It's a Scone Night...

It's chilly, but not that bad. About 25 degrees. It was a nice day. But I can't WAIT for the snow to be GONE. I am done with the icy snow.

So I thought I'd bake me some scones. The recipe is from Cooks Illustrated, my fave cookbook.

There's a shot of them waiting to go into the oven. Don't they look appetizing? Hmmm... maybe not, they look gummy and pale and fluffy, but not fluffy in a good way.


And here they are just out of the oven! They smell wonderful. Just the treat to have with a mug of Yorkshire Gold tea while I listen to Ethel Waters sing "Cabin In The Sky".

They must be cooled down enough by now. Time to make the tea.

Oh! I almost forgot! Here's the recipe:

(by the way, I used this slightly more labor intensive recipe rather than the Sweet Milk Scones recipe because I had the sour cream in the house. If I hadn't had it, I would have made the quicker recipe. Maybe I will post both? Hmmm... ok, I will.)

from COOKS ILLUSTRATED

Makes 8. Published July 1, 2007.

It is important to work the dough as little as possible—work quickly and knead and fold the dough only the number of times called for. The butter should be frozen solid before grating. In hot or humid environments, chill the flour mixture and workbowls before use. While the recipe calls for 2 whole sticks of butter, only 10 tablespoons are actually used (see step 1). If fresh berries are unavailable, an equal amount of frozen berries (do not defrost) can be substituted. An equal amount of raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries can be used in place of the blueberries. Cut larger berries into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces before incorporating. Refrigerate or freeze leftover scones, wrapped in foil, in an airtight container. To serve, remove foil and place scones on a baking sheet in a 375-degree oven. Heat until warmed through and recrisped, 8 to 10 minutes if refrigerated, 16 to 20 minutes if frozen. See final step for information on making the scone dough in advance.

Ingredients

16	tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), frozen whole (see note above)
1 1/2	cups fresh blueberries (about 7 1/2 ounces), picked over (see note)
1/2	cup whole milk
1/2	cup sour cream
2	cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces), plus additional for work surface
1/2	cup sugar (3 1/2 ounces), plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling
2	teaspoons baking powder
1/4	teaspoon baking soda
1/2	teaspoon table salt
1	teaspoon grated lemon zest

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Score and remove half of wrapper from each stick of frozen butter. Following photo at left, grate unwrapped ends on large holes of box grater (you should grate total of 8 tablespoons). Place grated butter in freezer until needed. Melt 2 tablespoons of remaining ungrated butter and set aside. Save remaining 6 tablespoons butter for another use. Place blueberries in freezer until needed.

2. Whisk together milk and sour cream in medium bowl; refrigerate until needed. Whisk flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest in medium bowl. Add frozen butter to flour mixture and toss with fingers until thoroughly coated.

3. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; fold with spatula until just combined. With rubber spatula, transfer dough to liberally floured work surface. Dust surface of dough with flour; with floured hands, knead dough 6 to 8 times, until it just holds together in ragged ball, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking.

4. Roll dough into approximate 12-inch square. Following illustrations, fold dough into thirds like a business letter, using bench scraper or metal spatula to release dough if it sticks to countertop. Lift short ends of dough and fold into thirds again to form approximate 4-inch square. Transfer dough to plate lightly dusted with flour and chill in freezer 5 minutes.

5. Transfer dough to floured work surface and roll into approximate 12-inch square again. Sprinkle blueberries evenly over surface of dough, then press down so they are slightly embedded in dough. Using bench scraper or thin metal spatula, loosen dough from work surface. Roll dough, pressing to form tight log. Lay seam-side down and press log into 12 by 4-inch rectangle. Using sharp, floured knife, cut rectangle crosswise into 4 equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally to form 2 triangles and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet.

6. Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sugar. Bake until tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18 to 25 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 10 minutes before serving.

SWEET MILK SCONES

Makes 8-9 scones. Published March 1, 1994.

Work the dough quickly, don't overmix, and put the dough rounds into the heated oven as soon as possible. The process--from mixing to pulling the finished scones out of the oven--shouldn't take more than twenty minutes. Scones are best served warm and fresh, split open and topped with thick homemade strawberry or raspberry jam and clotted cream (or crème fraîche, marscarpone, or whipped cream). This recipe can be doubled.

Ingredients

2	cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1	teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2	teaspoon baking soda
1/2	teaspoon table salt
1 - 2	tablespoons granulated sugar (optional)
4	tablespoons unsalted butter , chilled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4	cup whole milk

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Sift first 4 (or 5) ingredients into large bowl, or measure into workbowl of a food processor fitted with steel blade; pulse until blended. With pastry blender, 2 knives, or steel blade of a food processor, cut or process butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few slightly larger butter lumps.

3. If making by hand, (preferred method), make a well in the center of mixture and pour in milk. Working quickly, blend ingredients together with a rubber spatula into a soft, slightly wet dough. If using a food processor, pour milk through feed tupe; pulse until dough just starts to gather into a rough ball (do not overprocess or scones will be tough). Turn dough onto a well-floured work surface.

4. Quickly roll dough to 1/2 inch thick. Use a lightly greased and floured 3-inch biscuit cutter to stamp dough with one decisive punch, cutting close together to generate as few scraps as possible. Dip cutter into flour as often as necessary to keep dough from sticking. Push scraps of dough together so that edges join; firmly pinch edges with fingertips to make a partial seal. Pat this remaining dough to 1/2 inch thick; continue to cut 3-inch rounds. Place dough rounds 1 1/2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake until scones are lightly brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve immediately.