Bergamot Shortbread (Using Infused Flour)
There’s a quiet sophistication to shortbread. No leavening, no eggs, no complexity—just butter, sugar, flour, and whatever flavor you’ve built into it. Our Bergamot-Infused Pastry Flour does the work here. The citrus oils are already in the flour, so the flavor distributes evenly through every bite. You get a clean bergamot finish without extracts or zesting. Shape it as individual cookies or bake it as a single round and score into wedges. Either way, it holds together well, keeps beautifully, and pairs naturally with tea.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Bergamot flavor built into the flour—no zesting, no extracts required.
- One-bowl dough with minimal hands-on time.
- Tender, buttery crumb with a delicate citrus finish.
- Works as slice-and-bake cookies or a rustic scored round.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 cups bergamot-infused flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Cream the butter and powdered sugar until smooth.
- Mix in the vanilla, if using.
- Add the bergamot-infused flour and salt. Mix just until a dough forms.
- Shape into a log or press into an 8-inch round pan.
- Chill for at least 1 hour.
- Bake at 325°F (165°C) for 15–18 minutes for cookies, or 30–35 minutes if baked as one large round.
Tips for the Best Bergamot Shortbread
- Don’t overwork the dough. Mix just until it comes together—overworking develops gluten and toughens the crumb.
- Chill the full hour. Cold dough holds its shape during baking and produces cleaner edges.
- Watch the edges. Shortbread is done when the edges are just barely golden. The center may still look soft—it firms up as it cools.
- Score the round before baking. If pressing into a pan, score into wedges before it goes in the oven. Cutting after baking can crack it.
- Cool completely before moving. Shortbread is fragile when warm.
Serving Suggestions
Serve alongside Earl Grey or black tea for the most natural pairing—the bergamot in the cookie and the cup echo each other. They’re also at home on a dessert board, tucked into a gift tin, or set out at a brunch alongside fruit and fresh cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bergamot-Infused Flour? Our infused flours start with a stone-milled base and are blended with food-grade botanicals or oils during milling. Bergamot is a citrus fruit native to southern Italy—best known as the flavor in Earl Grey tea. The result is a flour with a clean, aromatic citrus character that distributes evenly through any baked good.
Can I use regular soft wheat flour instead? Yes, but you’ll lose the bergamot flavor entirely. If you want to experiment, add 1–2 teaspoons of bergamot zest or a few drops of food-grade bergamot oil to a soft wheat or pastry flour as a substitute.
How do I store shortbread? Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. The flavor actually deepens on day two.
Can I freeze the dough? Yes. Shape into a log, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to three months. Slice and bake directly from frozen—add 2–3 minutes to the bake time.
