Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars

May 2014 Baking Partners
challenge Swathi raised the bar by choosing bar recipes. So this time around we
are baking  Lemon bars. 

Lemon
Bars

• 1 ¼ cups maida/all purpose
  flour
• 2/3 cup confectioner’s
  sugar
• 113 grms Amul butter cut
  into half inch cubes

• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 tblspn lemon zest
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup lemon juice
•  ½ cup condensed milk
• 3 tblspn all purpose flour
•  1/8 tsp salt
• 2-3 drops yellow food colour
• Powdered sugar for dusting

• Pre-heat oven to 180°C.
• Butter your baking
  pan and set aside. Should have line pan with aluminum foil.
• If you have a food processor
  use it to mix flour, sugar and salt. Else use a whisk.
• Add pieces of butter and
  pulse 8-10 times till the mixture resembles coarse meal, if you are like me
  doing it manually use your fingertips.
• Process until the mixture
  forms large clumps and holds together when pinched between two fingers (around
  15-20 seconds). Mix and try to bring the mixture together with your hands.
• Scrape dough into prepared
  pan and pat it into an even layer.
• Using a fork prick the
  dough at one inch intervals.
•  Bake the crust for 20 minutes till the edges
  become golden brown. I needed 30 minutes.
• Allow this to cool in the
  pan on a wire rack.

• Pulse sugar and lemon zest
  in a processor / mixer till it is fragrant.
•  Beat eggs and mix the sugar and whisk till it
  is pale yellow colour.
• Add the condensed milk, lemon juice, flour and
  salt.
• Pour over the baked crust.
• Bake at 180°C for18-20
  minutes or until just set and firm to touch.  I needed about 30 minutes.
• Cool in room temperature
  and the place in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour before cutting into bars.
• To finish dust the top of
  each bar with powdered sugar and serve.
•  Store lemon bars tightly warped in room
  temperature for two days or in the freezer for one week.