Last April another granddaughter was born, after a prolonged labor. The next day, I sent a little cheer to the sisterhood-of-the-overly-long-labor-watch, (that would be the other grandmother and exhausted aunt). Everyone loves a good scone! They are easy to make, kind of foolproof, and turn out well even with several ingredient interchanges.
If, like me, you need to do something nice for someone, even on short notice, a basket of scones, some little daffodils, and jam will definitely do the trick. I don’t usually have clotted cream around—the traditional scone accompaniment, but butter will do. Everyone loves butter, too.
Any-Special-Occasion Scones
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ¼ tsp baking powder
- 1 T sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ stick (2 oz) butter
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup sour cream (or sweet cream, or milk, or plain yogurt)
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly. Then add the butter and cut into small pieces with a pastry cutter or two knives, until the mixture is crumbly
In a small separate bowl, beat the eggs. Add all the beaten eggs except about a tablespoon to the sour cream. Beat thoroughly, then add to the dry ingredients.
Quick breads like this are best not handled much, so only mix till all the ingredients are incorporated and a soft dough is formed. Add a bit more sour cream, if needed, so that all the flour is incorporated, and the dough is not wet.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and pat into a circle, about ½ inch high and 6-8 inches in diameter.
Cut diagonally until you have 8 wedges. Place the scones on an ungreased baking sheet, allowing about a ½ inch of space in between. Brush the scones with the reserved beaten egg.
Bake at 450° F for 12 minutes.
Cool scones on a rack; once cool, put them in a napkin-lined basket with a small vase of flowers and the jam and butter.
