Baking Marathon Snowdays 3 & 4
The third day after the big snowstorm, I decided to bake some scones for the tea party Di and I were planning to have. Scones are my absolute favorite baked item, so I was really excited to make them.
I found the recipe in an old cookbook I had, and it was actually incredibly simple to make. All I needed were the baking basics: flour, sugar, butter, baking powder, and salt. The only extra ingredient was heavy cream used to adhere the dough.
Scone Dough
Then came the kneading, which basically involved me punching at the dough until it became rather elastic and smooth. The kneading process actually also cleans the extra dough off your hands, making it much less messy than mixing cookie batter! I divided the dough in half and tossed a handful of raisins in one of them (I like them raisin-y sometimes).
Pre-Oven Scones
Then I patted them down until they were about 1-1.5 in thick and cut them into cute little right triangles. Brushed them with an egg-water mixture to achieve a visually pleasant golden tinge, and to retain moisture.
Finished Product: Platter of Scones
Baked them for around 12-15 minutes, using the occasional chopstick poke method. They filled my kitchen with a heavenly smell and were definitely delicious hot. Surprisingly sconey, buttery, and perfect for tea! I loved these so much, I made them again the next night! The only thing is, I ran out of heavy cream and had to substitute 25% of it with milk. I didn’t think there would be too much of a difference, but the milk made the dough rise much higher and the scone fluffier, like a biscuit.
Which batch did I prefer? Well, that’s a tough choice, and I must say it would probably depend on my mood. But whatever that may be, I will always be up for some scones!!
Cocoa Scones (No Walnuts)
The fourth night, I also tried my hand at making cocoa scones. It was a similar concept as the plain scones, only there was the addition of cocoa powder and baking soda. Again, I divided the dough into two, mixing in a handful of walnuts to one of them.
Cocoa Scones (With Walnuts)
These turned out pretty good too, although I actually preferred the plain raisin ones from the day before. (This was also the general consensus among my family and friends.) My cocoa scones weren’t chocolatey enough for me, but I liked that they were moderately sweet and sconey. I’m so excited that my scones turned out well, because this means I don’t have to go outside to buy bread in the winter! Yay for scones!!!
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