Makes 16 scones 2. cups all-purpose flour (spoon flour into a dry-measure cup and level off) B/d cup sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon cream of tartar - teaspoon salt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces 1 large egg - cup milk 1 cookie sheet or jelly-roll pan lined with parchment or foil
Real Welsh Scones
52
One of my dearest friends, Kyra Effren, lives 1. Set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to 450ºF (230ºC). in Dallas but spends part of every year with her mother in Cape Town, South Africa. While Kyra is there, she bakes scones for her 2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl of a food mother, who was born in Wales and knows processor fitted with the metal blade. Add good scones, almost every day. These are the butter and pulse until the mixture is easy to mix in the food processor—up to mealy but dry and powdery (figure a). a point. I like to pour the powdery mixture into a bowl before adding the liquid so the dough doesn’t get overworked and tough 3. Invert the bowl of the food processor over a in the machine. mixing bowl and carefully remove the blade.
4. Quickly whisk the egg and milk together and use a fork to toss the egg mixture into the flour mixture, continuing to toss until all the flour mixture is evenly moistened (figure b).
8. S lide each disk of baked scones onto a platter and use a knife to cut them completely along the markings into wedges.
Serving:
Serve the scones with butter, whipped
cream, and jam for tea. They’re also excellent for
breakfast or brunch.
Storage:
If you don’t serve the scones immediately
after they are baked, you may reheat them at 375°F (190°C) for a couple of minutes to warm them. If you wish to prepare them in advance, wrap and freeze them. Defrost and reheat as above.
VARIATIONS
currant
or raisin scones: Stir ½ cup of
dark raisins, golden raisins, or currants into the dry
5. Gently knead the dough 3 to 4 times, until it ingredients immediately before adding the liquid. is smooth (figure c). Divide the dough in half and press and pat each half into a disk about round scones : Use either the plain or raisin 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter (figure d). Place dough for these. Pat the dough out about ¾ inch the two disks of dough a couple of inches (3 cm) thick on a floured surface and use a 2½-inch apart on the prepared pan. (6-cm) diameter plain round cutter to form them.
6. Use a floured bench scraper or knife to mark each disk of dough into 8 wedges, pressing straight down, and cutting no further than halfway into the dough disk (figure e). 7. Bake the scones until they are very deep golden and firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Modern Baker
Place the scones about 1 inch (2½ cm) apart all around on the prepared pan. Press the scraps together and cut more scones, continuing to press the scraps together until you have used all the dough. Bake these for only 8 to 10 minutes.