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| STILL WARM, FRESHLY GLAZED SCONES |
I admit I was not excited to bake these scones or any scones. I have not been a scone lover. Even though scones have become quite popular over the past several years, I have only eaten one small scone that I can say I enjoyed. I probably enjoyed it because it was so loaded with nuts and seeds and other goodies that the scone dough was almost not there.
Even with flavorings, add-ins, interesting grains, etc, all the other scones I've tried have been gag me dry and hard, and almost flavorless. I've not been able to figure out why scones have become popular. I suppose that if one is a coffee drinker that a scone might be eaten with a breakfast where one could wash it quickly down with a morning beverage??? If I were to choose a pastry or muffin or breakfast bread, I would not choose a scone with all the other much better choices available.
But...these "Baked" scones changed my mind. They are actually really good.
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| Just Out of the Oven |
I grew up near Salt Lake City, and Utah scones are historic. You can google them. My childhood memories of scones are of something like a very airy fried dough topped with homemade honey-butter. (And sometimes this fried dough is turned into Navajo tacos...also a Utah favorite.) They are just a little chewy on the outside and almost melt-in-your-mouth soft in the middle. They are similar to the Mexican sopapillas found here in AZ, but much larger and more substantial in consistency. The scones I love are now called "Utah scones" and are nothing like the scones that are popular around the country these days....the ones referred to as "English scones." (I was recently discussing Utah scones vs English scones with a neighbor...we both scoffed at the English variety and were drooling over the Utah ones.) If my mother reads this blog post and finds that I have baked scones she will wonder why I did not deep fry them...she will be clueless to this English variety.
Back to the scones for this blog...I baked up a batch and took them down to the office for tasting. Hubby, Number 1 Son, and Attorney all tasted today. Attorney thinks he is a chef...well he is, but not professionally, and he is quite critical of all cooking...he knows his stuff. He told me that the scones were very flavorful and gave me a thumbs up...his mouth was too full to say any more. Hubby and Son both scarfed down their scones and wanted more...that's a good sign as both are into healthy eating, very few carbs, etc...and these scones are loaded with carbs so I was happily surprised they looked for more.
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| Easy To Use Scone Pan |
I am asked regularly by the Town of Gilbert to bring breakfast to meetings that I attend as a Town volunteer. Because of this I am on the lookout for great breakfast recipes...guess what they are getting next time...these scones will definitely be on the menu.
Thanks for changing my mind about scones...I have finally found some good ones and thanks for a recipe that makes me look good down at the office...I always enjoy being appreciated when I walk through the door and good food to share always adds smiles and happy feelings among the office folks. (And, by now, everyone knows that I just love recipes that help me to use my backyard citrus!)
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| My Scone For Tasting...I'm Happily Surprised That It Is Really Good! |
Note: I cheated on a couple of procedures in this recipe. I used my food processor to "pulse" in the cold butter with the dry ingredients...worked like a charm. And, I used my scone pan, which made practically perfectly shaped and baked scones....did not matter that the dough was a little sticky as I just plopped it into the pan for baking. (Why do I have a scone pan when I have disliked scones in the past??? One of those gadgets just waiting for a good recipe like this.)
I'm excited to see scones baked by my cyber-friends. I always get good ideas and tips. I love your photos and look forward to reading your posts. This is a fun group...I love sharing my baking experiences with you.
