I like cooking and I’m told I’m good at it. But, baking is like a balm to my soul. I love to bake!
To me, the kitchen is the heart of a home. I love a big kitchen and much prefer it to a dining room for a place to eat. Maybe it’s the warmth or the idea that a kitchen is where the food is prepared that nourishes and keeps the family healthy. Maybe it’s because in my childhood so many happy conversations took place at the kitchen table with the comforting sounds and smells of food being prepared in the background. I don’t know, but I do know that baking relaxes and grounds me.
So, it came as no surprise to me that when I woke up this morning, after my little scare yesterday, that the first thing I did was head to the kitchen to whip up a batch of scones.
They did the trick. I spent the first part of my morning sitting on the back deck with Jynx, nibbling on scones and sipping coffee. By the time I was finished, I felt like a new woman.
You want scones to die for? Well, here they are…
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
1/2 cup raisins or dried currents
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg
Directions:
Adjust upper rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in the butter (mixture should resemble coarse meal), then stir in raisins.
In a small bowl whisk sour cream 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 teaspoon of 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 golden – about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.
Variations:
Cranberry -Orange Scones
Add a generous teaspoon of finely grated orange rind (zest) to the dry ingredients and substitute dried cranberries for the raisins.
Lemon-Blueberry Scones
Add a generous teaspoon of finely grated lemon rind (zest) to the dry ingredients and substitute dried blueberries for the raisins.
Cherry-Almond Scones
Add 1/2 teaspoon almond extract to the sour cream mixture and substitute dried cherries for the raisins.
Jewels
