OUR FEATURE
Q Can you use semolina instead of flour for making pastry or pasta and what are the advantages or disadvantages, asks Judy Coole from South Wales.
Silvana Franco says: Semolina is usually made from durum wheat, the same flour used for pasta and pizza but in this case it's ground more coarsely. I tend not to use semolina as a main ingredient but I do use it to flour the surface when rolling out pizza bases as it gives the finished pizza a really crunchy bottom.
Really speaking, the difference is just about texture, and so it's more a matter of personal preference than anything else. I prefer my pasta to be soft and smooth so I use the finest flour, type '00' rather than coarse semolina. Where I do use semolina, however, is with Scottish shortbread. Just a little gives a fantastic bite to the biscuits.
SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD
Silvana Franco
INGREDIENTS
200g butter at room temperature
85g golden caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
60g semolina, plus extra for rolling
175g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 150C/ Gas mark 2. Using a hand whisk, beat the butter and sugar together until light. Then with a round bladed knife mix in the semolina and flour to make a firm dough; shape into a ball.
Dust the surface with a mixture of semolina and flour and roll out the dough to make a 15cm round. Transfer to a non-stick baking sheet. Using the back a teaspoon, make indentations all the way round the edge shortbread then mark out 8 segments with a sharp knife. Sprinkle with a little extra sugar and bake for 30 – 35 minutes until pale golden. It’ll still feel a little soft in the centre but will firm up as it hardens.
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