Scone Recipe

I mentioned the other day that I made Cranberry Scones for Easter morning, and several readers asked for the recipe.  This comes from USA Weekend (the Sunday paper insert).  I just checked and it’s dated Dec 17-19, 2004.  I’ve made these scones numerous times and vary the fruit, but usually use crasins.

Simple Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup plus 1 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 Tbs (1 stick) butter, frozen
1/2 cup raisins, crasins, or currants
1/2 cup sour cream (or yogurt)
1 large egg

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position (unless you live in an RV and then you don’t have a choice).  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in butter (mixture should resemble coarse meal), then stir in raisins (crasins).

In a small bowl, whisk sour cream (yogurt) and egg until smooth.

Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form.  Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball.  (The dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.)

Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7-8 inch circle about 3/4 inch thick.  Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp sugar.  Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper), about 1 inch apart.

Bake until slightly golden, about 15 to 17 minutes.  Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.
--------------------------------

The trick is to really mix the butter into the flour until really mealy.  Once you add the sour cream and egg mixture you want to manipulate the dough as little as possible so the scones don’t get tough and hard.  It works best to press the dough against the side of the bowl till it barely comes together. Patting out the dough into a circle finishes pulling it all together.  The end result is tender and delicious.

Let me know how your scones turn out.  Remember, you are loved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

as it is a way to use up my homemade yogurt, instead of the sour cream the recipe calls for.