baking challenge was on!
I recently attended a conference at College of the Canyons. Whenever I wear my Chef coat to a function, inevitably the discussion turns to food. It seems everyone has a food story. I love to listen to people share their stories about a special food memory. One of my colleagues was sharing memories of her childhood in Australia. She was fondly remembering the wonderful scones she used to enjoy. She was smiling as she remembered the warm soft scones with fresh strawberry jam and then spread with a thick, sweet double cream. “I love scones”, I stated. She then proceeded to share all the ingredients in her favorite scone recipe and exactly how to make them. She sifts all dry ingredients together, mixes all wet ingredients together, and then gently and gingerly combines the two together for one brief minute.
I asked her for the recipe for these wonderful scones. I also know a thing or two about a good scone. Scones are part of the quick bread family and are used often in bake shops. The Baking challenge was on!
First let me explain the definition of a scone. A scone is a small, individual Scottish quick bread with a crispy, golden crust and soft, delicate interior. Scones were originally made from oats and baked on a griddle, but today they are flour based and baked in an oven. Usually triangular, they may also be round, square, or diamond shape. They may be sweet or savory, and most commonly eaten as a breakfast item or served with afternoon tea with clotted cream and jam. The name is believed to be a reference to the Stone (Scone) of Destiny, where Scottish kings were crowned.
I baked my colleague’s scone recipe. There was no sugar in the recipe. The wet ingredient was half and half. It was mixed briefly, dumped on a table, then folded together very carefully. It was shaped into a ½ inch disk and then cut into circles with a round cookie cutter and baked at a high temperature. The “scone” was delicious. I enjoyed it with a generous pat of butter and some wild orange blossom honey. This recipe was more of a biscuit than a scone. Scone recipes do vary. They also vary from country to country. Some recipes use milk, some use heavy cream and some use buttermilk for one of the wet ingredients. The other wet ingredient would be eggs. Some recipes use dried fruit, fresh fruit, zest from oranges or lemons and/or other complimentary ingredients. Shapes may vary as well.
Now, the bake challenge. I baked my scone recipe. I also tried a few recipes from different cookbooks and the internet. The winner was my own scone recipe. It was crisp on the outside, moist and bursting with the flavors of summer on the inside. It was delicious on its own but I made a wonderful vanilla honey glaze which I dipped the top of the scone. Yes, I do Love to bake.
I shared my goodies and experiment with some of my colleagues. They thought everything was delicious. It was a great challenge and a great way to make new friends and learn about different recipes. Life is sweet when we share our memories of food, recipes and fresh baked goodies with friends and family.
Here is my favorite scone recipe………..Sweet Baking.
3 cups all purpose flour
½ cup sugar
2 Tbsp and 2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ lb unsalted butter very cold
1 egg
½ cup milk
½ dried fruit of choice (I used dried cranberries)
Zest from ½ orange
¼ cup heavy cream (optional)
Glaze
2 cups sifted powder sugar.
3 tbsp milk
1 Tbsp orange blossom honey
¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 375.
In large mixing bowl, sift together all purpose flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
Cut butter into ½ inch cubes. Work butter into dry ingredients using your fingertips until the butter pieces are not bigger than a pea. Should look like coarse cornmeal when done.
Make a depression in the center of the dry ingredients.
Combine the egg with the milk and pour into the well. Fold together gently and briefly.
When the batter comes together and is still lumpy, add dried cranberries and orange zest and hand mix briefly. Place batter on a lightly floured surface and fold together until dough just comes together. Divide dough in half and shape into disks about ½ inch thick.
Cut into 8 wedges per disk.
Place the wedges on a sheet pan and brush tops with the heavy cream.
Sprinkle sanding sugar on top and bake for about 30 minutes.
Rotate the sheet pans half way thru the bake cycle.
Scones should be a light golden brown when done.
Let cool for about 10 minutes then spoon glaze on the top.
