we have developed a tradition of the saturday morning scone.
while the tradition is the same the scone is ever-changing.
until recently i would hunt for recipes to correspond with my cravings but have since changed my method. i have found that i prefer to perfect a single base recipe and simply modify my mix-ins.
so far, my base is not yet perfect, but i'm figuring it out as i go. forget what i've used before, here's what i'm working with now:
Basic Buttermilk Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons butter, cubed and chilled
3/4 cup buttermilk
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. Pulse to well combine. Add butter. Pulse to form a coarse meal with pieces of butter no larger than pea-sized. Depending on what ingredients are being mixed in, some may be pulsed in.
Otherwise, turn out into a separate mixing bowl. Add mix-ins. Stir to evenly distribute. Slowly mix in the buttermilk, stopping when the dough almost holds together in a ball.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface - I like to use a sheet of plastic wrap. Gently knead the dough just to pull it together and incorporate any resistant crumbs - I use the corners of the plastic wrap to pull the dough together without over-kneading. If the dough won't hold together, add more buttermilk - slowly, you don't want too much liquid.
I would credit this recipe, but I've really just pulled commonalities from a bunch of different places.
Also, I have been using unbleached AP flour and occasionally experiment with whole wheat flour - to mixed results.
for my birthday weekend i chose the blueberry white chocolate chip concoction i made a couple of weeks ago. they were so divine (and truth be told i didn't do as well the second time around because i didn't write down my recipe and tend to only approximate qualities of the add-ins anyway). admission #2: the scones pictured are the originals - not the birthday version.
saturday, august 27th: Heavenly Blueberry White Chocolate Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated (i keep a peeled ginger root in my freezer so this quantity is an approximation from that)
6 Tablespoons butter, cubed and chilled
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup fresh blueberries, washed and dried
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt and ginger. Pulse to well combine. The mixture should be fragrant. Add butter and 1/4 cup of white chocolate chips. Pulse to form a coarse meal with pieces of butter no larger than pea-sized. Turn out into a separate mixing bowl. Add the blueberries and remaining white chocolate chips. Stir to evenly distribute. Add the vanilla to the buttermilk in a liquid measuring cup. Whisk to combine. Slowly stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture, stopping when the dough almost holds together in a ball.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface - I like to use a sheet of plastic wrap. Gently knead the dough just to pull it together and incorporate any resistant crumbs - I use the corners of the plastic wrap to pull the dough together without over-kneading. If the dough won't hold together, add more buttermilk - slowly, you don't want too much liquid. At this point, I like to wrap the dough up and refrigerate it until I'm ready to bake.
When ready, preheat the oven to 400° F. On a floured work surface, pat the dough into a large disc, 3/4-inch thick. Fold in half. Pat down to 3/4-inch thickness. Fold in half or thirds. Pat into a 1-inch thick disc. Cut into sixths or eighths, depending on preference.
Arrange wedges on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 20-24 minutes, rotating halfway through, until golden brown.
Enjoy!
admission #3: i missed the vanilla on this round, but i'm only pretty sure i used it the first time around
admission #4: the ginger is an approximation and this last time i don't think i used enough.
if i get it right next time i will fix the recipe.
No comments:
Post a Comment