Who doesn't love a good scone? What would I do for a tasty biscuit to enjoy with my morning tea or winter hot chocolate? I'd read a Goosebumps book and maybe prank call Cox Communications. This may not seem like much to you, but for someone like me, these are pretty big steps that may potentially lead to a week of nightmares or a criminal record that would bar me from any legit form of employment for the rest of my life.
I have tried my hand at many scone recipes, but they all have left little to be desired. I finally found one that is a a definite, no questions asked home run. The best thing about it is that it serves as a base and is just begging for a splashing of creative mix-ins. I'll admit, my cinnamon raisin ones weren't all that jazzy, nor were my lemon meringue wannabes, but creative or not, I still had a trickle of drool leading from the left corner of my mouth down to my chin.
I'll offer you this one very serious warning: Scones do take a bit of time due to the fact that they have to be cut out with either a glass or a cookie cutter. I prefer to make them heart-shaped, but that's just me. If you want to form them into a skull and crossbones, that's your deal, not mine. I won't even care if you make peepee shapes... just don't give me the credit (although, in all fairness, my blog did give you the idea, right?)
Ingredients:
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp baking soda
4 cups flour (If you want to try your hand at making these healthier, you can sub 2 cups of wheat... but if you do any more than 1/2 wheat, 1/2 white, you're walking a fine line, my friend)
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder (If you're using wheat flour, it's in your best interest to increase this to 2.5 tsp)
1 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter (if you don't have unsalted butter, don't bother making this recipe... you'll ruin it!)
1 egg
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Egg wash (beaten egg+ water)
Possible additions: 1 cup raisins, 1 cup candied orange peel, 1/2 tsp cinnamon (to taste), 1 tsp orange extract, 1 cup dried cranberries, lemon zest... get your thinking cap on- the sky's the limit!
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350'. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. Combine sour cream and baking soda. Let set for a few minutes before the egg. Add any wet additions (juice, extracts) at this point.
3. In another bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients. Slowly add flour mixture to the sour cream mixture. As you're adding the flour, you can also add in the raisins, etc.
4. Knead the dough for a few minutes. Roll into a 3/4" slab. Use a cookie cutter to make these little buggars beautiful. Otherwise, use a glass. Or, if you want to take the SUPER easy way out, you can just cut wedges with a knife. Yawn... borrrrring!
5. Lightly brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar, if desired.
6. Bake for 15 minutes. This is accurate if get about 12 biscuits. If you've cut them much smaller, check them at about 7 or 8 minutes.
If you'd like to make them and freeze them before baking, you can certainly do that. Just make sure that you freeze them on a cookie sheet. Once they're fully frozen, you can transfer them to a ziploc bag. Bake as normal, but for about 45 minutes, or as is necessary for the size. Size does matter.
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