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Friends, this intrigues me..
Stephanie Jaworski (joyofbaking.com) has a radical tip, using frozen grated butter.
She insists it noticeably enhances texture. Unsure where this tip originates. Her bio says "Born in Nova Scotia to a British father I was brought up eating both Canadian and British food."
This is contrary to how I was taught to always mix sugar and butter thoroughly until fluffy, before adding flour.
I guess I will have to try and see what happens. Wish me luck.

Her recipe/method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tejo7q5Z9Vw

Edit 1 - Hmm.. I guess the frozen butter means it's water content is ice crystals, so not mixing with the flour. So the flour will be dry-toasted a bit more in the beginning.
Aha! Google gave me this: "Baking expert Dorie Greenspan uses roasted flour (toasted in an oven) for her shortbreads." from https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/inside-our-kitchen/article/how-and-why-to-toast-flour
Very interesting ideas. So one might take this even a step further..

Edit 2 - I believe I will try pre-toasting the flour instead.

Edit 3 - pre-toasting the flour was disastrous. Tasted like sand in the worst thinkable way.

Friends, this intrigues me..
Stephanie Jaworski (joyofbaking.com) has a radical tip, using frozen grated butter.
She insists it noticeably enhances texture. Unsure where this tip originates. Her bio says "Born in Nova Scotia to a British father I was brought up eating both Canadian and British food."
This is contrary to how I was taught to always mix sugar and butter thoroughly until fluffy, before adding flour.
I guess I will have to try and see what happens. Wish me luck.

Her recipe/method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tejo7q5Z9Vw

Edit 1 - Hmm.. I guess the frozen butter means it's water content is ice crystals, so not mixing with the flour. So the flour will be dry-toasted a bit more in the beginning.
Aha! Google gave me this: "Baking expert Dorie Greenspan uses roasted flour (toasted in an oven) for her shortbreads." from https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/inside-our-kitchen/article/how-and-why-to-toast-flour
Very interesting ideas. So one might take this even a step further..

Edit 2 - I believe I will try pre-toasting the flour instead.  Found some info on what happens as flour heats up:
-Wheat proteins denaturate around 50°C. Larger proteins coagulate in the range 70–80°C and smaller proteins coagulated in the range 80–120°.
-Wheat starches gelatinize in the range 60-70°C.
-Maillard browning takes place above approximately 105°C.
-Bread baking process in which oven temperatures reach 200–220°C, internal loaf temperature is about 100°C.

Friends, this intrigues me..
Stephanie Jaworski (joyofbaking.com) has a radical tip, using frozen grated butter.
She insists it noticeably enhances texture. Unsure where this tip originates. Her bio says "Born in Nova Scotia to a British father I was brought up eating both Canadian and British food."
This is contrary to how I was taught to always mix sugar and butter thoroughly until fluffy, before adding flour.
I guess I will have to try and see what happens. Wish me luck.

Her recipe/method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tejo7q5Z9Vw

Hmm.. I guess the frozen butter means it's water content is ice crystals, so not mixing with the flour. So the flour will be dry-toasted a bit more in the beginning.
Aha! Google gave me this: "Baking expert Dorie Greenspan uses roasted flour (toasted in an oven) for her shortbreads." from https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/inside-our-kitchen/article/how-and-why-to-toast-flour
Very interesting ideas. So one might take this even a step further..