Mary Hearty Bye's Scottish Scones

My second batch of these are in the oven right now, per request of the Robber who at 6 out of the 8 in the previous batch. There's a debate as to whether these should be cooked on the stove griddle-style (per the reviewers, the true-to-the-poor-Scotchman's-way) or baked in the oven (only if you are rich and oppress the poor.) Being both poor and rich I tried some both ways for my first batch. I would cook these on the stove if I were going camping and making a morning biscuit, but I found that they puffed better and had a more satisfying texture when baked in the oven. You can go either way, but the oven is faster.

These are much less sweet than my previous scones and more truly like a biscuit, with a texture that is a cross between a biscuit and what we think of now as scones. The Robber toasted his in the toaster oven and ate them with butter and honey; I ate mine with a spread of Greek yogurt and some rhubarb-plum puree and we both had a grand old time.

From Epicurious:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mary-Hearty-Byes-Scottish-Scones-241465

Ingredients:

2 C. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

2 T. cold unsalted butter

1 C. well-shaken buttermilk

1 large egg, beaten

Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions:

1. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar in a large bowl, then blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in buttermilk and egg with a fork just until a soft dough forms.

2. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, divide dough into thirds and knead each piece 3 or 4 times. Pat each piece into a 6-inch round (1/2 inch thick), then cut each round into 4 wedges. (I just turned everything out together, this worked just fine.)

3. Heat griddle over low heat until hot, then lightly oil.

4. Working in 2 batches, dust each wedge of dough with flour, patting off excess, then cook over low heat, undisturbed, 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium-low and cook until puffed and undersides are golden-brown, 3 to 5 minutes more. Turn scones over and cook until undersides are golden-brown, 6 to 8 minutes (watch closely; move scones and adjust heat as needed so they cook through without burning). Turn scones on edges and cook until golden-brown, about 1 minute per edge. Cut one scone open to check for doneness.

5. Transfer to a rack and cool to warm. (Lightly oil griddle between batches.)

Notes: Can also bake at 375F for 18 minutes or until puffed and golden.