Sunday Morning - Wake and Bake...

I asked the maid in dulcet tone

To order me a buttered scone;

The silly girl has been and gone
And ordered me a buttered scone.

This poem illustrates the different ways people pronounce the word scone.  These days wake and bake might sound the same as some other activity, but to me it signifies getting up, getting out the flour, butter and cream and making something to go with your Sunday morning coffee.  Use your imagination to come up with all kinds of scones.  Here are just a few ideas to get you started, traditional scones with currants (center), orange scones (right) and cinnamon walnut scones (left.) Enjoy these scones with a little jam or Lemon Curd (recipe below scones) or just plain.  Sharing the platter with the scones are two kinds of bran muffins, orange flaxseed (top) and traditional (bottom right) all from Baking Pure & Simple.

Scones

3¼ cups flour

⅜ cup sugar

1½ tablespoons baking powder

1¼ teaspoons nutmeg

¾ teaspoon salt

¾ cup unsalted butter, chilled

¾ cup heavy cream

3 eggs

1¼ cups currants

1 tablespoon cream mixed with 1 egg

2 tablespoons Turbidano sugar

Preheat oven to 425°F.  Sift flour, sugar and baking powder into a large bowl.  Using your hands, cut the butter into the mixture until crumbly.  Add currants.  Mix cream with eggs and add to the mixture, stirring just until combined.  Turn onto a lightly floured board.  Knead by folding and flattening gently 4 or 5 times.  Roll out to ¾-inch thickness.  Cut into triangles about 3 inches per side.  Brush with the egg and cream mixture.  Sprinkle with the Turbidano sugar crystals.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Makes 12 scones.

Orange or Lemon Scones: Add ¼ cup sugar to the dry ingredients, omit the nutmeg and currants and add 1½ tablespoons grated orange or lemon zest.  Offer Lemon Scones with Lemon Curd. Glaze Orange Scones with a mixture of powdered sugar, milk or cream and orange zest all measured to taste and consistency.

Cinnamon Walnut Scones: Substitute 1 tablespoon cinnamon for the nutmeg and walnuts for the currents. 

Ginger Scones: Substitute ¼ cup finely diced crystallized ginger for the currants and omit the nutmeg.

Chocolate Chunk Oat Bran Scones:  Substitute chocolate chunks for currants and substitute cinnamon for nutmeg.  Increase butter by 2 tablespoons, substitute buttermilk for heavy cream and increase by ¼ cup and add 1 cup oat bran.

Dried Cherry or Cranberry Scones: Substitute dried cherries or cranberries for the currents.  Substitute cinnamon for the nutmeg.  Add 1½ teaspoons grated orange zest (optional).  Add 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional).

Lemon Curd

8 egg yolks

½ cup lemon juice (juice of 3 to 4 small lemons)

1½ teaspoons lemon zest (zest of approximately 1 small lemon)

⅔ cup sugar

¼ cup unsalted butter

Whisk together egg yolks, juice, zest and sugar in the top of a double boiler or in a metal bowl over gently simmering water.  Cook until thick, whisking frequently for about 10 to 15 minutes. Add butter and stir until completely melted.  Remove from the top of the simmering water to cool.  Place in a glass container for storage.  Cool uncovered in the refrigerator until chilled, then cover.  Keep refrigerated until served.  Makes 2 cups.

Happy Sunday!