Baking

A short dough that has been made correctly does not need to rest before it is baked, and it should neither shrink nor puff during baking. It is not essential to prick short dough before baking, but doing so will deflate any air pockets that may have formed. Short dough can be baked at any temperature between 325° and 425°F(163° and 219°C), but 375°F(190°C) is ideal. Short dough made according to this recipe is one of the few doughs where simply looking at the color of the baked product will tell you if it is done (provided the dough was rolled out to the proper thickness). This is not necessarily true of other short dough recipes, some of which contain a different proportion of sugar. But if you use this recipe and follow the directions as given, you can be certain baking is complete when the dough turns golden brown.