Recipe: Simple Scones for the Baking Challenged
For years, my sister, Sandy, has been working to develop the perfect scone. It’s a mission to satisfy a taste of home for her mother-in-law, Nora, a gentle woman born and raised in Ireland.
Now 98-years-young, Nora grew up in an era when life was measured by what happened in between cups of tea. The most common form of entertainment was conversation, not watching television. “TV ruined the talk,” she says in her sweet Irish brogue.
About a dozen years ago, Sandy and Nora were in Michigan having tea in a bakery when they ordered a batch of scones. Nora just sighed. “If there’s one thing I wish for, it’s a good scone, like the ones my dear mother used to make.”
My sister never backs down from a challenge. Here’s her recipe. The hands you see belong to her, working in her kitchen in St. Petersburg, Florida.
I’m a fan of this recipe for a number of reasons. It’s easy enough for non-bakers, plus flexible enough for any taste. If you whip up a batch of these on a Sunday morning, you’ve got a lovely weekend treat, plus something to grab-and-go inexpensive breakfasts for the rest of the week. These keep best if left on the counter covered with a dish towel. They’re good at room temperature, but warm up best in a low oven or toaster oven.
Sandy’s Simple Scones
Simple an inexpensive to make, these make a lovely weekend treat and grab-and-go weekday breakfast. The key to this recipe is grating the frozen butter.
EquipmentGraterRolling PinBaking sheet
Ingredients8 tablespoons butter 1 stick, frozen1 teaspoon of grated lemon or orange peel2 cups white unbleached flour¼ teaspoon baking soda2 teaspoons baking powder½ teaspoon salt½ cup + 1 tablespoon sugar½ cup low-fat milk½ cup low-fat sour cream1 egg beaten¼ cup dried cranberries2 tablespoons orange marmalade
InstructionsBefore starting, put your butter in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425F/218C degrees. Then, grate the frozen butter with a cheese grater. Place it back in the freezer.In a bowl, whisk the milk and sour cream together and then put into the fridge. Grate the skin off a lemon or orange into a large bowl. Add in the the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ½ cup sugar and stir together. Lightly dust the countertop with flour.
Get the grated frozen butter and toss it with the flour mixture until all the butter is coated. Fold in the chilled milk and sour cream mixture and combine until the batter is quite wet. Turn out onto the floured countertop and with floured hands, knead it about six times. Do not over knead it.Roll the dough with a rolling pin into a 12-inch square. Fold it in half, and then fold again, like folding a napkin. Put it on a plate or similar and put into the freezer for about five minutes. This will rest the dough plus slightly refreeze the butter, yielding a more flaky pastry.
While its in the freezer, dust your countertop with flour again and put a heavy cookie sheet or baking stone into your preheated oven to get it warm. (You might want to use these few minutes to make yourself a cup of tea.)
After five minutes, remove the doll and roll your square flat into a 12-inch square. Push the dried cranberries into flattened batter, then spoon the marmalade into a light layer over top. Roll up the dough and turn it over if necessary so the seam is on the bottom. Gently push the roll down until it’s about three inches wide.
With a sharp knife, cut the roll into a series of triangles. Brush the top with the beaten up and sprinkle lightly with the remaining sugar. Place the triangles on the preheated cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until medium brown. Let the scones rest at least 15 minutes before serving.
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