March for Scones!

It's finally warming up a bit in Fargo and the green smoothies are already being blended. But that doesn't mean we can't take advantage of some down home cooking - I've been feeling biscuits lately but scones are basically biscuits that make me feel British while eating so scones it is!

So the best part about scones is that when you find a recipe that isn't finicky you can really adapt it to whatever mood you're in... or to what ever ingredients are on hand.

My favorite base includes an egg because I feel like it just makes the dough so much more manageable for non-pastry chefs (like myself). Make sure to not over-mix dough like this - you don't want to actually melt the butter and lose that amazing flakey texture scones are supposed to have. So without further ago, here goes nothing!

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup whole rye flour (or whole wheat flour)
1/3 cup cane sugar
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
1 egg
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract 

(Optional: Mixins like coconut flakes, strawberries and rhubarb, blueberries, chocolate chips... make sure there isn't more than about 1 cup of mixins.)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a flat surface with parchment paper and sprinkle with flour. Line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, salt and baking powder. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter or two knives to work the oil into the flour. Add the egg, your mixins, and toss to combine. Create a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the cream and vanilla extract. Scoop the dry ingredients from the bottom of the bowl and fold over the wet ingredients. Repeat this just until the mixture is combined. Do not over mix the dough. Firmly pat the dough into a large circle on the prepared surface, making it about 2″ thick. Cut the dough into eight triangular segments and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 min until scones are brown around the edges and firm to the touch.

Drizzle with honey, Nutella, jam, or sift powdered sugar over the top.

Enjoy! And let's hope this nice weather stays on for awhile so you can eat those scones with the window open as the breeze wafts in.