Daring Baker’s January Challenge

A new year, a new challenge!  That’s right, it’s time once again to share another fun, exciting and challenging Daring Baker’s project.  This time around Audax Artifex was our January 2012 Daring Bakers’ host. Aud worked tirelessly to master light and fluffy scones (a/k/a biscuits) to help us create delicious and perfect batches in our own kitchens!

That’s right, this time around we conquered light and fluffy scones.  These biscuit like pastries are known as scones in the rest of the world, but they are actually like our normal biscuits here in the U.S.  Who would have known?  If you’re like me, then you probably had no idea that our biscuits could be served interchangeably as scones in other areas of the world.  To me, it’s interesting to think about how food terms change from one society and region to the next.

This recipe proved to be relatively easy.  The scone was deliciously light and fluffy with the perfect buttery flavor.  I had to restrain myself from devouring every, last morsel fresh from the oven.  I mean is there really anything better than fresh buscuits straight from the oven?  I think not.  Spread them with a tad of butter and your favorite jelly or jam and you have the perfect breakfast, brunch or snack!  I can’t wait to try these again incorporating other flavor variations!

 Basic Scones (a.k.a. Basic Biscuits)

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tspfresh baking powder
¼ Tsp salt
2 Tbsp frozen butter, grated
½ cup cold milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 475.

Triple sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl.
Rub the frozen grated butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles very coarse bread crumbs with some pea-sized pieces if you want flaky scones or until it resembles coarse beach sand if you want tender scones.

Add nearly all of the liquid at once into the flour mixture and mix until it just forms a sticky dough (add the remaining liquid if needed). *The wetter the dough the lighter the scones (biscuits) will be!

Choose a technique below to achieve desired consistency:
A)Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board, lightly flour the top of the dough. To achieve an even, homogeneous crumb to your scones knead very gently about 4 or 5 times (do not press too firmly) or until the dough until it is smooth.
B)To achieve a layered effect in your scones knead very gently once (do not press too firmly) then fold and turn the kneaded dough about 3 or 4 times until the dough has formed a smooth texture. (Use a floured plastic scraper to help you knead and/or fold and turn the dough if you wish.)

Pat or roll out the dough into a 6 inch by 4 inch rectangle by about ¾ inch thick. Separate into four equal portions and gently form into rounds.

Place the rounds just touching on a baking dish if you wish to have soft-sided scones or place the rounds spaced widely apart on the baking dish if you wish to have crisp-sided scones. Lightly flour the tops.

Place in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes (check at 8 minutes since home ovens at these high temperatures may vary cooking times) until the scones are well risen and are golden-brown on the tops. The scones are ready when the sides are set.

Immediately place onto cooling rack to stop the cooking process, serve while still warm.