Scones are the ideal home-baked breakfast bread: not only do they
mix up in minutes, their baking time is short compared to yeast doughs.
This recipe calls for raisins, but I often use other dried fruits such
as cranberries, cherries or blueberries. Since scones are best fresh
from the oven, consider giving bags of scone mix as gifts. Simply
combine the dried ingredients in a gift bag (florists’ cellophane
corsage bags are ideal). Put the raisins and coarse sugar (about 1/4 c.)
in separate fold-top sandwich bags, knot those bags and put them in the
gift bag containing the dry ingredients. Print the instructions below,
add that to the bag, and tie with a decorative ribbon.
- 1 3/4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3 T. sugar
- 1 T. baking powder, preferably Rumford
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/3 c. golden raisins
- 1 c. heavy cream
- Milk, if necessary
- Unsalted butter, melted, for brushing
- Coarse sugar, such as turbinado (sometimes sold as Demerara or Sugar in the Raw), for sprinkling.
Preheat the oven to 425.
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and raisins
in a large bowl and stir well to combine. Pour in the heavy cream and
mix until a stiff dough is formed. (If the mixture is too dry, add some
milk by tablespoonfuls until the dough forms.) Turn out onto a lightly
floured surface and knead for about 30 seconds. Pat the dough into a
12-inch by 6-inch rectangle. Cut the dough into 3-inch lengths
crosswise, then cut each rectangle into triangles. Place on a greased
sheet pan – preferably one lined with parchment paper – at least 2
inches apart and brush with the melted butter. Sprinkle with the coarse
sugar and place in the hot oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until nicely
browned. Makes 6 scones.
This article appears in Dec 2-8, 2010.
