Fresh Cherry Scones

Baking scones is always more enjoyable when there's someone to share them with. And, it helps when I get a taste-tester who enjoys partaking in the results of a new scone recipe. Every filled scone recipe I have made prior to this one has turned out soupy and disappointing. But, finally, I managed to get one to work! After adjusting the Berry Scone recipe from the Test Kitchen's Baking cookbook, I ended up with the following recipe--which held together to produce beautiful, light, airy scones with fresh cherries.






The Ingredients:

5 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups pitted and halved cherries
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups all purpose flour
scant 1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda


The Instructions:


1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Whisk the milk and sour cream together in a large measuring cup. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda together in a medium bowl.


2. Add the chilled butter, using your fingers or a pastry blender until the mixture looks like coarse sand.


3. Fold in the milk mixture until the dough just comes together, but is still a little floury. (You may have extra of the milk mixture.)


4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and knead 6 to 8 times until the dough holds together.


5. Flatten the dough into a square. Fold the bottom 1/3 of the dough up, and then fold the top 1/3 down over the bottom to make an "envelope". Then fold the dough in half lengthwise and place on a plate (see following pictures). Chill in the freezer for five minutes.

Fresh Cherries, pitted and halved

6. Remove the dough from the freezer and place on a lightly floured counter. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough into a 12-inch square. You can cover with parchment paper before rolling to avoid having the pin stick.


7. Take the cherries and spread over the top of the dough evenly, pressing in gently. Fold up the lower 1/3 of the dough and then fold down the top 1/3 of the dough. Pinch the seams together, dabbing with water if necessary to smooth the seam.


8. Place the log seam side down and flatten into a long rectangle using your palms, approximately 12 inches by 4 inches. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into eighths. 


9. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, spread the scones so that they do not touch. (Optional) Brush the tops with milk or melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar.


10. Bake at 425ºF about 18-25 minutes, or until golden, rotating halfway through. Remove and let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.

The Process:

Prepare ingredients:
Whole milk, Fresh Cherries,
Sour Cream, Sugar, Unsalted Butter,
Salt, Baking Powder & Soda

Dough before being turned out. It should still be rather floury and unkneaded.

Knead a few times and flatten into a 12-inch square, fold up the bottom, then fold down the top.

Fold in half lengthwise.

Covered with parchment paper and rolled out.

Evenly placed cherries before folding.

Tri-folded with the seam pinched shut.

Dough flattened into a log.

Use a sharp knife to slice the dough log into eighths.

Evenly space the scones on the parchment paper to bake. Can be baked as above.

Or brush with a light layer of milk (or melted butter) and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Baked until golden, 18-25 minutes.

Results:

I think the picture almost speaks for itself, doesn't it?

But since I've taken the time to write this blog, I'll elaborate. It's light, airy, rich without being dense, and made with fresh cherries. How can it get any better? 


These are definitely best fresh or just cooled. Since they're made with fresh fruit, it's best to refrigerate them after baking, but that can make them go stale quicker. 


If you only want a few scones, you could make a couple and freeze the rest for up to one month. If you freeze them, bake them at the same temperature (425ºF) but increase the time by approximately 5-10 minutes. Since every oven is different, keep an eye on them and bake until golden (it's even more important to keep a close eye on them if baking frozen, as I've found baking time varies widely).

Trail Mix Bread

Cherries, Apricots and Raisins feature in this Trail Mix Bread.

When I saw this bread recipe, I immediately thought of my dad, a man who loves trail mix. So when my dad came to visit, I figured this would be the perfect bread to welcome him to town (as well as letting me off the hook for breakfast!).


This whole-wheat bread has walnuts, sunflower seeds, apricots, raisins and cherries. A perfect substitute for the morning bagel! This recipe makes one 9-by-5 inch sandwich loaf.



Ingredients:

Bread Flour, Whole Wheat Flour,
Water, Molasses, Milk,
Yeast, Butter and Salt.

1 cup warm whole milk (110 degrees)

1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees)

1/4 cup molasses

3 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 3/4-2 1/4 cups bread flour

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour

2 1/4 tsp yeast

2 tsp salt

3/4 cup walnuts, toasted*

1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds, toasted*

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped coarse

1/4 cup dried cherries

1. Whisk the milk, water, molasses, and 3 tablespoons of melted butter together in a large measuring cup. In a standing mixer, combine 1 3/4 cups bread flour, 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour, yeast, and salt. Mixing at low speed, add the milk mixture until the dough starts to come together.


2. Increase the mixer speed to medium. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. After about 4 minutes, if the dough is too wet, add the remaining bread flour in 2 tablespoon increments. The dough should stick to the bottom of the bowl but clear the sides. When the dough is smooth and elastic, add the sunflower seeds, walnuts, cherries, apricots and raisins and mix until evenly mixed.


3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and knead a few times. Then shape into a round ball. Grease a medium bowl and set in dough, spraying the top of the dough before covering with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place to rise until doubled, approximately 2 hours.


4. Grease a 9-by-5 inch bread pan. Turn the risen dough out onto the lightly floured countertop and flatten into a long rectangle 9 inches wide. Roll, pressing the end into the dough until you come to the end. Pinch the seam together and place in the pan, seam side down.


5. Spray the loaf with vegetable oil spray and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place to rise until nearly doubled, about 60-75 minutes. With 20 minutes left in the rise, preheat the oven to 350ºF. 


6. When the dough has risen, brush with the remaining half tablespoon of butter and place in the oven. Bake until golden brown on top and 200ºF inside, about 50-60 minutes. Rotate the loaf halfway through. 


7. Cool the loaf in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.




* To toast the nuts, spread onto a rimmed baking sheet and put in the oven at 350ºF for 5-10 minutes. Shake the nuts periodically, as they can go from toasted to burnt very quickly. Alternatively, you can toast a small amount of nuts (less than 1 cup) in a skillet on the stovetop by placing the nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3-8 minutes, shaking periodically.


Per 1/2 inch slice: 200 kCal, 7g Fat, 2.5g Sat Fat, 30g Carb, 5g Protein, 3g Fiber




Process:

Dough with the proper amount of flour added. 

Walnuts, Sunflower Seeds, Apricots, Raisins and Cherries added and just mixed in.

Dough turned out. It was tacky but not sticky.

Dough kneaded a few times and shaped into a ball.

Dough ready for first rise in a lightly greased bowl.

Dough after first rise. It has roughly doubled.

Dough turned out and flattened to the width of the pan's length.  

Starting at one end, jelly roll the dough up into a log.

Pinch the dough's seams together at the end of the log.

Place in the greased pan.

Post second rise, the dough should be cresting over the pan, or nearly doubled.

Results:

Bake until golden on top and 200ºF in the middle.

Topped with a thin layer of peanut butter, this is an excellent bread to replace whatever you eat for breakfast. It's filling as well as tasty. 


This is certainly a standalone bread; it does not need anything to accompany it, but butter or peanut butter complements it well. 


Toasting this bread brings it to a whole other level. Each bite is full of dried fruit and toasted nuts. There's no mouthful of "just bread" with this loaf!

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Chip Scones

Crumbly and just a hint of sweetness.

Let's face it, scones aren't really healthy. All that heavy cream, butter and white flour...three things we're told are ultimately unhealthy. So, in an effort to make things a little bit better, I changed things up a bit. 


Whole wheat flour is supposed to be healthier, so I replaced the typical white flour with whole wheat pastry flour. I also replaced heavy cream with 1% milk, and reduced the amount of butter in the recipe.





Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chilled
1/4 cup cinnamon chips
2/3-3/4 cup 1% milk




Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 450ºF. Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and sugar). Either whisk the ingredients together or pulse in a food processor until mixed.


2. Add the butter, and grind into flour mixture with fingertips or pulse in food processor until sandy. 


3. If using a food processor, place the flour mixture in a large bowl. Add the cinnamon chips to the flour mixture and mix with hands or wooden spoon.


4. Add 2/3-3/4 cup 1% milk until the dough has not quite come together. 


5. Line a baking sheet with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper.


6. Turn the dough and the floury bits out onto a lightly floured countertop. Squeeze floury dough a couple of times until it holds together (or knead once or twice), then flatten into an 8-inch round. Cut into eight pieces and place two inches apart on the baking sheet.


7. Bake at 450ºF until golden brown on top, about 12-15 minutes.


8. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Texture improves upon cooling.


Per serving
Cal: 210kC Carbs: 32g Fat: 7g Protein: 4g Sugar: 9g

The Process:

Flour, Butter, Milk, Cinnamon Chips,
Salt, Sugar, Baking Soda, Ground Cinnamon

Step 1: Mix together dry ingredients.

Step 2: Spread butter on top of dry ingredients and pulse to mix.

After butter has been mixed in.

Step 3: Add cinnamon chips and mix with wooden spoon or rubber spatula.

Step 4: Add milk and mix until it starts to come together.

Step 6: Turn floury dough out onto a lightly-floured countertop.

Step 6: Knead once or twice and pat into an 8-inch round. Then cut into 8 pieces.

Golden on top.

Results:
The whole wheat makes this scone a bit on the dense side, but the sugar and cinnamon chips lighten it up just enough to be tasty and not overpoweringly sweet. 


This entire recipe was an experiment, but I'm, overall, pleased with the way it turned out. It would have tasted very well with a spoonful of raspberry curd, but, alas, I had none tonight to accompany my scones. Perhaps in the morning, I'll head out and buy some to join day old scones.

Honey Buttermilk Bread

Moist Buttermilk Bread,
perfect for sandwiches!

Mmmm. Let me just say...what a delicious bread to break into while the loaf is still warm from the oven! Moist, tender and delicious with a light spread of butter on it, this is a perfect basic loaf for any intention.



Adapted from The Bread Bible: Beth Hensperger's 300 Favorite Recipes

Ingredients: Water, Buttermilk,
Salt, Melted Butter, Honey,
Yeast and Sugar

Ingredients:
3/4 cup warm water (105º-115ºF)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1.5 cups buttermilk, room temperature
2 tablespoons melted, unsalted butter
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon salt
6-6.25 cups all purpose flour or bread flour




Instructions:


1. Combine the water and yeast in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about ten minutes.


2. In a KitchenAid mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the buttermilk, honey, butter and yeast mixture after it has foamed. Add the salt and only 2 cups of flour. Beat hard until combined. Switch to the dough hook and add 1/2 cup flour at a time until you have a shaggy dough that clears the sides of the bowl.


3. Knead for 3 to 4 minutes until the dough is soft and springy. It should spring back when pressed with a fingertip.


4. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap or spray the top of the dough with cooking spray. Allow to rise at room temperature for about 1-1 1/4 hours, or until doubled. 


5. Gently deflate the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Grease two pans. Divide in two and shape into two 9 by 5-inch loaves. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature until the dough is cresting over the edge about an inch, 30 to 45 minutes.


6. Twenty minutes prior to baking, turn the oven on at 375ºF. Brush the top of the loaves with butter or an egg glaze. Bake the loaves in the center of the oven about 45 minutes, or until the loaves have pulled away slightly from the pans and they sound hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack, and allow to cool completely before slicing.



The Process: 

First rise

Flattened out before shaping.

Shaping into a loaf. Flatten, then roll like a jelly roll.
Make sure the seams are pressed snugly.

Two loaves from this recipe.

Forgot to take a picture of the second rise, but when the dough doubles (roughly),
it's ready for the oven. Fresh out of the oven here!

Verdict:
Mmmmm. You must try it.