The Secret Everybody Knows...Now

Q & A:
Q - What's a scone?
A - A biscuit with a stick up its butt.

Q - How many scone recipes does it take before you find one you like? 

A - Hard to say; where do you live?

Much Ado About Scones
So what's a nice Virginia girl like me doing with a scone recipe in the first place? I don't know. I don't even like bread. Could it be me trying too hard to please? When in Rome California? The latter most definitely had something to do with it. I never knew anyone in the South who served, let alone baked, hard bread for breakfast--unless they had burnt the toast. For whatever reason, I am now the proud proprietor of a highly famed and sought after scone recipe. What can I say? It fell right into my lap. It's not even mine. Funny thing is, it wasn't even the friend's who gave it me, either! Of course I didn't find that out until years later.


Over time I have dibble and dabbled with this recipe trying to force it into something I might eat. While I can't say that's happened yet, I have improved upon an already excellent recipe, to make it even more remarkable, according to some people I know.


Before giving up sharing my Secret Scone Recipe, you might have a favorite of yours I can help you improve upon. Why steal reinvent the egg when you don't have to, right? I'll begin with some suggestions for altering the substandard recipe you already have. (Why else would you be looking at mine?)

SUGGESTIONS 

• Substitute HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM for the milk in your recipe. This one, simple little tip I will liken to the miracle of resurrecting the dead, which trust me, is your scone recipe without heavy whipping cream. You don't need to whip it up or anything, just use it in place of milk.

• Does your recipe call for the zest of one orange or lemon (or a bit of both)? You'll want to do that.

• Reserve a bit of your egg white from the eggs in your recipe to slather on top of the scones before you bake them.
• Do the same with the sugar, or add a bit more. Sprinkle this generously on top of the scones after slathering with egg whites before you bake.

BLING 
Trust me, nothing in the way of fruit or nuts will revive a dry scone recipe. So if your scones aren't delectable after substituting or adding the suggestions above without these accoutrements, nothing by way of adding them is gonna make it any better! Toss your recipe, and steal mine. Just remember, it's mine! Give me the credit. (Unless it doesn't come out right.)

NO LONGER SECRET - SCONE RECIPE
After getting up off the couch and walking over to the kitchen: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

What to pull out of the cupboards and refrigerator:

1. 2 cups white flour
2. 1/4 cup sugar--reserve a bit for the top
3. 1/4 tsp salt
4. 3 tsp baking powder
5. 4 TBL butter - grated  (use your cheese grater)
6. zest from one orange or lemon or combination thereof

In a bowl, mix above ingredients with a fork until crumbly, then add....

  7.  2 large eggs--reserve a bit of egg white from one of the eggs for the top
  8.  1/3 cup HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM

  9.  1/2 cup chopped dried currents, raisons, or cranberries (or combination thereof)

  10.  1/2 cup walnuts

Mix together with a fork, then with your hands, to form one large or two small rounds, approximately 1-1/2 inches high. Slather top(s) with reserved egg whites and generously sprinkle with sugar. Cut round into eight equal pieces (fourth, then fourth again). *Each round contains eight sections--regardless of whether you make one large or two small.

BAKE  at 400 degrees

- One large round: approx. 15 minutes

- Two small rounds: approx. 12 minutes

SUGGESTIONS

I half the above recipe, and make one small round. It's perfect for two people, or even three--when one of them doesn't eat bread ;)
I usually leave out the walnuts.

BLING
Top with your favorite jam or jelly. 

Mmmmm....Now that's good eatin'!


For another recipe, check out this one I found online--more butter, sour cream and milk--remember to swap that out for heavy whipping cream. They call it Berry Scones. I call it, The Quadruple Bypass. Whatever.