Currant Scones

I don't know why I thought scones were difficult to make.  So far they have been easy and so delicious and these Dreamy Cream Scones from Smitten Kitchen are the best yet.  So light and absolutely yummy.  The freeze and bake method is still working fine.  I have been enjoying these all week and am going to make them again for next week since I have extra currants.  I might try them with dried cranberries like she did.  If I do that though,  I want them to be orange cranberry... I might have to email her to if she knows how do to that.  Anyone here know how?  

Until I figure it out, you should waste no time making these.

Currant Scones

makes 6 to 8

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose f lour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup currants
• 1 cup heavy cream

1. If baking right away- adjust oven rack to middle posit ion and heat oven to 425°F. 
2. Place f lour, baking powder, sugar and salt in large bowl and whisk together.
3. If making by hand, use your fingers (or if you have one, a pastry blender) to quickly cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger butter lumps. 
4. Stir in currants. 
5. Stir in heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.
6. Transfer dough and all bits to countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. 
7. Form scones by patting the dough onto a lightly f loured work surface into a 3/4-inch thick circle and cutting pieces into about 3" circles. (you can, of course, us a biscuit cutter if you have one.)  Press remaining scraps back into another piece and cut until dough has been used up. 
8. If you're baking them right away place rounds or wedges on ungreased baking sheet and bake unt il scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
9. If not, wrap individually in parchment paper and freeze.  Bake when ready for 15 to 20 minutes. 
10. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Chocolate Chip Scones

I have been continuing on my scone breakfast journey and it has been going really well.  Could I Have That supplied my current scone recipe for Chocolate Chip Scones.  I followed the recipe correctly (for once), and even used a glass to cut the dough in to circles for freezing.  The last bit looked like too little to do two and just a bit more than one, so I figured I would just bake it as is.  One fateful Monday morning I  put it in the oven with a regular size one for the normal time.  When the buzzer dinged I checked them and put them if for a few more minutes.  When that time was up they had a nice little golden brown color on the top and had pretty much doubled in height.  I decided to take the large one with me to work.  I sat down at my desk and pulled a piece off ready to enjoy and realized the inside was still completely doughy. Like had-not-cooked-at-all dough.  I was so sad! What had I done? How did I not realize that it was not ready at all?   Needless to say, I ran to the deli for breakfast that morning.  

I don't know why so far they have all baked like this, in little V's but they are great.

I took the poor thing home and put it back in the oven where it finished baking just fine without burning or anything.  The regular sized scones were perfectly baked at the normal time and they have all been delicious.  They have a biscuit like quality to me and I really enjoy them with honey.  I hope you give them a try and please don't make the same mistake as me.


Chocolate Chip Scones
(makes 10 scones)

• 3 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1 handful wholewheat
• 2 tbsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter cut into pieces
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 1 cup chocolate chips

1. Sift the plain flour, add in the wholewheat. Mix in the baking powder, sugar and salt. 
2. Then with your fingers mix in the butter until the mixtures resembles fresh breadcrumbs. 
3. Make a well in the middle, pour in exactly 1 1/4 milk and use a fork to work in the dry ingredients around it. Finish mixing by hand but don't overwork. 
4. Mix in chocolate chips.
5. Form a soft but firm dough—add milk if too dry, add flour if too wet. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a solid shape (1 1/4 inches thick). 
6. Cut or separate into rounds and place on the cookie sheet lined with parchment paper to freeze. 
7. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Bake 15 - 20 minutes until lightly golden.

Enjoy! 

Daily Breakfast

I go into cycles with breakfast. For the majority of the summer, it was a banana before I hopped on my bike and a yogurt smoothie thing. Before that, it was oatmeal of some sort or Coco Wheats shipped in from South Dakota to brave the cold winter. The cycles tend to coincide with the changes of the season. When I start to get sick of my "usual" breakfast, I notice my coffee shop expense go up. I get lazy and don't know what I want and nothing looks good so I end up buying a scone or muffin, and a latte of course.

In an attempt to save some money and try something new, I decided I would try making something on the weekend that I could take with me to work daily. Enter Smitten Kitchen and her Whole Wheat Raspberry Ricotta Scones. The best part of this recipe is that she give you the directions for mixing them up ahead of time and baking them when you are ready for them and I am going try this brilliant idea with other scone recipes as we continue heading for the cold of winter. I can warm the oven while I take a shower, pop one in the oven, and still have a bit of time for it to cool before I run for the subway. Who doesn't love a fresh baked breakfast? That's what I thought. I am going to try this with other.

Whole Wheat Raspberry Scones
Makes 9 scones

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup  all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup  granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 3/4 cup whole milk ricotta
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. In the bottom of a large, wide-ish bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, sugar and salt together. 
3. Cut the butter into small pieces with a knife and work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. 
4. Roughly chop the raspberries on  a cutting board and stir them into the butter-flour mixture.  Add the ricotta and heavy cream together and stir them in to form a dough with a flexible spatula.
5. Using your hands, gently knead dough into an even mass, right in the bottom of the bowl.  With as few movements as possible, transfer the dough to a well-floured counter, flour the top of the dough and pat it into a 7-inch square about 1-inch tall. 
6. With a large knife, divide the dough into 9 even squares.  Transfer the scones to prepared baking sheet with a spatula.  Arrange them on your parchment-lined sheet and freeze them.  
7. Once they are frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag or container. 
8. When you are ready to bake them, bring them back to a parchment-lined sheet. Bake 16 to18 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges.  Cool in pan for a minute, then transfer to a cooling rack. Cool them about halfway before eating.

Enjoy!