I love scones, because they are basically a biscuit that you can fill with any amount of fun things – sweet or savory!
The last few times I made scones I tried all different kinds of combinations:
Cheddar and Cashew
Sunflower Seed, Dried Cherry, Mexican Chocolate
Flax Seed, Pecan, Dried Cranberry
This is my simple scones recipe:
I often write recipes to myself as just a list of ingredients (ask any one of my former employees and they will surely roll their eyes about it), so it’s not surprising that there are no directions. In baking, I like to make sure I have measurements for the ingredients, as I am not a good enough baker (yet) to guess on the amounts of leaveners, etc. The technique on scones is a basic biscuit technique – simply: mix dry ingredients, cut in butter, add liquid and other flavorings/additions (like nuts, berries, or cheese).
A few words of wisdom from my years of baking at work and at home:
*Make sure your baking powder and baking soda are no more than one year old. Everything in your kitchen runs out of life eventually (even dried beans can become inedibly dry after a few years) and these items are not an exception. If you are in doubt, just get new ones – it’s not that much of an investment to ensure successful baking.
*Use unsalted butter. Always. Salt is a preservative, meaning salted butter is more likely to be a lot older. Plus you want to be able to control the salt content in your cooking.
*Don’t get overwrought about “room temperature butter,” just let it sit out for like 10 minutes – that’s it. It just has to be slightly pliable.
*Don’t overwork your dough – unless you are making bread or pasta, you don’t need to knead a dough. Stir it until it is wet and everything seems evenly distributed.
*Last, but certainly not least, don’t get stressed out. Food is like a reflection of your mood, if you are stressed about making something it will most likely turn out tough/undercooked/wrong because you nervously stir it/open the oven too much/skip a step. Relax, enjoy the feel/smell/taste of it all.
Simple Scones
makes 12 small scones
3 c flour
1/3 c sugar
2.5 tsp baking powder
.5 tsp baking soda
3/4 c butter, room temp
1 c buttermilk, milk, cream, or yogurt
1. Preheat oven to 400degrees.
2. Mix dry ingredients in bowl, add butter pieces. Cut butter with a pastry cutter or using hands until you get a gravely texture.
3. Add liquid and any other flavorings (nuts, dried fruit, cheese, etc) and stir until combined.
4. Separate dough into thirds, and turn each third on a floured surface until a cohesive ball – form into a 4″ puck and chill for about 30 minutes.
5. Remove from refrigerator and cut into fourths. Bake on a baking sheet for 15-25 minutes, until slightly browned.
note: You can keep the puck in the freezer for up to three months. Just pull it out and let it thaw on the counter for an hour or two, cut into fourths and bake as usual.
Dry Ingredients
Cold Butter
Room Temp Butter
Add Butter to Dry Ingredients
Cutting Butter By Hand – squeeze butter between thumb and forefinger and drop back into the flour mixture. Repeat.
Halfway Through the Cutting Process – the butter is still big and looks flakey
Done Cutting the Butter – the mixture resembles small gravel
Add Liquid Ingredients
Four Inch Puck – chill before cutting
Cut in Fours and Put Into the Oven
Golden Brown Scones
culinary mercenary 