I mentioned, a few posts ago, that I'm on a scone kick. There's just something about that crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-in-the-middle treat that I love for breakfast. A scone is the perfect pair to a cup of hot black coffee. I made these lemon scones and had a few more fans gathered around the breakfast table. My kids weren't so keen on the dried cherries in the Chocolate Chip Cherry Scones (there's no accounting for taste), but they were all over the lemon. Smeared with blackberry jam, they were heavenly. The base for the recipe came from Beth Hensperger's The Best Quick Breads, but I modified the method a little. The modifications are in italics. If you don't like using the grater method that I like to use for cutting in the butter, you can use the traditional method.
Old Fashioned Lemon Cream Scones
makes 8 scones (I cut mine into 12)
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 T. sugar (plus a bit for sprinkling the tops)
1 T. baking powder
grated zest of 2 lemons
1/4 t. salt
1/4 c. butter, cut into pieces (leave it whole if you will use the grater method and pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes)
2 large eggs
1/2 c. heavy cream
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet or line with parchment.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt. Cut in the butter with a fork or heavy duty mixer until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (or grate butter with a box grater into flour). In a measuring cup, pour in 1/2 cup cream and add eggs. Whisk. Add to dry mixture and stir until dough is formed (you may need to add another tablespoon or so of cream -- my dough was pretty dry at this point).
Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead a few times. Divide into two circles of dough, patting to about 1-inch thickness. With a sharp knife, or bench knife, cut each round into six triangles (or four for larger scones).
Place scones on prepared baking sheets, 1 inch apart. Sprinkle with table sugar.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned and crusty on the top. Serve warm or cool and freeze.
To reheat from the freezer, bake for 5 to 8 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.
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2 c. all-purpose flour
2 T. sugar (plus a bit for sprinkling the tops)
1 T. baking powder
grated zest of 2 lemons
1/4 t. salt
1/4 c. butter, cut into pieces (leave it whole if you will use the grater method and pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes)
2 large eggs
1/2 c. heavy cream
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet or line with parchment.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt. Cut in the butter with a fork or heavy duty mixer until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (or grate butter with a box grater into flour). In a measuring cup, pour in 1/2 cup cream and add eggs. Whisk. Add to dry mixture and stir until dough is formed (you may need to add another tablespoon or so of cream -- my dough was pretty dry at this point).
Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead a few times. Divide into two circles of dough, patting to about 1-inch thickness. With a sharp knife, or bench knife, cut each round into six triangles (or four for larger scones).
Place scones on prepared baking sheets, 1 inch apart. Sprinkle with table sugar.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned and crusty on the top. Serve warm or cool and freeze.
To reheat from the freezer, bake for 5 to 8 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.
Source: The Best Quick Breads
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2 comments:
Why, oh why, have I never heard of grating butter instead of cutting it in? That makes so much more sense!
Charlotte,
The grating method does make these types of recipes a little easier. I wouldn't recommend it for everything -- not on pie crusts -- but for most it's fine. Just grate the butter and toss it thoroughly with a fork. I read about it once in a USA Today recipe and thought the same as you!
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