I Sing the Baker Imperfect...
(Cream Scones with Brown Sugar Icing)
Sadly but predictably, the inspiration for this post title comes not from the Walt Whitman poem but from the song from the movie, Fame. What was I doing during the poetry units in numerous English classes in high school and college that I missed the opportunity to understand and appreciate poetry? What boy was I thinking about or hangover was I nursing or amusement was I planning for the night? I'm not proud, but there you have it. So many missed intellectual opportunities in the pursuit of love and fun. Sigh.
I was thinking about poetry today because the recipe for these scones comes from a local woman who is a baker, takes the most beautiful pictures and writes a soulful blog, vanillabeanblog.com. Her recipe is a good one and although my scones are a bit irregularly shaped, they are delicious and I think perhaps more homey and lovable for their slightly wonky appearance. The jagged angles get nice and crunchy and are a pleasant contrast to the soft buttery cake inside. Sweet, but not too. Imperfect - like me, but still striving.
Makes 8 scones
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
1/4 cup cold heavy cream
1/4 cup cold sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
Heavy cream and raw sugar for topping
1. Preheat oven to 400ยบ and line a sheet pan with parchment.
2. Whisk creams, eggs and vanilla together in a measuring cup or small bowl.
3. Put flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.
4. Add butter cubes and pulse 10-15 times until coarse crumbs appear
5. Dump flour mixture into a large bowl. Add wet ingredients and mix just until combined, then use your hands to knead the dough a few times until it holds together (you can do this either on the counter or in the bowl).
6. Shape dough, using your hands, on the counter into a 1-inch thick rectangle. Cut into 4 smaller rectangles then cut each of those rectangles in half on the bias to get 8 triangles. Place them on the sheet pan so they don't touch.
7. Brush the tops of each with a little heavy cream and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes until browned. Cool on racks.
Brown Sugar Icing
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
Dash of vanilla
Pinch kosher salt
1. Put all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking once the butter melts. Boil gently for a few minutes until sugar is dissolved and glaze is slightly thickened. Remove from heat, let cool a few minutes and spoon over the scones. This works best if you place the scones on a cooling rack and set that over a sheet pan. Then the glaze can drip down the sides.
I was thinking about poetry today because the recipe for these scones comes from a local woman who is a baker, takes the most beautiful pictures and writes a soulful blog, vanillabeanblog.com. Her recipe is a good one and although my scones are a bit irregularly shaped, they are delicious and I think perhaps more homey and lovable for their slightly wonky appearance. The jagged angles get nice and crunchy and are a pleasant contrast to the soft buttery cake inside. Sweet, but not too. Imperfect - like me, but still striving.
Cream Scones
Courtesy of Sarah Kieffer thevanillabeanblog.comMakes 8 scones
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
1/4 cup cold heavy cream
1/4 cup cold sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
Heavy cream and raw sugar for topping
1. Preheat oven to 400ยบ and line a sheet pan with parchment.
2. Whisk creams, eggs and vanilla together in a measuring cup or small bowl.
3. Put flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.
4. Add butter cubes and pulse 10-15 times until coarse crumbs appear
5. Dump flour mixture into a large bowl. Add wet ingredients and mix just until combined, then use your hands to knead the dough a few times until it holds together (you can do this either on the counter or in the bowl).
6. Shape dough, using your hands, on the counter into a 1-inch thick rectangle. Cut into 4 smaller rectangles then cut each of those rectangles in half on the bias to get 8 triangles. Place them on the sheet pan so they don't touch.
7. Brush the tops of each with a little heavy cream and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes until browned. Cool on racks.
Brown Sugar Icing
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
Dash of vanilla
Pinch kosher salt
1. Put all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking once the butter melts. Boil gently for a few minutes until sugar is dissolved and glaze is slightly thickened. Remove from heat, let cool a few minutes and spoon over the scones. This works best if you place the scones on a cooling rack and set that over a sheet pan. Then the glaze can drip down the sides.
Comments