I Don't Want To Be Late!

As in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, "...out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to itself, `Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!' "

But, I'm not going to be late, not if I hurry a bit ...
Especially if I only create this post instead of the scones themselves!

This week is "The-Sweet-and-Savory-of-Yummy" subject of La Tea Dah's "tea theme!" That means recipes, folks! :-)

I'm including my very favorite recipe for scones. I discovered this recipe, as well as a wealth of others, on the Joy of Baking site. They also include complete instructions on not only creating light, delicate scones but also recipes for accoutrements.

This sites offers an alternative to cutting in wedges... as in the photo below.
I personally prefer cutting wedges, as they look more "scone-like." :-)

Cream Scones

2 cups(280 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
2 tsp. (10 grams) baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/3 cup (76 grams) cold, unsalted butter
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream
Egg mixture for brushing tops of scones:
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 Tblsp. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place rack in middle of oven. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. In a small measuring cup combine the whipping cream, beaten egg and vanilla. Add this mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until just combine. Do not over mix.

Knead dough gently on a lightly floured surface. Roll or pat the dough into a circle that is 7 (18 cm) inches round and about 1 1/2 inches (3/75 cm) thick. Cut this circle into 8 triangular sections. Alternatively, you can cut the dough into rounds with a cookie cutter. Make a mixture of one well-beaten egg and 1 Toblsp. heavy cream. Brush the scones with this mixture. This helps to brown the tops of the scones during baking.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean. Remove from oven and turn your broiler on high. Sift confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar heavily over the tops of the scones and place them under the broiler. Broil for just a few seconds, turning the pan as necessary, until the sugar has melted and turns golden brown. Make sure to watch the scones carefully as the sugar will burn very easily. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve with Devonshire Cream (or whipping cream) and your favorite jam. Also delicious with lemon curd.

Recipes for both the Devonshire Cream and Lemon Curd are in the text of the instructions for Cream Scones at the Joy of Baking site. You will also find recipes for many different types of scones at this site. If you haven't "bookmarked," you'll need to now!

Enjoy with a nice cup of tea and a friend or two!