Dylan realized he's all grown up when he didn't get any fun presents, but he did get a bunch of cooking equipment (which I think is fun), including baking sheets and cooling racks, a cookie scoop, a whisk, an apple corer/slicer, and some pinch bowls for effective mise en place. Maybe he'll make me some good food while he's home for the holidays.
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| Cutting out mini scones |
Scones
Adapted from the Kookoo Café and Christopher Kimball
Time: ~45 minutes
The original article (which seems to have disappeared from the Internet) suggests the following combinations of dried fruit: light and dark raisins with or without cranberries; currants with golden raisins; apricots with cranberries; and blueberries all by themselves. I made these with whole cranberries and chopped dried apricots (I like Trader Joe's California Slab Apricots Blenheim Variety and Trader Joe's Blenheim Variety Extra Choice/Choice Apricots), which is my favorite combination. Another good option would be chopped black mission figs with the addition of about ¼ teaspoon anise seed to the dry ingredients.
300 grams (2½ cups) all-purpose flour
43 grams (3½ tablespoons) granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
57 grams (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
½ cup (~85 grams) dried fruit (see note)
1 large egg
160 grams (⅔ cup) nonfat or low-fat buttermilk or plain kefir
a little cream or half-and-half
turbinado sugar
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven; heat to 325 degrees. Line a 13-by-18 baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Rub the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until the pieces are flattened and no larger than a pea. Add the dried fruit and toss to coat.
3. In a 1-cup measuring cup, mix the egg and buttermilk together with a fork. Pour evenly over the flour mixture. Fold together with a pastry fork or a silicone spatula. You will eventually have to turn everything over with your hands until it comes together in large clumps. Once the dough is well moistened but still shaggy and uneven, let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Pat the dough into an 8-inch round, then cut it into 8 wedges using a sharp knife or a bench scraper. Or, for mini scones, pat the dough into two equal rounds that are each about 1 inch thick, then cut the rounds into 6 small wedges each.
5. Add a little cream or half-and-half to whatever is left of the egg-buttermilk mixture in the measuring cup. Brush over the top of the scones. Sprinkle with a little turbinado sugar.
6. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes (a little less for mini scones), rotating the baking sheet halfway through. Serve warm or at room temperature with jam and/or butter. Makes 8 large or 12 mini scones.
The original article (which seems to have disappeared from the Internet) suggests the following combinations of dried fruit: light and dark raisins with or without cranberries; currants with golden raisins; apricots with cranberries; and blueberries all by themselves. I made these with whole cranberries and chopped dried apricots (I like Trader Joe's California Slab Apricots Blenheim Variety and Trader Joe's Blenheim Variety Extra Choice/Choice Apricots), which is my favorite combination. Another good option would be chopped black mission figs with the addition of about ¼ teaspoon anise seed to the dry ingredients.
300 grams (2½ cups) all-purpose flour
43 grams (3½ tablespoons) granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
57 grams (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
½ cup (~85 grams) dried fruit (see note)
1 large egg
160 grams (⅔ cup) nonfat or low-fat buttermilk or plain kefir
a little cream or half-and-half
turbinado sugar
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven; heat to 325 degrees. Line a 13-by-18 baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Rub the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until the pieces are flattened and no larger than a pea. Add the dried fruit and toss to coat.
3. In a 1-cup measuring cup, mix the egg and buttermilk together with a fork. Pour evenly over the flour mixture. Fold together with a pastry fork or a silicone spatula. You will eventually have to turn everything over with your hands until it comes together in large clumps. Once the dough is well moistened but still shaggy and uneven, let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Pat the dough into an 8-inch round, then cut it into 8 wedges using a sharp knife or a bench scraper. Or, for mini scones, pat the dough into two equal rounds that are each about 1 inch thick, then cut the rounds into 6 small wedges each.
5. Add a little cream or half-and-half to whatever is left of the egg-buttermilk mixture in the measuring cup. Brush over the top of the scones. Sprinkle with a little turbinado sugar.
6. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes (a little less for mini scones), rotating the baking sheet halfway through. Serve warm or at room temperature with jam and/or butter. Makes 8 large or 12 mini scones.
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