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Savory Scones

Scones are quick breads (using chemical leavening instead of yeast) (also ready in 20 minutes instead of a lockdown craft project) and a good thing to know about in general. This batch is destined for the freezer so I can pull out one or two to put in my lunchbox next week. You can use any cheese and add ins that you like, provided they're not too wet. Fresh or dried herbs are nice too.

Savory Scones
makes 12
2 cups/240 g all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter COLD
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp. buttermilk (or milk plus 1 tsp white vinegar)
1/3 cup grated cheese
2 strips crispy bacon, chopped
2 Tbsp. minced raw shallot

If you're using milk with vinegar, mix and let stand while you prep the rest.

Preheat oven to 350F and find a cookie sheet. If you like to use parchment, get out a sheet now. If you have a bench knife, it will come in handy. Otherwise a butter knife will do.

Mix the flour, baking powder and soda, and salt together. Give them a good stir so no one ends up with a mouthful of baking soda. Cut the butter into chunks and toss in the flour. Use your fingers, two knives or a pastry cutter to work the butter into the dry ingredients until you have fairly uniform sandy crumbs.

Add the mix ins and stir well. (Why? So they don't clump up in one section, leaving everyone else with plain scones. Also, once you've added the buttermilk you want to stir as little as possible to avoid developing the gluten.)

Stir in the buttermilk. It won't look like enough. Stir until dough mostly comes together, then turn out onto your parchment or counter and knead just until it's dough. Pat out into a circle 1" high (which happens to be the height of my baby & ring finger together. It does not have to be a perfect circle. Use your bench knife or butter knife to cut your circle into 12 pieces. Explode the circle by pulling each section back an inch or two. (This lets the sides get lovely and brown.) Pop into the oven for 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before eating, seriously, you'll burn your mouth.

These will get stale in a day, but they freeze really well. 

This recipe works with GF flour.

Vegans: use your favorite margarine and sub canned pumpkin thinned with water plus 1 tsp. vinegar for the buttermilk. Or whatever milk you use, but the canned pumpkin is awesome.





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