Simple Scones

Scone are a simple but tasty treat that is good for a quick breakfast or an afternoon tea party. There are so many different kinds of scones available, that it would seem silly to make just one variety. Here is a recipe for a basic scone that can be modified to any personal taste.

SIMPLE SCONES

2 c Flour

1/3 c Sugar

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

8 tbl Butter, Frozen

1/2 c Sour Cream

1 Large Egg

1. Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Mix all the dry ingredients together VERY WELL.

2. Cut butter into pieces and mix in with a pastry mixer. Dough will be very crumbly, like course meal.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the egg and sour cream. Mix into flour mixture with a fork until dough becomes elastic.

4. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about a minute until it is easy to shape. Form the dough into a circle and cut diagonally into 8 pieces.

5. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

I love this recipe. I have tried many times to make homemade scones and it is very hard to get the right texture, but not with this. The come out with a fantastic crusty outside and a soft center, which is exactly what we want. After trying the original recipe, I decided to try and make a few adjustments.

First thing I always like to try is replacing sour cream with plain yogurt. It cuts down the fat while still providing the right texture. In this case, it worked perfectly!

The other thing I did was change the way they were formed. When I first made these, it was for an afternoon get together and just wanted something for people to snack on so instead of just cutting one batch into 8 pieces, I divided the dough in half and made 16 small scones. The only thing to note here is that with smaller scones you will need to reduce the bake time to about 10-15 minutes.

Now in terms of the different varieties of scones you can make, the possibilities are endless. I like to add about 3/4 c of chocolate chips to a batch for a nice dessert scone. Another good idea is to add 1 c dried blueberries and the zest of 1 lemon. This is a perfect breakfast scone that has a great fresh flavor.

Those are just some simple suggestions but get creative! Adding your favorite fruit or flavor might just unveil a treat that you'll be making for years.