Classic Butter Shortbread

Ingredients

• 9 ounces all-purpose flour
• 8 ounces unsalted butter, softened, plus a little more for greasing the pan
• 3 1/2 ounces confectioners' sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Directions

1. Pass the flour through a fine-mesh sieve, then put it aside. Butter the bottom and sides of the tart pan and set that aside, too. In a stand mixer with the paddle attached, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar on high until the mixture is light, smooth, and pale, about 3 minutes. Stop to scrape the bowl and paddle, then mix again for another 30 seconds.
2. With the mixer off, add the flour in one addition. Mix on the lowest setting just until the dough is nearly together but still has a few dry patches, about 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl and paddle again, mix briefly on low, and take the bowl off the mixer. If you still see dry flour, fold it in with a spatula.
3. Press the dough into the prepared tart pan. Lay plastic wrap over the dough, then use your fingertips or a small rolling pin to even out the top. Refrigerate with the plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface for at least one hour or up to two days.
4. Heat the oven to 300 degrees F with a rack in the center. With a knife, gently mark the cutting guides for eight wedges. Press a round cutter into the center, lift out the circle of dough, and place the cutter back in the middle of the pan. Prick the surface with a skewer, spacing the holes 1/4-inch apart and going all the way through the dough.
5. Bake until the center feels set and the shortbread has reached the golden color you like, 50-60 minutes. Take it out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes, then press up from the bottom of the pan so the outer ring drops away. Lift out the round cutter.
6. Cut the shortbread into wedges along the marks you made, then move the pieces to a cooling rack with an offset spatula. Cool completely before transferring to a sealed container.