If this post were an episode, and the episode had a bloopers reel, it would consist of me waving my throw pillow frantically in the air underneath my blaring fire alarm. Every 3 minutes. For half an hour. My arms are legitimately sore. Turns out, tiny ovens in tiny apartments can still emit enough smoke to keep a fire alarm buzzing for quite. some. time. All from a wee bit of sugar on a baking sheet.
I guess when you’re not twenty-something and no longer living in a tiny kitchen with absolutely no ventilation/fan system, you can bake scones in a super hot 450⁰ oven without the fear of the Fire Alarm Armageddon. But with my little prankster oven, it’s always a toss-up. Today, she threw a fit.
So, the recipe is pretty solid, just make sure your windows are wide open when you go to bake them off. I got the base of this recipe from The Ballymaloe Cookery School, but added cranberries and more sugar to make them more festive (and Valentine’s-Day-ish… it’s a stretch, I know). It makes about 30 scones.
Basically, sift your flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar into a large mixing bowl (use the biggest bowl you have… the bigger the better). Cut up your butter into small cubes and toss them in the flour. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until you no longer have large clumps of butter but rather small flakes incorporated throughout the flour. Make a hole in the middle of your flour mixture and pour in your beaten eggs, your milk, and the cranberries.
Using your hands, mix it into a loose dough but don’t fiddle with it too much. You don’t want to over mix it or knead it or anything like that. Barely get it together and then dump it onto a non-wooden countertop dusted with flour. Pat it into a 1 inch thick layer. If you have pastry cutting shapes, you can cut the scones with them. I just use my knife and cut them into triangles.
Brush them with egg wash and sprinkle the tops with sugar. Place them on an un-oiled baking sheet and bake them in a 450⁰ oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack (if you have one), or just on the counter. Happy Valentines Day!
Recipe:
- 8 cups all purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 ½ stick of butter
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups of milk
- 8 – 12 ounces of frozen cranberries
- Egg wash (one beaten egg plus a tablespoon or two of water)
- Sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 450⁰, bake for 10-12 minutes
Makes about 30 scones