Currant Scones

Scones again?!! Yep. I can't get enough of these things lately. Hope you're not sick of them yet!! These are pretty darn good scones from Anna Olson's new cookbook Back to Baking. Anna's got a great dough folding technique that lets you work the dry ingredients into the dough without overworking it. The folding technique makes sure you have scones that rise up nice and high with flakey, buttery layers. 

Currant Scones
Recipe minimally adapted from Back to Baking

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• zest of one lemon, finely grated
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chilled
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup cold milk, plus extra for brushing scones
• 1/2 cup dried currants

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, zest and nutmeg in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine.
3. Add the chilled butter pieces to the food processor bowl. Pulse until mixture is crumbly, but pieces of butter are still visible.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the whole egg and egg yolk, then whick in 1 cup of milk. Add to the flour mixture and pulse until dough comes together (do not over work).
5. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and pat into a rough square. Sprinkle currants over the dough, then work them in by pressing them into the dough with your hands, then folding in half, pressing the currants in at the same time (it takes about 4 or 5 folds).
6. Shape the dough into a square and gently roll out into an 8 inch square. Cut the dough into 16 square scones, then place them onto the prepared baking tray, leaving one inch between them.
7. Brush the scones with milk and bake for about 15 minutes, until they are an even golden brown. The scones are best served the day they are baked, but can be reheated the second day for 5 minutes in a 300F oven to refresh them.

I brought these to my friends house in exchange for her sewing me some plastic bag organizers (they're cute btw, I will post the link up here when she gets around to posting about them on her blog). She thought it was more than sufficient payment for her services!! I love how little sugar is in these scones - you can sweeten them up with a touch of jam when serving if they're not quite sweet enough for you. :)

This post has been linked up with Mouth Watering Mondays over at The Sweet Spot. Check it out for some great recipes and inspiration.

This post has also been linked up with Fusion Fridays over at Jennifer Cooks! Head on over there for some weekly inspiration in the form of baking, cooking, crafts and other cool things.
Happy Baking my Friends!

Cinnamon & Ricotta Scones

You may have noticed I've been making a lot of scones and biscuits lately. They're quick and they're easy and they always taste delicious. These ones were no exception! I had some leftover ricotta cheese from my ricotta making experiment (in case you missed my post yesterday about making your own Ricotta Cheese, you can find it here) and looked for a way to use it up in scone. I found this recipe on West Side Baker and it didn't disappoint. If you have some leftover ricotta, or if you want to try out making your own ricotta, make these scones.

Cinnamon & Ricotta Scones
Minimally adapted from West Side Baker

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup sugar (coarse sugar if you have it)
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and baking powder. Add butter and pulse until mixture is crumbly.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta, egg and vanilla. Add all at once to the mixture in the food processor. Pulse until dough just comes together.
4. Turn dough out onto counter. Divide into two pieces. Pat each piece into a 6" round and then cut into 8 wedges.
5. Place all  16 pieces on one large baking tray or two small baking trays that have been lined with parchment paper. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Brush with a little milk and then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until top of scones is golden. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Hope you enjoy these! We devoured them pretty quickly in our house.

This post has been linked up with Whatcha Baking Wednesdays over at Cajun Sugar Pie. Hop on over for a look at other yummy baked goods fellow bloggers have been whipping up this week.

This post has also been linked up with Fusion Fridays over at Jennifer Cooks. Head over there to check out all the Superbowl yumminess going on in the blog-world this week!

Happy Baking my Friends!

January 2012 Daring Bakers' Challenge: Scones, aka Biscuits

Its time for the Daring Bakers' Challenge again! Last month you probably noticed I didn't post a Daring Bakers' challenge... I participated, but my attempt was such an epic fail that I couldn't bring myself to try again. Last months' challenge was to make sourdough bread - like real sourdough where you make your own starter to rise the bread without yeast. Mine bubbled away for a couple days on the counter, then the temperature dropped a lot one night and the house got too cold... I tried to revive it the next day, but it was not meant to be. My poor starter died!! Thus, no December 2011 challenge for me!
Oh well, this is a new month and something very familiar to me - scones, aka biscuits. I've made biscuits and scones many, many times using many different recipes. My standby recipe is still my baking powder biscuit recipe out of my (mom's) Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. These biscuits raise up mile high and always receive rave reviews whenever I serve them to guests. I have to say that the challenge recipe doesn't quite live up to my baking powder biscuit recipe, but its a pretty close second! It was fun to experiment with something new.

Blog Checking Lines: Audax Artifex was our January 2012 Daring Bakers' host. Aud worked tirelessly to master light and fluffy scones (aka biscuits) to help us create delicious and perfect batches in our own kitchens.

I've posted some pictures of the scones I made with Audax's recipe. They turned out well, but they weren't quite as good as my ultimate biscuit recipe (check back in February for a post with my ultimate biscuit recipe). Check out the Daring Kitchen website for the recipe or to join in with these great monthly challenges. You can further your baking skills in a constructive and supportive community of fellow bakers!!

One thing I found interesting was mixing up a batch of biscuits by hand. I never make my biscuits by hand - I always use my food processor. Thats where I get the best results! But do try whatever works for you.

Lastly, I grew up eating baking powder biscuits - my mom always made them for us, so they are a type of comfort food for my sister and I. I'm not sure if this is a Canadian tradition or just a family tradition, but we always served our biscuits warm, with some salted butter and drizzled with Roger's Golden Syrup. Mmmmm! Delicious. :)

In addition to checking out Aud's recipe, do check out the biscuit and scone recipe roundup I've posted below - these are some of my favorite biscuits and scones from previous blog posts I've done.

Blueberry & Lime Scones
Cranberry Oat Scones
Chocolate Scones
Banana Biscuits
Savory Scones
Almond Apricot Scones

Happy Baking Friends! Thanks for stopping by. :)

Chocolate Scones

If you're anything like me, you probably often buy a good sized container of heavy cream for a recipe you're making - just in case you need a bit extra. Only to find that you don't need that bit extra and then you end up racking your brain trying to come up with a way to use it up before it goes sour. Well, this recipe can help you out - it calls for a cup and a quarter of heavy cream! No more tossing leftover heavy cream in the trash!


These biscuits are really rich - so don't make them too big or you won't be able to finish them. The recipe actually calls to use them to make chocolate strawberry shortcakes so feel free to give that a try! Simply delicious. Since they're so rich, you might not be able to eat a whole batch - don't despair - they freeze beautifully so feel free to make lots if you have lots of leftover heavy cream!




Chocolate Scones
Recipe from Fine Cooking - Chocolate 2010, p 82


Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp unsweetened dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus about 3 tbsp for sprinkling
• 1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp table salt
• 9 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 6 1/2 ozs semi sweet chocolate, grated or finely chopped
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, plus about 3 tbsp for brushing
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method:

1. Line heavy baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder an salt together in a large bowl. Cut butter into dry ingredients until largest pieces of butter are the size of small peas. Add grated chocolate and toss to combine. Combine cream and vanilla. Make well in center of dry ingredients and pour in cream mixture. Mix with a fork until dough is evenly moistened and just combined. Dough should look shaggy and still feel a little dry. Gently knead by hand 5 or 6 times to pick up any dry ingredients remaining in bottom of bowl and create a loose ball.
2. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and pat into an 8" square about 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Transfer dough to prepared baking tray and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Meanwhile, position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425F. Remove dough and trim about 1/4 inch from edges to create a neat, sharp edge. Cut dough into 12 squares and position them about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. With a pastry brush, brush the biscuits with a thin layer of cream and sprinkle generously with sugar. Bake until the biscuits look a little dry and are mostly firm to the touch, about 18-20 minutes.

These biscuits are delicious tasting and a lovely treat! Make them on the weekend for a decadent breakfast - they go great with a nice strong cup of coffee. Or make them for chocolate strawberry shortcakes and impress your guests with a fun twist on the classic strawberry shortcake. I'm looking forward to Friday tomorrow! Should be the start of a fun-filled weekend!

Happy Baking my Friends!

Potato Soup with Bacon and Cheddar

Well, I think fall is officially here! We've had our first couple of frosts here in the lower mainland and its definitely starting to cool off. I've taken my scarves out of my closet and been wearing them most mornings to keep warm. I really love this time of year when the temperatures just start to drop, the days are crisp and sunny, and you can see the beautiful orange pumpkins in the fields when you drive by. It is absolutely beautiful. With fall come changes in cusine type too - we shift from fresh and light to heavier and warm dishes to compliment the weather. Since we're starting to see fall, I thought I would share a recipe for a deliciously hearty potato soup topped with bacon and cheddar cheese. I also have a recipe for cheddar cheese biscuits to go with the soup that I'm going to share with you.

I like Anna Olson's heading for this recipe in her cookbook Fresh:

"A good potato soup can warm you even on the coldest day, especially when its
topped with bacon and cheddar, just like a baked potato."

Potato Soup with Bacon & Cheddar

Recipe from Fresh p. 136

Ingredients:

• 4 strips bacon, diced
• 1 1/2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only
• 1 1/2 lb yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1 cup full-fat sour cream
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 cup grated old cheddar
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives or finely chopped green onion, for serving

Method:

1. In a large pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the leeks in the bacon fat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, chicken stock, and thyme. Cover the pot loosely, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and puree. Strain the soup through a sieve and return the pot to medium heat. Stir in the sour cream and season to taste.
2. Serve the bowls of soup garnished with grated cheddar, the reserved bacon, and a sprinkle of chives or green onions.

This soup is absolutely divine and I love how simple the ingredients are! Try it with these cheddar cheese biscuits and you're set!

Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

Recipe adapted from Better Home & Gardens New Cook Book

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 cup grated old cheddar cheese (or whatever cheese you like)

Method:

1. Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt. Cut in shortening til mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Toss cheese with flour mixture. Make a well in the center, add milk all at once. Stir just until dough clings together.
2. Turn dough out onto lightly floured counter and knead gently for 10-12 strokes. Roll or pat dough out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter, dipping cutter into flour between cuts. Transfer to ungreased baking sheet. Bake in 450F oven for 10-12 minutes until golden. Serve warm.

This is a delicious and comforting meal that will take the edge off the cold fall days! It doesn't really get much better than home made soup and biscuits - definitely the ultimate comfort food.

Happy Cooking my Friends!