Lemon Bars

Method

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1. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F and line a 23 x 23 cm tin with baking paper, leaving an overhang.

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2. Blitz the flour, icing sugar and salt, then add the cold butter and pulse to fine crumbs that hold together when squeezed.

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3. Tip into the tin and press firmly and evenly across the base and 1 cm up the sides — the back of a measuring cup is the right tool. Prick all over.

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4. Bake 22 to 25 minutes until pale gold and dry-looking at the centre. Leave the oven on.

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5. While it bakes, whisk the eggs, yolks and caster sugar until smooth but not foamy, then whisk in the flour until no lumps remain.

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6. Whisk in the lemon juice, zest and salt, then strain through a sieve to catch any thread of egg.

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7. Pour the filling straight onto the hot base and return to the oven immediately.

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8. Bake 20 to 24 minutes, until the centre no longer ripples when you nudge the tin but still has the faintest wobble.

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9. Cool completely in the tin, then refrigerate at least 3 hours before lifting out and cutting with a hot, dry knife.

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10. Dust with icing sugar just before serving — dust it early and the sugar dissolves into a wet film.

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Chef’s Tips

• Zest the lemons before juicing them. Zesting a squeezed half is a miserable job.
• Straining the filling is not optional. The chalaza of every egg will otherwise show as a white streak on the surface.
• Wipe the knife between every cut. One pass with a dirty blade drags curd across the whole tray.

Pairing Suggestions

• Earl Grey
• Raspberries and cream
• A dry prosecco

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerated in an airtight box for 5 days. Serve at cool room temperature — fridge-cold mutes the lemon. Freeze cut bars, unsugared, for 2 months.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.