2.23.2004

Cinnamon and Raisin Scones

The local coffee place in Columbus is called Cup 'O Joe. The coffee is ok but their pastries are inedible. They sell these big brown colored lumps of hard dough embedded with chunks of fossilized fruit. They're stale, I suspect at least 3 days old, and they call them scones. If you're unfortunate enough to be lured into buying one of these horrid blocks of starch it's kind of funny to hear the cashier ask if you want it heated up. As if a microwave is going to breath a bit of flavor into these dried up stale pieces of crap.

I knew it wouldn't be hard to do better.

Mine are a modification of the biscuit recipe that's posted on the side of every baking soda can in the world. For convenience, I've been using self-rising flour too. Self-rising flour is simply a fixed mixture of flour:baking powder:salt. I've been using it for biscuits and related baked goods lately. It's pretty awesome.

Cinnamon & Raisin Scones - makes 6
self-rising flour, 2 C
sugar, 3 T
butter, unsalted, 6 T
milk (I used 1%), 2/3 C
cinnamon, ca. 2-3 t
raisins, handful

1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. Mix self-rise flour and sugar
3. Cut butter into self-rise flour (or use 2 C flour, 1 T baking powder, 1/2 t salt)
4. Sprinkle cinnamon and add raisins to the mixture.
5. Add milk, mix with wooden spoon until the mixture clumps into a ball.
6. Knead briefly and squash into a ca. 6-8" squat disk.
7. Cut disc into 6 pie pieces.
8. Arrange triangular pieces on parchment lined baking sheet.
9. Brush each triangle with milk and sprinkle a bit of sugar prior to baking (for a nice crusted glaze)
10. Bake 15-18 minutes.