ABC Weekend Baker Scones

First I have to laugh at the email that our Fearless ABC leader sent us about her purchased scone. And how it reminded her how scones should be freshly baked and eaten. I laughed because I have NEVER met a scone that I cared for. EVER.

So I was not to excited about this months challenge...scone. Let alone the title Big Batch Scone Mix..the fewer the better in my book.

But my computer and you tube got me through it!! Speaking of..check out my husband's masterpiece for the KOA. He is brilliant.

I love anything that uses my pride and joy food processor. I love that machine! Then adding the wet ingredients.

Seems dry to me..

Yep..too dry. I added an extra 1/4 cup of buttermilk.

Not knowing if I had ruined the dough..I just kept on keeping on.

Using my dough tool, I cut them in wedges.

They baked beautifully!! But come on, looks are not everything and don't judge a book by its cover-and all those other helpful pieces of advice.

Stellar!! My husband and I could not stop ourselves!! These are amazing. Incredibly tender and flaky at the same time with a crunchy outer edge. Mellow flavor: I used orange zest and mini chocolate chips. And so fast...just like biscuits!

I tried to get a really great picture of the fantastic texture but they were getting cold and my milk was getting warm.

BEST fresh!!



For the Big-Batch Dry Mix:

Recipe found online at Chef Jamie

Excerpted “THE WEEKEND BAKER” Cookbook by Abigail Johnson Dodge as heard on the Chef Jamie Radio Show

  • 9 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt

For Each Batch

  • 2 1/2 cups dry mix (see above)
  • 8 tablespoons very cold butter, cut into pieces
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Flavor Options (3/4 cup chocolate chips or nuts, 1/2 cup dried cranberries or apricots)

To make the Dry Mix, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt.  Whisk to blend and store airtight until ready to use.

To make a batch of scones, preheat the oven to 400°F.  Combine the dry mix, butter and flavor option of choice and toss to combine.  Drizzle the buttermilk and vanilla over the mixture and stir until the dough comes together in moist clumps.


Dumb the dough onto a work surface and briefly kneads it into a round.  Cut into 8 wedges and space them 2-inches apart on a silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet.


Bake until golden, about 18 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.  Cool the scones on a rack for 15 minutes.


Makes 8 Scones

Individual Batch
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tea baking powder
1/4 baking soda
1/4 tea salt
8 Tb cold butter
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tea vanilla

Comments

Lois B said…
I'm glad to hear these changed your mind about scones! I love the KOA video.
Do not judge the book by its cover, alright! hehe! These scones are a winner, tender, buttery and absolutely delicious! A hit in my house too!
Lois-Thanks for watching the video! I love showing off my husbands talent.

Kitchen Flavors-I am needing scones again!
Janis said…
Your scones look so light and moist! Great idea using a food processor...makes things so much easier :-)
HanaĆ¢ said…
Your scones turned out beautiful! I couldn't be happier than you're now a scone lover :o) I'm glad you didn't skip this one!!
Karin Anderson said…
Very funny write-up! I enjoyed reading it.
Joy said…
Hi Virginia!

I'm Joy from "Hot Oven, Warm Heart," and I just became a member of ABC. I’m so happy to be a part of the group, and make some new blogging baker friends- hopefully you included.

Your scones turned out perfectly, and I think it's wonderful that you were happily surprised by how yummy they tasted.

I was just looking at the books on your shelfari- "Desserts from the Loveless Cafe" has been on my wishlist for a long time since I love the other book the author wrote, "Sky High." Is it one you recommend? Have you baked anything from it yet?

If you have a chance, I'd love it if you'd stop by and check out my scones too! Hope to hear from you soon. Have a great weekend!

Fondly,
Joy
http://hotovenwarmheart.wordpress.com/
Joy said…
AND I'm back. I couldn't help myself. Before I go any further, should I call you Virginia or Toni?... I've seen both around your site, and certainly want to be using the right name :)

I couldn't agree with you more- I truly believe we're going to be fast friends. The comment you left on my post was SO sweet, and it meant a lot to me. I didn't know if anyone had even noticed that little tagline, but it is certainly very important to me. Among many other things, my grandmother taught me that I could use my passion to bake for good and communicating my love to the special people in my life. If you read the post before the scones, I actually talk about it more there.

So guess what I did this morning? Finally treated myself to a book that's been in my "saved for later" Amazon cart forever (I mean, where else would I purchase it from?- Amazon can seriously be a dangerous place for cookbookaholics because their prices are fantastic and with Free Super Saver Shipping, you'd be crazy not to use it as your one and only bookstore). I can't wait for my copy of "Desserts from the Loveless Cafe" to arrive, and I promise you, the first thing I'm going to make is a batch of snickerdoodles. Maybe we can pick a few recipes to bake together!

Another thing we have in common- utilizing the library as a preview ground before purchase. Of course, that's not always the intention, but I always end up wanting my own copy. I usually have 2 or 3 cookbooks out of the library at a time, and I read them like novels. We certainly also have a major overlap in titles. I am ashamed to say I have the "Clinton St. Baking Co. Cookbook" on my shelf, but I have yet to use it. I've heard their maple butter is AH-mazing, and I can't wait to try their famous pancakes. I really should get on that. Another one I saw you have is Carole Walter's "Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins and More" which is one of my absolute FAVORITES. A sure thing is her dimpled sugar cake (in multiple variations). It tastes like a big sticky bun in a square tin with little buttery cinnamon sugar cavities. It smells heavenly while baking and is so simple to make. Definitely give it a try.

Okay, this is TOTALLY random, but I saw on your "quest for yumminess" list was Japanese Milk Bread. I'm not sure if it's the same thing, but I recently read a Cook's Illustrated article for "The Best Cinnamon Swirl Bread" which they based off of Japanese Shokupan (a type of light and airy sandwich bread. Is that what you were referring to?

Okay, now that I've written the longest comment in history, I wanted to give you my email just in case you ever felt like getting to know each other better: hotovenwarmheart@gmail.com I apologize profusely for keeping you, but I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Hope to hear from you again soon :)
Joy
http://hotovenwarmheart.wordpress.com/