Daring Bakers' January 2012 Challenge - Scones (a.k.a Biscuits)
I am so excited to share with you my first DBakers Challenge 2012.
I had a great time doing Scones. Thank you so much Audax for this recipe. The scone is a small scottish quick bread especially popular in the United Kingdom, knows also in Australia. In United States the common name is Biscuits. It is so good for a breakfast with butter or jam, yummy!!!
I chose the basic recipe. It's really quick to make and really cheap!
They are so delicious.... Well honestly...mine are a little bit flat.... LOL! It's to make my husband and my kids laugh.... It's so fun in my kitchen :) Anyway, I am so proud to make my first challenge of the year!
Unbaked Scones
Ingredients :
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tsp fresh baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 Tbs frozen grated butter
- Approximattely 1/2 cup cold milk
- Optionnal 1 Tbs milk, for glazing the tops of the scones
Directions :
Preheat oven to very hot 475 degre F.
Triple sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Rub the frozen grated butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles very coarse bread crumbs with some pea-sized pieces if you want flaky scones or until it resembles coarse beach sand if you want tender scones.
Add nearly all the liquid at once into the rubbed-in-flour/flat mixture and mix until it just forms a sticky dough (add the remaining liquid if nedded). The wetter the dough the lighter the scones (biscuits) will be!
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board, lightly flour the top of the dough. To achieve an even homogeneous crumb to your scones knead very gently about 4-5 times (do not press firmly) the dough until it is smooth. To achieve a layered effect in your scones knead very gently once then fold and turn the kneaded dought about 3 or 4 times until the dough has formed a smooth texture.
Pat or roll out the dough into the dough a 6 inch by 4 inch rectangle by about 3/4 inch thick. Using a well-floured 2-inch scone cutter, stamp out without twisting six 2-inch rounds, gently reform the scraps into another 3/4 inch layer and cut two more scones (these two more scones will not raise as well as the others since the extra handling will slightly toughen the dough). Or use a well-floured sharp knife to form squares or wedges as you desire.
Place the rounds just touching on a baking dish if you wish to have soft-sided scones or place the rounds spaced widely apart on the baking dish if you wish to have crisp-sided scones. Glaze the tops with milk if you want a golden colour on your scones or lightly flour if you want a more traditional look to yours scones.
Bake in the preheated very hot oven for about 10 minutes (check at 8 minutes) until the scones are well risen and are lightly coloured on the tops.
Immediatly place onto a cooling rack to stop the cooking process, serve while still warm.