Life moves fast. Breakfast shouldn’t.
I know in reality, it does. You’ve got to get to work, school, drop off the kids, get to the gym, get to the grocery store, tackle your hundred-page to-do list.
Just slow down. Appreciate the bread and butter of life. Pun intended.
I first made these scones (with my next-door neighbor, Shirley) when I was five years old. Which means you can make them too.
The last time I made these scones, was, coincidentally, when I was 5 years old. All I could find in my recipe box yesterday was some ingredients listed on a 4×6 recipe card and no directions. So you know what I did?
I slowed down. I figured out the directions myself, meticulously, so a five-year-old could make these with just a little help.
I’ve already done the tough part for you. Slow down, relax, enlist the help of your kid (or a neighbor) and make some flaky, slightly sweet, buttery, scones. You’ll be glad you did.
Read on for some tips.
Tip #1: Start by getting that oven warm, and preparing your buttermilk if you don’t have any handy. I got out a measuring cup and combined 2 cups of 1% milk with 3 TB lemon juice. Set it aside and let it curdle.
Tip #2: The butter. The butter should be cold, straight from the fridge. I suggest you cube it like this, and only take it out right before you need to use it.
Tip #3: The Eggs. Crack two in a one-cup measure like this:
Top up that one-cup measure with buttermilk like this:
Pour this cup measure into a mixing bowl, and add another cup of buttermilk.
Tip #4: The dough. I was reminded of my Irish Soda Bread When I was making these scones because the dough is quite sticky. Make sure your hands are well-floured, the surface is well-floured, and you have a damp paper towel nearby. After a bit of kneading, it will look something like this:
I didn’t want to fuss around with cookie cutters, so I just rolled it out and cut them into some-what triangles. The recipe makes two baking sheets worth, and they taste best the day they’re made. I think you could easily halve this one. Even my 5-person family couldn’t finish them all on the first day.
Slow down. Make some scones. Have breakfast with your family. Smile.
Scones
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 15-20 min
Total Time: 45-60 min
Ingredients:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tsp cream of tartar
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup butter, cold
- 2 eggs
- buttermilk (about 1 and ½ cups. See note)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. If making buttermilk, prepare it now.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and sugar. Begin with a whisk, then use a spoon to make sure it is well-mixed.
- Take out the butter from the fridge and cube it. Mix it into the flour with a pastry blender or your hands (it’s easier with your hands) until the mixture is crumbly. Don’t overmix- that’s how they stay soft and flaky.
- Crack two eggs into a one-cup measure, and fill with buttermilk. Pour into a separate mixing bowl. Add another cup of buttermilk. Whisk to combine.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- On a well-floured surface, with well-floured hands, roll out dough. Knead about 15 times, then take a well-floured rolling pin and roll flat into a rectangle about 1 and ½ inches thick.
- Cut into scones of desired shapes and place them on the baking sheet. Bake in oven 15-20 minutes until golden. When finished cooking, remove from pans immediately to cool on wire racks.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. They taste best the day they are made but can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They can also be frozen and reheated in the oven or microwave.
Note: I made my own buttermilk by combining 2 cups of 1% milk with 3 TB lemon juice and letting it sit and curdle for a few minutes.
Know what these would go great with? Some of my strawberry jam.
What do you have fond memories of baking as a young child?
