Makes 10 or more scones
Time: 20 minutes
1 scant tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp. sugar
5 tbsp. cold butter
3 eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
(DO NOT use milk; scones are just biscuits made with cream so if you use milk, you're just making biscuits)
1/3 cup chocolate chips (original recipe calls for currants or raisins but you can do chocolate chips; I have and it works just fine)
1 tbsp. water
Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl or food processor, reserving 1 tbsp. of the sugar. Cut the butter into bits and either pulse it in the food processor (the easiest) or pick up a bit of the dry ingredients, rub them with the butter between your fingers, and drop them again. (note: use a pastry blender.) All the butter should be thoroughly blended before proceeding.
Beat 2 of the eggs with the cream; with a few swift strokes combine them with the dry ingredients. Use only a few strokes to stir in the chocolate chips. (This is to prevent the flour gluten from developing too much - the idea is flaky, not chewy.) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it ten times; no more. If it is very sticky, add a little flour, but very little; don't worry if it sticks a bit to your hands.
Press the dough into a 3/4"-thick rectangle and cut into 2" rounds with a biscuit cutter or glass. Place the rounds on an ungreased baking sheet. Gently reshape the leftover dough and cut again; this recipe will produce 10 to 14 biscuits. Beat the remaining egg with 1 tbsp. of water, and brush the top of each scone; sprinkle with a little of the remaining sugar.
Bake 7 to 9 minutes, or until the scones are a beautiful golden brown.
These keep better than biscuits but should still be eaten the same day you make them.
p252, "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bittman
Jen
(12/12/99)
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