North Fork Table & Inn Scones

Let's just face it: I have come to expect scones as my every day breakfast food. Now that I am eating at the hospital cafeteria for most of my meals-- including breakfast-- I have a lot more options. Yogurt. Eggs. Bacon. Bagels. Croissants. But what do I go to still on an every day basis? Yes, the scone-- although the hospital scones are not quite as tasty as some of the ones I've made. Anyway. But the other thing I like about scones is that I can make a batch for a night when I am on call and they are good for dinner when I'm coming on, for a midnight snack, for a 1 am snack, for a 2 am snack.... and then they are still good to share with the morning team coming on. Hence my scone craze is still alive and well despite my new lifestyle.

Here are some scones I made for my most recent night shift. They were alright. By all standards I'm sure they are amazing, but for me-- just alright. I think what I want out of a scone is changing. I want less chewiness and either more flakiness or more cakeiness but not chewy. And these were chewy. Perhaps because I made them with dried apricots and not with raspberries like Deb of Smitten Kitchen did? So take it for what you will, you will most likely find them amazingly delicious, unless you have made all the other scones on this scone-filled blog, then you will find them delicious but not stand-out-ish.

From Smitten Kitchen:

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/09/the-north-fork-and-its-scones/

Ingredients:

2 3/4 C. pastry or all-purpose flour
1/4 C. sugar
1 T. aluminum-free baking powder*
1 tsp. baking soda
12 T. butter, in 1/2-inch cubes
1 C. golden raisins plus 1 T. caraway seeds -or- 1 C. fresh fruit of your choice
3/4 to 1 C. buttermilk (use the smaller amount if using fresh fruit, the larger if using the raisin-caraway combo)
Turbinado or sanding sugar for sprinkling (optional, not in the original recipe)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Place cubed butter in freezer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda in a mixing bowl.

3. Add butter to the flour mixture and cut in until you have pea sized specks of butter. Add the fruit/seeds and the buttermilk and stir until just moistened.

4. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently a couple times. Roll or pat dough out to approximately one-inch thick round and cut into 8-12 wedges.

5. Optional: Brush buttermilk over the top of the scones and sprinkle with turbinado or sanding sugar.

6. Bake on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper for 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned.

Note: If you use fresh fruit in a scone, it’s very important that you use an aluminum-free baking powder, otherwise the aluminum may precipitate out causing your scones to turn a bluish-gray color. They will still be edible, but may taste a bit tinny or simply look less appetizing.