Scones Recipe

This scone recipe has been in the family for at least 20 years. My sister was the first one to make them regularly. Now my wife makes them for our family at least once a month and they are always eaten within an hour.

These taste better than the scones that you find in a store or coffee shop - maybe because they are fresher or maybe because they are made in a different way. Usually when I buy a scone, it is as hard as a hockey puck or excessively dry. Scones made with this process, however, are light, moist and don't have alot of sugar.

This dish is really versatile in that you can use different types of fruit to make them depending on what is currently in season. You can also use dried fruit such as raisins or cranberries.

Recommended Equipment:
a chopper called a mezzaluna (half moon)


Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
Swedish pearl sugar which you can find at IKEA
1/4 tspn salt
2 tspn baking powder
1/2 tspn baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup dried cranberries (you can use blueberries, apple or bananas instead)
1 tspn vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk

Note: you can also substitute fresh blueberries or banana that is cut into blueberry sized pieces for the cranberries. For bananas, add 1 tspn of cinnamon to the dry ingredients.

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir these ingredients together.
3. Add butter pieces to the bowl and chop into the dry mixture using the mezzaluna until butter is well integrated with the dry mixture.
   
   
   
   
4. Stir in the cranberries.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, vanilla extract and the buttermilk together.
6. Add the mixture from step #5 to the flour mixture in the big bowl and stir until the ingredients are moistened and stick together.
7. Pour dough onto a lightly floured surface.
8. Knead the dough several times then form a 8 inch round dough.
   
9. Sprinkle with the Swedish pearl sugar as a garnish.
10. Use a knife to cut the dough into eight equal sized pieces.
    
11. Place the wedges apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
    
12. Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes.
13. Serve hot.
    

Scotland