A Basic Scone To Dress Up Or Not As Inclination Indicates

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A Basic Scone To Dress Up Or Not As Inclination Indicates

 

2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1 cup King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt, to 1 teaspoon salt (depending on amount of butter used; more

butter less salt)

2 tablespoons butter, to 8 tablespoons butter (to taste; the more, the richer)

4 tablespoons sugar, (adjust to taste)

1 cup buttermilk, (or sour milk or yogurt)Preheat your oven to 500°F.

 

 

 

 

 

In a large mixing bowl, blend the dry ingredients together thoroughly. With a

pastry blender, two knives, or, most easily, your fingertips, cut or rub in the

butter until the mixture looks like bread crumbs.

 

Take about 20 seconds to stir in the liquid. The dough will be rough and shaggy

but that's the way it should look. Turn it out onto a well-floured board. Flour

your hands and the surface of the dough well. Knead it very gently about 10

times, just enough to bring it together. It is not supposed to be smooth and

springy like bread dough. Sprinkle on more flour as you need it to keep the

dough from sticking.

 

For small, tea-time scones, cut the dough in half and press or roll each gently

with a well floured rolling pin into a circle about 6 inches by 1/2 inch.

 

You can tidy up the edges with the palms of your hands if you want, but do it

gently. Half the charm of scones is their " shagginess. "

 

Cut the circle into 8 wedge-shaped pieces with the edge of a bench or bowl

scraper (or spatula), pressing down firmly without sawing. You'll find it easier

if you dip your cutter in flour after each cut. Make sure you press it into the

dough quickly, without twisting or sawing. This shears the dough cleanly rather

than pressing it together, which allows the scones to rise higher.

 

Using the scraper or spatula as a " shovel, " transfer each piece gently to a

flour-sprinkled baking sheet (a pizza pan is wonderful for this), leaving a half

inch or so between them. Put them in the oven, turn the temperature down to

450°F and bake for about 15 minutes. Yield: about 12 scones.

 

Nutrition information per serving (1 scone, 55 g): 127 cal, 2 g fat, 4 g

protein, 22 g complex carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 6 mg cholesterol, 361 mg sodium,

90 mg potassium, 1 mg iron, 121 mg calcium, 90 mg phosphorus.

 

Dressing Up Options

 

Fruit: A traditional British scone contains an added cup of currants or raisins,

either purple or gold. An American counterpart might be 1 cup of blueberries,

fresh and wild or dried, cranberries, fresh or dried, chopped apple or peaches.

Mix with the dry ingredients after you've rubbed in the butter but before you

add the liquid.

 

Spices: To use alone or to vary the flavor of a fruit scone, you can add up to a

tablespoon of spice (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves or a

combination) to the dry ingredients.

 

Nuts and/or Seeds: A cup of halved or chopped pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts or

almonds, either alone or with fruit, add great flavor and texture. So will

sunflower or pumpkin seeds or pine nuts or pistachios. Add these as you would

the fruit.

 

Lemon or Orange Zest: Add a teaspoon of grated lemon or orange peel to your dry

ingredients. This can be done alone or to enhance a fruit scone. If you want the

flavor of lemon or orange but not the grated knuckles, use our Baker's Catalogue

orange oil or lemon oil.

 

Cheese: A cup of grated cheese, such as Cheddar or Parmesan, can be added to the

dry ingredients after you rub in the butter. A teaspoon of dry mustard blended

with the dry ingredients, or a prepared mustard beaten into the liquid, adds to

and intensifies the flavor. Try this with chopped chives or even chopped apple.

Use just a teaspoon or so of sugar with this combination.

 

Herbs: Two teaspoons of dry or a tablespoon of fresh herbs alone or in

combination with cheese makes a wonderful variation as well as a great topping

for a meat pie. When you make this variety, use just a teaspoon of sugar.

 

Savory Combinations: Add 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped ham, hard sausage, or crumbled

bacon to your dry ingredients as you would fruit or nuts. You can even put

together a whole meal combination. Try bacon, cheese and chopped apple.. Again,

just a little sugar will enhance the flavor without adding sweetness.

 

Chocolate or Other Chips: Perhaps the most unlikely variation that has emerged

during the current fascination with scones is the addition of chocolate chips.

This will seem a travesty to traditionalists, but if you are tempted by this

idea, use 1/2 cup sugar with the dry ingredients, rub in 8 tablespoons of

butter, add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips and include 1 teaspoon of vanilla

and 1 beaten egg as part of your liquid. To take this nonsense even further,

substitute 1/3 cup of cocoa for 1/3 cup of flour. (Actually, these scones are

very good, especially if you add a cup of pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts as well.)

 

Source: The Baking Sheet Newsletter.

Formatted by Chupa Babi: 06.03.08

 

Scones are traditionally partially leavened through the reaction of buttermilk

with baking soda, which creates their characteristic flavor and shaggy texture.

 

 

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