Warm the milk to body temperature. Add all the ingredients except for the shortening into a bowl, and mix well. When it starts to come together, add the shortening and knead really well. Wrap with plastic wrap, and proof the dough (1st proofing) in a warm place.
This dough contains a lot of sugar, so it takes a long time to rise. It took about 2 hours to become 2.5 times in the size. After the proofing, gently punch down, divide into 10 even pieces, and let it sit for 10 minutes.
Then form into shapes. The picture shows how to do it. Isn't it easier than explaining in writings?
Make an octagonal, hexagonal, pentagonal star shapes according to the size of the dough. I made 5 pieces of cookies, which weighs 45 g, then made different sizes of cookies with the remaining dough.
The dough looks like this. When the cuts are deep, the cookies look nice after baked. Proof the dough (2nd proofing). The next step is baking.
Decorate a little bit Bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 180℃ (350℉). It takes less time to bake smaller breads.
They're great to give away as gifts.
I uploaded this picture in my diary before. I used a cookie cutter for the shape in the inside.
