Currant Scones

Variations:
Dried Cranberry Scones
Lemon Poppy Seed Scones


Makes twelve to sixteen 4- by 1 1/2-inch-high scones


These scones are ample, warm, and comforting -- crisp on the outside,
soft, moist, and layered inside with purely butter/flour flavor and
just the right touch of sweet stickiness from the currants. I've tried
many other recipes and discarded them all. These are the best. They are
prepared by layering butter flakes into the dough much in the style of
puff pastry, which gives the dough a slightly flaky texture, but since
they contain only about one third butter to flour (in contrast to puff
pastry, which employs equal parts) and heavy cream instead of water,
they offer a far more substantial, soul-satisfying texture. If you want
each scone to be a perfect even triangle, there will be some wasted.
Personally, I prefer to use every scrap of the delicious dough and
embrace the rustic misshapen ones along with the more even variety.

Oven Temperatu 400 degrees F
Baking Time: 15 to 20 minutes
Internal Temperatu 200 degrees F
Equipment: Two cookie sheets or inverted half-size sheet pans,
lined with parchment

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold (8 ounces/227 grams)
About 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour,
preferable Hecker's (21.25 ounces/608 grams)
1/2 cup sugar (3.5 ounces/100 grams)
2 teaspoons baking powder (9.8 grams)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 liquid cups heavy cream (16.3 ounces/464 grams)
1 cup currants (4.6 ounces/131 grams)

Cut the butter into 1-inch cubes and refrigerate them for at least
30 minutes or freeze them for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking
soda, and salt. Add the butter and, with your fingertips, press the
cubes into large flakes. (Or use an electric mixer on low speed and mix
until the butter is the size of small walnuts.)

Mix in the cream just until the flour is moistened and the dough starts
to come together in large clumps. Mix in the currants. Knead the dough
in the bowl just until it holds together and turn it out onto a
lightly floured board.

Lightly flour the top of the dough, or use a rolling pin with a floured
pastry sleeve, and roll out the dough into a rectangle 1 inch thick
and about 8 inches by 12 inches. Use a bench scraper to keep the edges
even. Fold the dough in thirds, like a business letter. Lightly flour
the board and rotate the dough so that the smooth side faces to the
left. Roll it out again to an 8- by 12-inch rectangle and repeat the
"turn" 3 times (for a total of 4 turns), refrigerating the dough,
covered with plastic wrap, for about 15 minutes if it begins to soften
and stick.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. at least 20 minutes before baking.
Set an oven rack at the middle level before preheating.
Roll out the dough once more and trim off the folded edges so that it
will rise evenly.* Cut it lengthwise in half so you have 2 pieces, each
about 4 inches by 12 inches. Cut each piece of dough on the diagonal
to form triangles with about a 3-inch-wide base and place them about
1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. (The dough rises but does
not expand sideways.)

Bake the scones for 15 to 20 minutes or until the edges begin to brown
and the tops are golden brown and firm enough so that they barely give
when pressed lightly with a finger. Check the scones after 10 minutes
of baking, and if they are not baking evenly, rotate the cookie sheets
from top to bottom and front to back. Do not overbake, as the scones
continue baking slightly after removal from the oven and are best when
slightly moist and soft inside.

Place a linen towel on each of two large racks and place the baked
scones on top. Fold the towels over loosely and allow the scones to
cool until warm or room temperature. (Since linen breathes, the scones
will not become soggy, but they will have enough protection to keep
from becoming dry and hard on the surface.)

VARIATIONS


Dried Cranberry Scones
The same amount of dried cranberries can be substituted for the
currants for more tang.

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
Omit the currants and add 3 tablespoons (1 ounce/28 grams) poppy seeds
and 2 tablespoons (0.5 ounce/12 grams) finely grated lemon zest to the
flour mixture.

STO Airtight, room temperature, up to 2 days;
frozen, up to 3 months.
To reheat frozen scones, heat in a preheated 300 degree F. oven
for 20 minutes. A cake tester inserted in the center and removed
will feel warm and the outside will be crunchy.

UNDERSTANDING

Hecker's flour has a protein content somewhere between that of
Gold Medal unbleached all-purpose and King Arthur all-purpose,
which is slightly higher. Any of the three flours will produce
excellent scones, but Hecker's is my preference because it results
in the best compromise between tenderness and flakiness. A slightly
stronger flour can be used for scones than for puff pastry because
the sugar and baking powder tenderize the dough.

SOURCE:
"The Pie and Pastry Bible"
by Rose Levy Beranbaum,
Scribners & Sons, New York

baking911recipes.com

FROM ANN IN FLA

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