Monday, September 14, 2009

Scone Sundays


I know that a cup of coffee hardly counts as a well-balanced breakfast (even though when I load it up with sugar and heavy cream it may have as many calories as one), but I don’t have the appetite for anything more first thing in the morning. I’ve mentioned it before—breakfast is a constant struggle for me. By the time I’m ready to eat, the hubby’s already looking for his second meal of the day. So I’ve decided to try out a new routine: every Sunday, I’m going to bake scones. Scones take no time at all and are a breeze to throw together. And fresh scones are such a treat that even at the crack of dawn I can’t resist them. It takes the two of us 2 or 3 days to eat up an entire batch. So, I think I may have finally solved my breakfast dilemma—at least for two mornings each week!


We’ll see how long this little plan of mine lasts. In the meantime, I’m inspired to dream up some new scone flavors…

Sour Cherry Scones
Printable Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 ounces (¾ stick) cold unsalted butter, shredded
½ cup dried sour cherries
1 large egg
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
2 teaspoons Turbinado sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and, using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Toss in the cherries. Blend together the egg and ½ cup of the cream in a small bowl, add to the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Transfer to a work surface and knead a few times until the dough just holds together. Pat the dough into a 6-inch wide, 1 ½-inch thick circle and cut into 8 wedges. Arrange the scones a couple of inches apart on a parchment-lined baking tray. Lightly brush the scones with the remaining 1 tablespoon of cream and sprinkle with the Turbinado sugar and cinnamon. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes 8 scones. Work quickly and with a light touch to prevent the butter in the pastry from melting. Serve warm, possibly with clotted cream. Scones keep for a day or two in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dry place.

9 comments:

anna said...

I love how shockingly easy and wonderful homemade scones are! These look so good.

Jackie at PhamFatale.com said...

Hi Lucy,

Love, absolutely love your scones. You should submit it to the bread contest on my site. The winner gets a $179 Super Bread bread knife from New West Knifeworks. You can get more info here:

http://www.phamfatale.com/id_570/title_18-More-Days-until-the-End-of-the-Bread-Contest/

Best,

Jackie

The Intercultural Kitchen said...

Hi, I just landed here at your blog from I don't know where ;-)
I love scones, and those look fantastic. I believe you when you say there are easy to make and will give them a try! Thanks for the recipe!

Kathy Walker said...

These look quite tasty! Yummy, to be exact!

Christine said...

Really pretty scones!

veron said...

My hubby loves scones. I should try making these for him. They look fantastic!

Sam@BingeNYC said...

MMM...these sound divine. I adore scones, and sour cherries just make these THAT MUCH MORE delightful. Yum.

peg @ pastry pieces said...

Scones look wonderful - wish you had your SF post up BEFORE I went!

kamran siddiqi said...

I cannot tell you how much I love scones! I def. have to give your recipe a try this weekend! :D

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