This baking season was a season of some horrific surprises. Apparently, many of my mom’s homemade recipes that I believed to be her creation from her natural motherly instincts come from the boxes and bags of ingredients. The horror! The horror!
With the confidence from my upbringing destroyed, I had to bake away the pain (Just kidding, a recipe is a recipe and all that matters is that what you make tastes delicious. Props to mom for cooking anything for us little brats). When I want to try something new, I often turn to my cooking holy book: Cook’s Illustrated. I love their explanations and scientific recipe testing techniques. I have yet to have one of their recipes fail me.
I have had very few scones in my life, just the occasional Starbucks scone at the airport or some store bought scones as snacks. They were all just okay, but these scones were crumbly, slightly sweet, and tender. Want to treat yourself to a light tasting breakfast these holidays? You need to look no further. And you’ll feel so fancy eating these scones instead of a handful of cereal that your pinky may involuntarily rise into the air. These are a great gift to bake up for your friends and family. Or serve it as part of your Christmas breakfast.
CLASSIC CREAM SCONES
10 ounces all purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
2/3 cup currants
1 cup heavy cream
Turbinado sugar, for topping*
Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a food processor combine flour, sugar salt, and baking powder. Process for 5 seconds to mix. Sprinkle cold butter on top and process until crumb mixture forms. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in currants and then heavy cream. Stir until soft dough forms.
Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead into soft ball. The mixture will be very crumbly still but press into a 9 inch circle. Cut into 10-12 small pieces Transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Bake for 10-11 minutes, rotating pan halfway through.
Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Eat warm or at room temperature with butter or cream cheese. Store in airtight container (they flavor gets better over time, so try to save some for the next day).
Makes 10-12 scones.
*You can also use normal granulated sugar.
cinnamon freud 