...and No. 2 favorite - REC: Basic Scones (traditional type you see most often...but yummy!)
Basic Scones
Ladie’s Home Journal Magazine, Feb 1992
This is a more substantial scone than the Cream Scone below - more like you would purchase in a bakery. I also have variations for savory-type, but haven't made them.
2 cups flour
2 tbl. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cut butter or margarine, cut into pieces
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
Preheat oven to 425 deg. Grease cookie sheet. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. With pastry blender, or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat buttermilk and egg in small bowl with whisk; pour into dry ingredients and stir with fork until mixture comes together. On lightly floured surface, knead 5 or 6 times; transfer to prepared cookie sheet. With floured hands, pat into an 8” circle. Cut into 8 wedges with a sharp serrated knife (do not separate wedges). Bake 14 to 16 minutes until golden. Transfer to a wire rack and cut to separate.
Serve warm with Clotted Cream and Lemon Curd.
NOTE: scones cut in wedges are Scottish type scones; English scones are cut, or dropped in rounds.
Variations on Basic Scones:
#1 - Lemon-Poppy Seed
Stir 1 tbl. poppy seeds and 1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel into basic scone mixture. Into a cup, stir 2 tbl. sugar and 1 tbl. lemon juice. Brush this over the top of the hot, baked scones.
#2 - Cherry-Toasted Almond
After cutting in butter (in Basic Scone recipe), stir in 1/3 cup chopped, dried cherries and 1/4 cup toasted natural almonds (the ones with the skins on). Increase buttermilk to 3/4 cup and add 1/8 tsp. almond extract.
