Rosemary Harris: If you're Scottish you might want your stone to be the Stone of Scone (that's where the kings are crowned) but you definitely don't want your scones to be made of stone. (I'm cracking myself up with this...I hope someone else thinks it's funny.) Anyway, that's where Nigella Lawson comes in. This is my all-time favorite scone recipe - and I will continue call them Sc-oh-nes and not scons, just as I will continue to say Ha-why-ee and not Ha-vy-ee. But I digress.
Following is from Nigella's How to Be a Domestic Goddess cookbook. She calls them Lily's Scones and they are pretty foolproof. I sometimes throw in a handful of chocolate chips or dried cranberries. Sometimes I just slather them with jam or marmalade and have a whole mess of them for dinner.
Enjoy!
Lily's Scones
Ingredients: 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
4 ½ tsp cream of tartar
¼ cup cold unsalted butter, diced
2 tbs vegetable shortening, in teaspooned lumps
1 1/3 cups milk
1 large egg, beaten, for egg wash (optional)
Tools:2 ½ inch crinkle edge round cutter
1 Baking pan, lightly greased
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Sift flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar into a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter, add vegetable shortening and butter until the mixture is like damp sand. Add milk all at once, mix very lightly until just blended (do not over mix). Turn out onto a floured surface and knead lightly to form the dough.
Roll out to about 1 to 1 ¼ inch thickness. Dip the cutter into some flour, then stamp out at least 10 scones. You get 12 in all from this, but you may need to re-roll of the last two. Place on the baking sheet very close together – the idea is they bulge and stick together on cooking – then brush the tops with egg wash. Put in the oven and cook for 10 minutes or until risen and golden.
Always eat freshly baked, preferably still warm from the oven with butter or clotted cream and healthy dollop of jam. Makes 12
BTW In the course of looking for Nigella's recipe online (so I wouldn't have to key in!) I found a cool blog called Pearls of Style. http://pearlsofstyle.blogspot.com.au/ It's a fun combination of food and fashion! Check it out...
"Makes twelve...eat them freshly baked".
ReplyDeleteOh, yum. Sounds great! I can see myself doing this, eating the entire freshly baked batch. I would not be able to get up from the table...but I would be SO happy! Better wait until I have a houseful of guests before I make this...and let them fight me for each scone!
Thank you for sharing this,Rosemary!
Yum . . . might be worth actually having breakfast to have these warm from the oven! Thanks for the recipe [and I did chuckle at your "Stone of Scone and scones made of stone!"]
ReplyDeleteDeb, I actually made and had these for dinner the other night.
ReplyDeleteTwo housekeeping notes.. Ellen DePasquale from Constant Contatc got her dates screwed up - it's been that kind of wek - and answered questions on Wednesday's post on Thursday so if you asked her a question please go back to Wednesday's post to see answers.
I've never made scones. And for some ridiculous reason haven't even considered it and now I have no idea why. I love to bake! Why haven't I made scones? Ah well, I'll ponder that off in a corner on my own, but in the meantime I've added this recipe (which certainly looks harmless enough, AND delicious!) to my Evernote, where all my recipes are now living in happy harmony. Thank you, Ro!
ReplyDeleteMmmm, they look enticing, all right. But if I tried that recipe and liked it, I'd have to abandon the one I've been using and loving (and getting great kudoes for) for -- oh gasp -- 40 years??
ReplyDelete(Is that possible?)
Oh, yum.... And Ro, you live dangerously--scones for supper!
ReplyDeleteThe only recipe I've ever made is the whole wheat one from Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book (old hippie me) which is delish and easy. Very similar to Nigella's except you use whole wheat pastry flour. It also calls for currants, however, which I've had hard time finding the last couple of years. They used to carry them in bulk at Whole Foods Market. Anyone know where to get currants?
Trader Joe's probably carries zante currants - which I use in couscous and for an awesome holiday spice cake (recipe to come) - but my local Stop and Shop is amazing. They have everything.
ReplyDeleteCream tea--scones, homemade strawberry jam and clotted cream. One of my favorite meals on earth, especially when the scones are still warm.
ReplyDeleteThis looks pretty much like my recipe. I also like throwing in some cheese and serving them as a savorty snack.
Hi Ro,
ReplyDeleteI'm going make this recipe with the additions for my herb & cheese scones... looks fantastic.
xo
Oh, Ro– my captcha is 999 RO ABLE. Well, we knew that!
Reine, that's too funny! I've never made savory scones..must try..
ReplyDeleteBig thank you for the shout-out Rosemary. I'm honored to get a mention on your wonderful blog.
ReplyDeleteRo, Auntie-Mom makes them by grating 8 oz. of sharp cheddar and a blend of savory herbs to her basic scone recipe. I don't know how to measure them, but I do what she does: shake a bit of whatever looks good into the mortar, and grind it to add with the dry ingredients. Back in Boston we made dinner of it when we baked beans– obviously a winter thing.
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