Our Favorite Scones

My lemon curd needs a friend.  Scones and lemon curd are best friends.  So, it seemed only appropriate to make a big batch of scones.  I have been making scones and freezing them (doing some recipe development) and have been happy with some and not so happy with others.  I have decided to go back to one of our trusty favorites and mix it up a bit.

This particular recipe combines eggs, cream and butter.  The few recipes I have been playing with in the last few weeks omitted eggs and used buttermilk.  They were delicious however a little dense.  These are my kids favorite (especially when I add chocolate to them).  They are light and flakey and the base is just perfect.

Today I used dried pomegranate.  In the past, I have mixed in everything from chocolate and coconut to dried strawberries to walnuts and bittersweet chocolate.  Today was a dried fruit day.  I only baked off three.  When they came out of the oven, I set them on the cooling rack and left the kitchen.  When I came back 20 minutes later, they were gone!  I will assume everyone is happy and content with the return of a classic.

I froze most of the dough, already shaped.  I love having frozen scones in the freezer.  On any given morning I can pop some in the oven and dish them out to the family, to friends or deliver to one of the many "meetings" at the kids schools.  It is so convenient!

This particular recipe is inspired by Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.  She uses dried strawberries in her recipe, but in the past year or so, I have had a hard time finding them.  Her recipe also calls for 2 teaspoons of salt, however I find them to be a little too salty, so I cut that back to a teaspoon, sometimes less.  Lastly, she suggests you brush scones with an egg wash, but I like to brush them with a little heavy cream and then sprinkle  a little turbinado sugar on the top.

An adaption of Ina's scones
(recipe here)


ingredients:
4 cups plus 1 tbls of flour
2 Tbls. sugar, plus more for sprinkling (I used turbinado)
2 Tbls. baking powder
2 tsp. salt (I use less)
3/4 lb cold, unsalted butter, cubed
4 extra large eggs
1 cup cold heavy cream
3/4 cup small diced, dried fruit
1 egg beaten w/2 Tbls. water for egg wash


directions:
• Preheat oven to 400*.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• In food processor, combine 4 cups flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, baking powder & salt.  Add cold butter and pulse.
• Combine eggs and cream and add, just until blended.  Add in dried fruit or other mix-ins.
• Turn dough out onto a floured board and combine.
• Roll dough to 3/4" thick.  Cut into desired shapes.
• Place on baking sheet.  Brush the tops with egg wash.  Sprinkle with sugar and bake 20-25 minutes.

I delivered a box of these, frozen, to the G's along with some lemon curd.  The G's are benefitting from my baking addiction.  I think I am spoiling them!