Cream Tea Scones with Currants

A firm, crispy scone with a hint of
sweetness in the Pearl sugar on top

I was pleasantly surprised with these scones. They turned out with a beautiful sheen to them, and, coupled with the pearl sugar on top, a hint of sweetness. Since the recipe called for two eggs, I was a bit wary. Most scones with eggs in them tend to turn out a little "eggy", but I could not taste the egg in this one.


Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma Bread.






Ingredients:


2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 tbsp granulated sugar
2.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
2 large eggs
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup dried currants
1 heaping tbsp Swedish Pearl sugar


1. Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.


2. Whisk flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Add the butter and use your fingertips or a pastry blender to work the mixture into a sand-like texture.


3. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and cream. Reserve two tablespoons of this mixture (you shouldn't need it all, but reserve the two tablespoons anyways), then add the remainder to the dry ingredients. Stir until a sticky dough just forms. Add the currants, and stir a few times to mix.


4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop. Knead about three times to bring together and press into a 1-inch tall round. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut into eight pieces.


5. Arrange the scones on the parchment paper about two inches apart from each other. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until golden on top. Let cool.




The Process:

All ingredients. All-Purpose Flour, Baking Powder, Granulated Sugar, Milk,
 Eggs, Unsalted Butter, Salt, Currants,
Pearl Sugar

Ingredients with milk added before currants are added.

Added the currants and stirred to mix.

Dough flattened into a 10-inch round and sliced into eight pieces.

Brushed with milk and egg mixture and sprinkled with pearl sugar before baking.

Bake until golden on top, about 18 minutes.

The Verdict:


Definitely a repeatable recipe.


If I make again, I will add the currants prior to adding the liquid mixture. That's usually how I do things, and it's easier than trying to mix dried fruit into a sticky dough, in my opinion.


This recipe is not a "light and fluffy" scone recipe, it is a bit more crisp and firm. However, it goes excellently with coffee or tea, and jam, clotted cream, Devon cream or lemon curd would go well with this scone.

Farmstead Sourdough Bread

I think I've found the perfect bread. Melt-in-your-mouth, buttery flavor so delicate and yet complex... have I sold you on trying this recipe yet?


Requirements: Sourdough starter (or a cheater sourdough's starter)

Ingredients:


1.5 cups warm water (105º-115ºF)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup Sourdough Starter
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon salt
5.5-6 cups all purpose or bread flour
1/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal


1. Pour 1/2 cup of the warm water in a bowl and sprinkle the yeast and a pinch over sugar or the top. Stir to combine. Allow to soak until foamy, about 10 minutes.


2. In your Kitchen Aid Mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the sourdough starter, rest of the water, sugar, melted butter, salt and 3 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Add the yeast mixture and beat for another minute until mixed. Switch to the dough hook. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time until you have a soft, shaggy dough that just clears the sides of the bowl.


3. Continue to knead with the dough hook for 3-4 minutes or until the dough is soft and elastic. It should spring back when jabbed with a fingertip or knuckle.


4. Place dough in an oiled container at least double its size. Spray or grease the top of the loaf, or spray the plastic wrap before covering the dough. Allow to rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1-1 1/2 hours.


5. Gently deflate the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into two. Grease two 9 by 5-inch pans with cooking spray or Crisco and sprinkle the yellow cornmeal all over the inside of the pans. Shape the two halves into two loaves by jelly-rolling the dough together. Place in greased pans and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for approximately 1 hour, or until the dough is cresting 1 inch over the top of the pans.


6. Preheat the oven to 350ºF twenty minutes before baking, with the rack in the center position. Bake loaves for 35-40 minutes or until the top of the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped with a fingertip. Transfer to a wire rack immediately and allow to cool completely before slicing.

The Process:

Water, Yeast and dash of Sugar

Water, Yeast & Sugar mixture after about 10 minutes.

Sourdough Starter

Dough after being kneaded in the KitchenAid mixture

Dough turned out onto a lightly floured counter.

After being kneaded a few times and shaped into a round.

Dough in a greased container, ready to rise (after being covered with plastic wrap).

Dough after first rise.

Pans greased and prepared by coating with cornmeal.

Dough after first rise, being shaped. Flatten into a rectangle and roll tightly.

Dough shaped and seam pinched together.

Dough ready for second rise.

Dough after second rise, should crest over the pan by about an inch on top.

Top view of the dough ready to go into the oven.

When the loaf is done, it should pull slightly away from the sides of the pan.

Results:

This is one of my favorite sandwich breads now. It's creamy, buttery, light and yet rich. Perfect for almost any use, this bread is a great way to use all that sourdough starter you keep in the fridge.

Almond Buttermilk Scones

I don't know about you, but I love almond flavoring. I'm not a big fan of nuts, but almond flavor, I absolutely adore. I made this recipe up in the hopes of getting an almondy scone that would make my mouth water. This one, I think, has potential. Give it a try and tell me what you think!

The Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup almond meal or almond flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds

3/4 cup low-fat buttermillk

1 tsp almond extract

 1. Combine dry ingredients (both flours, baking soda, salt, and baking powder) by whisking or pulsing in a food processor. Add very cold butter cut into pieces. Crumble with fingers (or pulse in food processor) until mixture becomes sandy. Add slivered almonds and mix with wooden spoon.

2. Combine almond extract and buttermilk in a separate bowl.

3. Add buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients until moist (the dough should not quite come together).

4. Turn out onto a lightly floured countertop, including all crumbs and knead once or twice to stick. Flatten into a 6-8 inch round with your hands and cut with a sharp knife or a dough scraper.

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat and place cut scones two inches apart on the sheet.

6. Bake at 425ºF until golden (about 12 minutes). Remove to a wire rack until cool.

The Process:

1.5 cups flour, 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk,
0.5 cups almond meal/flour, 0.25 cups sliced or slivered almonds, 1 tsp almond extract, 2 tbsp unsalted butter,
1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp baking powder

Combine dry ingredients and butter, then mix in the slivered almonds.

Flatten into a 6-8 inch round and cut into eighths.

Place on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet or a silicon mat on a baking sheet.

Bake until golden!

Results:
I wanted these to be a little more almondy than they were. If, like me, you want more almond flavor, double the sliced/slivered almonds, and a teaspoon more almond extract.