My favourite scones

I love scones. My favourite being the raisin scones sold at Provenance Bakery at Holland Village. They are fluffy and chock full of raisins. They are rather popular so its best to call and reserve before going down. Sadly, their standards have dropped in the current years. The last time I ate them, the insides were slightly undercooked, resulting in a thick and gummy texture. Thus, when I started to bake, perfecting scones were one of the first few things I wanted to do. So far, I tried scones made of pure cream, pure butter, a mixture of both and made sour cream and butter. This time, I tried using buttermilk and butter. These are definitely my favourite. The texture is so soft and fluffy. Also, they taste good on the second day too! Importantly, they do not have a stick-to-your gums aftertaste which I experienced when I used cream and butter. Using the food processor to mix the ingredients ensure that the butter can be cut into the flour quickly without softening too much. Always remember, similar to making pie dough, work quickly and refrigerate the dough to keep it chilled if necessary. Scones are wonderfully versatile and can be a blank canvas for a plethora of flavours. Use your creativity and create your favourite scone today!

Buttermilk raisin scones

(Adapted from The Art & Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet)

 

2 cups (10 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour

¼ cup (1¾ oz) sugar

1¾ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 stick (4 oz) cold, unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch cubes

½ cup (3 oz) raisins (or any other dried fruit desired)
¾ cup (6oz) cold buttermilk

 

1.     Preheat oven to 425F and position an oven rack in the center, Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or a thin silicone mat. Place the flour, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of the food processor and process for 10 seconds to blend well. Add the cold butter pieces and pulse 5 times at 1-second intervals, or until the butter is cut into medium pieces. Add the raisins, but don’t blend them. Pour in the buttermilk and pulse for another 20 tims, or until the dough holds together in large, thick clumps. Use a spatula to scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently squeeze or knead the clumps together until they form a cohesive dough.

 

2.     If the dough seems sticky, lightly dust your work surface with flour, pat the dough into a circle, about ¾ – 1 inch thick. With a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out the dough as closely as possible and transfer to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Gather the remaining scraps of dough together (working it as little as possible) and repeat the process.

 

3.     Bake for 14 – 17 minutes, until firm to tough and golden brown. Transfer to a rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Makes 10 scones.

 

Good Morning…..Not

I am a night owl. I detest waking up in the morning. When I was a kid, I have morning school sessions in alternate years. I HATE HATE HATE morning sessions. Waking up at 5.30am in the morning was a torture to me. I wanted to die. I stood there staring at the dark sky (the sun had yet to rise), and wondered (many times) why is there the need for mornings. There should only be night and darkness. I should stay in alaska. I would be happy there, at least, during the period where there is no sun.

Anyway, since I was never a morning person, I was not a breakfast person either. However, when I reached junior college, my dad and I developed a habit of having breakfast before I go to school. I am proud to say that even now, we have breakfast together every morning before work. Now, I am a believer of having a good breakfast to start my day off. Thanks dad!

This is yet another scone recipe I have here. Yep, I am a scone person. I adapted it loosely from Dorie’s Apple Cheddar Scone. I did not use buttermilk as I had a bottle of cream in my fridge to use up. I don’t think this is a favourite recipe of mine, and I find the cornmeal in it unnecessary. A little disappointed with how it turned out, probably because of the rave reviews I have seen from others who have tried this. Perhaps I will try it again in future with fresh apple bits and buttermilk. If the dough is too wet, add a tablespoon of flour. Alternatively, you can also put it in the freezer for 10 minutes before shaping them.

Apple Cheddar Scone

1 large egg
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal

2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely diced dried apples

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to  205C (400 F). Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.

2. Stir the egg and cream together.

3. Whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour. Quickly, working with your fingertips or a pastry blender, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly. You’ll have pea-size pieces, pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and pieces the size of everything in between – and that’s just right.

4. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir with a fork just until the dough, which will be very wet and sticky, comes together. If there are still some dry ingredients in the bottom of the bowl, stir them in, but try not to overdo the mixing. Stir in the grated cheese and dried apple.

5. Still in the bowl, gently knead the dough by hand, or turn it with a rubber spatula 8 to 10 times. Then, because the dough is very sticky, the easiest thing to do is to turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface, pat it into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick and, using a dough scraper or a chef’s knife, cut it into 12 roughly equal pieces; place on the baking sheet. Alternatively, you can just spoon out 12 equal mounds onto the baking sheet. (At this point, the scones can be frozen on the backing sheet, then wrapped airtight. Don’t defrost before baking – just add about 2 minutes to the baking time.)

6. Bake the scones for 20 to 22 minutes, or until their tops are golden and firmish. Transfer them to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving, or wait for the scones to cool to room temperature.

Guilty….

I know I shouldn’t be here. In terms of studying, I have been procrastinating more than mugging. So dead…. I promise I will get some serious studying done after this post. Really.

I bought these beautiful candied chestnuts at Isetan Scotts supermarket the other day. They were horribly expensive ($14 / 100g) but tastes really good, albeit a little on the sweet side. They go really well with a cup of chinese tea, and should be taken in small nibbles as it is really quite a sugar explosion in your mouth if you eat it whole. I couldn’t eat more than a few so I decided to chop them up and add them into these lovely cream biscuits, pairing them with some chopped walnuts. The combination turned out excellent, with the walnuts taking away abit of the sweetness and adding a little crunch to the biscuits. They are possibly my favourite combination for now! As these japanese candied chestnuts are probably less commonly found, you can also use normal chestnuts. Just that you probably won’t get the same type of sweetness. Maybe add some honey cashew nuts instead? Let me know your favourite double nut combination

Double nut cream biscuits

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

300ml heavy cream, cold

7 candied chestnuts,chopped

1/4 walnuts, chopped

1 tbsp milk or heavy cream for brushing (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 205C.Thoroughly mix flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together.

2. Pour the 3/4 of the cream into the flour mixture, mixing quickly with a spatula. Add the remaining cream and stir the nuts. Gather the moist dough into a lump and knead it gently 3 or 4 times until it holds together.

3. If the dough seem too wet, sprinkle in a bit of flour and knead until it comes together. Chill the dough for 10 minutes and allow it to relax.

4. On a lightly floured surface, pat the dough into a circle about 3/4 inches thick. Using a 2 inch cookie cutter, cut out as many biscuits as you can. Brush the surface of the biscuits lightly with milk or cream. Transfer the cut biscuits into a lightly greased cookie pan (or you can use a baking sheet). Repeat the process with the remaining dough scraps.

5. Bake the biscuits for 15 – 18 minutes, until they are tall and browned. Makes 14 biscuits.