03 February 2010

Yet Another for Your Afternoon Tea

The only real experience that I have with scones was buying a Baking cookbook at Borders when I was 17; it turned out to be British, which had me confused for quite some time. What we call biscuits, they call scones; what we call cookies, they call biscuits.

If you actually read the things that I post, then you probably know that I made some Snickerdoodle scones before and that, while they weren't terrible, they also didn't really blow me away. I have had a hard time understanding what the point of a scone is when a biscuit or cookie can do the same thing.



However, these lemon scones came about as a way for me to use excess lemons and try my hand at scones one last time. I cast my net through the interweb and found a suitable recipe for me to try. Luckily, they passed the test and were the perfect combination of buttery, tart, and crumbly. I ate them with tea, I ate them plain, and I ate them warmed up with just a smidge of butter on top. They were delicious!




Lemon Scones

Makes 8 scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter or margarine
1/2 cup sour milk
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
Additional sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a baking sheet and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add milk and lemon peel, stirring just until mixed.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead gently six times. Shape into a ball. On a greased baking sheet, pat dough into a circle about 1/2 in thick and 8-1/2 in. in diameter. Using a sharp knife, cut wedges in the dough, being careful not to cut all the way through.

Sprinkle with sugar. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.