Many have asked, what’s in a
name?! Well, I think the more
important question truly is, what’s in a scone?! Just like a person, you can’t judge a scone by its name or
appearance…it all depends on what’s on the inside. For some, it’s buttermilk. For some, it’s cream.
For others, it’s the latest health food ingredient (applesauce, acai
berry, you name it!). But for me,
it’s a classic Irish family recipe that starts with my grandmother telling you
to “take off all your rings and bracelets because you need your hands!” Buttery and warm, fruity but not too
sweet, rustic and homey, this is my family’s recipe for perfect scones. Judge for yourself, I think you’ll find
that my family is delicious on the inside!
Ingredients
2
cups flour
½
cup sugar
¼
teaspoon baking soda
1
teaspoon baking powder
¼
teaspoon salt
1
stick cold butter (8 tablespoons)
¾ cup
raisins (I like to mix half golden half regular raisins)
½
cup sour cream
1
egg
1
teaspoon sugar for dusting
Directions
1. “Remove all your rings and bracelets
because you need your hands,” – per Alice McArdle’s instructions.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking
soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. Cut cold butter into tiny cubes and
work into the flour mixture with your hands until your get the consistency of
peas. This is a critical step, do
not overwork butter. To get a
flaky scones, you still need some chunks on butter. Toss in dried fruit and mix lightly.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk sour cream
and egg. Add to flour and butter
mixture. Lightly mix, just until
incorporated (some stray flour is still fine and it should look dry).
5. Dump mixture onto a clean countertop or
large cutting board and gently pat into a disc (about 8-inches in
diameter). Cut the disc into eighths
(just like a pizza pie) to make 8 triangular scones. Place each scone on a cookie sheet and sprinkle the
remaining teaspoon of sugar over the tops. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and delicious. Enjoy plain, with jam, or with clotted
cream! Mmm…mmm… J
Variation: Cranberry-Orange Scones
One
of my favorite alternate variations is to substitute dried cranberries for the raisins
and add about 1-½ teaspoons of grated orange zest. Mmm mmm…
Mmmmmmmmmmmm yummy :)
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