Been outside recently? By choice?
It’s nasty out there. Can’t get off work, can’t ski, and the snowballs won’t pack. These are the days when you drag the stereo into the kitchen, close the door, and heat the oven.
Scones
It’s pronounced Skahn, no O. Rhymes with nothing I know of. Overheard at the family reunion:
“Aye…you *can* call it a skown…but only if you’re poncey. Or English.”
“How can that be?” you say, “When I was in England everyone called it a Skown!” (1)
Yes, they did. But scones aren’t English. You’re thinking of crumpets.
Dry:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp white sugar
2 tsp brown sugar
–1/3 cup walnuts, chopped finely (optional)
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup butter (cold)
Wet:
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk or cream
Topping (2)
2 tablespoons butter (melted)
2 tablespoons molasses [or treacle, better yet, Lyle’s Golden Syrup- ejg]
Directions:

• Preheat oven.
  
• In a bowl, combine flour, sugars, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and walnuts.

• Cut in the butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. (3)
• Put the eggs and milk into the flour bowl, and stir until it’s just mixed.
• Pat it into an 8 inch round on a floured surface (between 0.5″ and 1″ high).

Don’t knead the dough–you aren’t making a yeast bread. Because they’re quick-breads scones get their lift from the carbon-dioxide released from the baking soda and their texture is a result of the butter melting and leaving little pockets.(4)

• Brush or dribble the topping onto the dough circle.
• Cut the round into eight wedges.
• Separate the wedges and place them onto a greased cookiesheet. (5)
• Let the little wedges rest on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes.
• Bake at 450 degrees(6) for 13-17 minutes, or until golden brown. 7)

Store them in a paper bag on the counter. If they get dry just toast ’em. I like to layer the bottom of the dough with raisins before I press it into a round.. When you press it out on the counter the raisins stick into the bottom and cook into the scones.(8)
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(1) In hindsight this could have been directed at Z. It’s not.
(2)You don’t have to use any topping but if you don’t you should coat the top of the scones with melted butter. It will keep them from getting dry flaky skin.*
(3) I use the weird sex-toy looking wire thing on the right. I strongly reccomend buying one for all your butter cutting needs**
(4)If you knead the dough the warmth from your hands will melt the butter and you get something between matzo meal and play-dough.****
(5) Better yet, don’t ruin your girlfriend’s expensive cookie sheet. Throw down some tin foil or a high-temp silpat, as the molassas has a nasty tendency to spill and burn.
(6)That’s 232 degrees for you Continental folk.
(7) Toothpick test!
(8) Others like to put walnuts into the dough or chopped candied orange rind (sourer is better)
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* Think of it as lubriderm for your baking
** It’s called a pastry cutter and they come in cut sheet metal or wire. You could also try to cut the butter into the recipe with a pair of knives. You can do anything if you try long enough… [I’ve done it and it’s not that difficult -ejg]
***If you’re having trouble with your piecrust (also an un-yeasted bread type thingy) try rolling it out on a cold surface. The butter will flatten into sheets without melting into the dough. In the dripping height of summer in DC I have resorted to freezing the rolling pin and setting icepacks on the counter until it’s chilled.