Scones

33 Replies

I love to have a scone with my tea or coffee. They are small enough to be a tidbit, but big enough to fill the gap when it’s a while before dinner. Having scones on hand makes life easier if someone drops in and you don’t know what to serve as a “little something” with your beverage. Keep them in a ziploc in the freezer, and thaw for a few seconds in the microwave, and you’re all set.

I have a book of many scone recipes. I don’t particularly like any of them so I took the best of each and made up my own version.

All the dry ingredients go into the food processor:

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

3 Tbsp. sugar (which I forgot to put into this batch, but it turned out fine just the same)

Then add about 3/4 cup of butter and pulse the food processor until the butter is cut into the flour mixture evenly.

In a measuring cup, stir an egg with a fork and then add enough milk to make a cup. (At this point I also add, as part of that one cup of liquid, whatever I have on hand – yogurt, sour cream, or a squeeze of lemon or lime – just to get the baking soda working well). You may have to add a drop more liquid if you use sour cream or yogurt.

Pour in the liquid and give it a few pulses, add a handful of currants (or raisins, if you prefer), and pulse again. You don’t want to mash the currants so these go in last and are just barely mixed in.

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I dump out the dough onto a lightly floured board and smoosh it together into a rectangular lump. I fold the lump in half, press it down, fold it in half again and press it down, and maybe do it a third time. The main thing is not to knead or handle the dough too much.

Place the square of dough onto a buttered baking sheet and roll it to about 1/2 inch thickness with a rolling pin. Then cut it into about 24 pieces. Notice I use the word “about” a lot. If you want to make the scones come out with a nice glaze on top, this is a good time to brush egg on top. I’m usually too lazy.

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The recipes all say 425 degrees for half an hour but I found that this is too hot for too long. “About” 400 for 22 minutes was plenty for this batch, but you have to do what suits your oven’s quirkiness, and watch the time.

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Put the finished scones onto a cooling rack and then hurry to get the butter and the blackberry jam you made the other day. Try out your scones and then … try out another … and another. Enjoy.

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33 thoughts on “Scones”

    1. wordsfromanneli Post author

      I love kebabs and panini, but it’s nice to have a choice of scones too. You would think that you could easily get scones in London, but I guess the face of London is changing (another old English tradition lost).

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      1. Luanne

        The local GF bakery does make scones, but the celiac doesn’t like them because they are just a “bunch of bread.” I think trying to replicate food with rice flour doesn’t produce the same thing. The product is usually more dense, but also doesn’t have that stickiness that wheat flour has (the gluten!). That sounds like a contradiction, but it’s not. That said, the GF bakery makes an “everything bagel,” that is absolutely phenomenal. It isn’t like a “real” bagel at all, but so much better. Very light and yummy.

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  10. Sonja Forrester

    Looks delicious. I may just have to put a batch on! Perfect for a drizzly day with a delicious cup of tea. Thank you for inspiring me! (and hubby thanks you too, but not until they come out of the oven!) 🙂

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  11. reocochran

    Anneli, my youngest daughter tries to avoid flour with gluten and uses either brown rice flour or unbleached white rice flour. (In answer to question to Luanne)
    I eat butter, jam, and ALL the ingredients you included for your yummy scones! So, once I get in my friend, Batman’s batmobile, I will be there. . . Ha ha!
    Joke upon Batman and Robin being partners. . . .
    Mom and I just had cookies and coffee, while waiting for my brother to bring her a pumpkin he baked full of savory stew made with beef, wild rice, chopped yams, onions and other veggies and flavorings. It is #88 birthday for my Mom.
    Hope this isn’t a repeat that I already mentioned. . . I made pineapple upside down cake. Watching the end (we hope!) of the World Series of baseball. We are in Cleveland, Ohio so of course, rooting and wearing Indians shirts. 🙂
    You may fly over here to taste the stew, if you wish. . . xoxo

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  13. Sonja Forrester

    Well, I tried your scone recipe today, and they turned out amazingly light, fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside. 22 min at 400 degrees was perfect. The only thing I did differently was, I rolled the dough very lightly and cut out rounds with a glass. I also added in some goji berries, pumpkin seeds and a few white chocolate chips while I was folding the dough. Yum!!! Thanks again for the recipe. I’ll be making this over and over!!! 🙂

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  15. roughwighting

    3:20 in the afternoon here and I made the mistake of just reading your scone post. Now I’m ravenous. I love scones, and I bet yours are just right. Some places the scones are too dry or too hard. Unfortunately, I found a bake shop nearby where the scones are JUST RIGHT. Not too dry but not too cake-like; in summer the baker puts strawberries in, which I swoon over. Now, raisins or plain with a light mocha icing on top. Be still my heart! 🙂

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