It’s 2x up to 15 min if you bake twice. If you’ve got 3 baking trays you may be able to arrange the shortbread cookies (sweet & savoury) for one baking batch...
Pecorino: I used fresh pecorino which I grated by myself (not so finely grated as you may buy in your trusted food store).
Butter: The butter should be ice-cold.
Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks - if anybody can resist so long...).