Christmas Scones

It was a quiet and peaceful Christmas eve. There was no Christmas dinner or any junk food party last night. In fact, this is the first time we are not spending the Christmas with my better half. He is away and had to work through Christmas and didn't get the chance to get back to the hotel until the early hours of Christmas day.

Being a positive person, it means I didn't have to prepare anything special for Christmas night. It was a golden chance for me then, to keep myself busy baking on Christmas eve :)

I managed to make a batch of scones and a test batch of hotdog corn bread which I will share in my next post.

I tweaked the original scones recipe from a cookbook to suit the festive mood. By simply adding some ground cinnamon, walnuts and a light dusting of icing sugar, these scones are great to serve on Christmas day. It would certainly be nice if I had some dried cranberries, but too bad I ran out of any type of dried fruits(!) and had to settle with chocolate chips instead. On hind sight, I believe they would be cuter if I had cut them into smaller rounds.

Never judge a scone from its appearance...I am speaking for myself. I was quite certain that I may have to feed the bins with these bricks of doughs when the exterior 'feel' hard and 'rocky'. Due to the ground cinnamon, they appear a little over baked too, giving the false impression that they would probably taste like cardboard, hard and dry. Thank goodness, after the first bite, it proves that my worries are completely unfound! Unlike the crust, the crumbs is soft and tender. The scones are buttery, yet, without leaving any greasing aftertaste. I adore the walnuts, chocolate chips combo and I am so glad that the cinnamon flavour is not too over powering. These scones taste good enough on its own, without any jams or cream. I had two of these big, delicious scones with my cup of breakfast coffee on a lovely Christmas day. I will always remember this morning in years to come, even if my memories fail me, I can always come back to read this post.

Merry Christmas and an early Happy 2014 to all!

I am submitting this to the "Baby Sumo's Christmas Recipes Collection 2013" event which is hosted by Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out.



Christmas Scones

Ingredients:
(makes six 7cm scones)

220g cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
30g caster sugar
1/4 teaspoons salt
100g unsalted butter, Cold, cut into small cubes
40g plain yoghurt
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
50g walnuts, coarsely chopped
50g chocolate chips (can be replaced with dried cranberries or raisins)

extra 1 tablespoon milk for brushing
extra whole walnuts to be used as toppings (optional)

Method:

• Mix together yoghurt, egg and vanilla extract in a bowl, set aside.
• Sieve cake flour, baking powder and ground cinnamon into a large mixing bowl. Add in caster salt, whisk to combine.
• Place cold, diced unsalted butter into the mixing bowl. With a fork or a dough scraper, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. (It is important that the butter be cold so when it is cut into the flour mixture it becomes small, flour-coated crumbs. If the butter starts to melt away during this process, stop and place the mixture in the freezer for 10-15 mins to prevent the butter from melting further. Continue the process when the mixture is well chilled.)
• Make a well in the centre and add in the yoghurt/egg mixture. Give a few quick stir with a spatula. Add in the chopped walnuts and chocolate chips. Fold with a spatula just a few times to make the mixture comes together to form a shaggy mass.
• Gather up the mixture and place it on a lightly floured surface. Dust hand with flour and give it a few light kneading (not more than 10 seconds) so that it comes together to form a dough. Do Not over work the dough. (Only mix the dough until it comes together. Too much kneading will cause gluten to develop, and the resulting scones will turn hard and chewy. Knead only until the ingredients come together into a combined mass.)
• Pat the dough to about 1 inch thick. Cut out the dough with a lightly floured biscuit cutter (I use a 7cm cutter). Press the cutter directly down and lift it straight up without twisting. Dip the cutter into some flour after each cut. Gather scraps together and repeat until all the dough is used. (For easy cleaning and to prevent sticking, I lined my work surface with cling wrap, it is also easier to lift up the scones after cutting.)
• Place scones on baking tray lined with parchment paper. Brush top with milk and place one whole walnut on top of each scone (optional).
• Bake at preheated oven at 180 degC for about 25mins or until they are well risen and the tops are lightly brown. Serve warm.

Note:
*Scones are best served freshly baked. Any leftovers can be kept in airtight container. Brush or spray some water over the scones and warm them in the oven before serving.

Recipe source: adapted from Scones and Biscuits by Morioka Ari

Weekend Baking

I have been getting a lot of these honey apricots lately. They are sweet, ready-to-eat snacks for my kids. I don't have to spend time cutting the fruits and unlike juicy fruits, I have no worries of my boy dripping juices all over the couch ;)

My younger child finds it a joy eating these tiny, peachy scented fruits. To him, it is a great accomplishment being able to split the apricot butts into halves with his bare hands.

Weekend mornings are the best time for me to indulge in some freshly home baked scones.

Having baked some apricots square cakes with canned apricots, it is hardly surprising that I started experimenting baking with fresh apricots. The firm texture is certainly a plus point to include them in my weekend baking repertoire.

I prepared the 'dry ingredients' the night before...cutting the butter into the flour mixture before leaving it in the fridge to chill overnight. The following morning, while the oven was preheating, all I needed to do was to add in some coarsely chopped apricots and the liquid ingredients to mix up the dough.

I have a batch of scones baking in the oven in no time. It was a luxurious morning, for me, to be engulfed in the wonderful buttery aroma of scones baking in the oven while I went about rounding up everyone for breakfast.

The fruity flavour of the honey apricots lends a subtly sweetness to these awesome breakfast treats. I usually have my scones plain. I believe homemade scones are delicious without having to load it with any jam or clotted cream. However, this time, I spotted some leftover yuzu syrup in my fridge and it went really well with the scones, giving a nice tangy touch.

There is nothing like having a basket of warm-buttery scones on a Sunday morning. It is a great way to kick start the day...enjoying tender, fluffy scones with a cup of steaming hot tea or a mug of coffee.  I could almost imagine myself sipping tea in the Cameronian Valley...

Apricot Scones

Ingredients:
(makes about 6 scones)

220g cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
30g caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
80g unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
3~4 fresh apricots, wash, pitted and coarsely chopped
110g egg yolk and milk mixture (combine 1 egg yolk with enough fresh whole milk to make up amount)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)

Method:

1. Sieve cake flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add in caster sugar, salt, whisk to combine. Place cold, diced unsalted butter into mixing bowl. With a fork or a dough scraper, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. (It is important that the butter be cold so when it is cut into the flour mixture it becomes small, flour-coated crumbs. If the butter starts to melt away during this process, stop and place the mixture in the freezer for 10-15 mins to prevent the butter from melting further. Continue the process when the mixture is well chilled.)
2. Add in chopped fresh apricots. Mix to combine.
3. Make a well in the centre and add in the yolk and milk mixture and vanilla extract (if using). Fold with a spatula just a few times to make the mixture comes together to form a shaggy mass. 
4. Gather up the mixture and place it on a lightly floured surface. Dust hand with flour and give it a few light kneading (not more than 10 seconds) so that it comes together to form a dough. Do Not over work the dough. (Only mix the dough until it comes together. Too much kneading will cause gluten to develop, and the resulting scones will turn hard and chewy. Knead only until the ingredients come together into a combined mass.)
5. On a lightly floured surface, dust your hands and the dough with some flour and pat the dough to about 1 inch thick (avoid using too much flour). Cut out the dough with a lightly floured 2.5-inch biscuit cutter (I use a drinking glass). Press the cutter directly down and lift it straight up without twisting. Dip the cutter into some flour after each cut. Gather scraps together and repeat until all the dough is used. (For easy cleaning and to prevent sticking, I lined my work surface with cling wrap, it is also easier to lift up the scones after cutting.)
6. Place scones on baking tray (lined with parchment paper).Brush the tops with some milk.
7. Bake at preheated oven at 200 degC for about 25~30 mins or until they are well risen and the tops are lightly brown. Serve warm.

Recipe source: adapted from Okashi sweet treats made with love by Keiko Ishida

breakfast or tea time

I couldn't keep them off my mind when I first saw these banana scones over at 小小米桶的寫食廚房. A quick run through the ingredients and I was convinced that it was going to be my next to-bake!

I had wanted to make these banana walnut scones for our weekend breakfast, but I woke up a tad too late (^^")

Since we were camping at home the entire weekend as my kids were cramming for their mid year exams...I baked the scones for our tea time treat instead.

It was an extremely hot and humid afternoon, not exactly a good weather for making scones since the butter has to be cold...nevertheless, everything went well and surprisingly, I was able to keep cool even in a hot kitchen.

The original recipe from the cookbook calls for sprinkling the top with vanilla sugar but 小小米桶 replaced it with lemon glaze. I had opted to skip the glaze and since I didn't have vanilla sugar either, I took the liberty to sprinkle the top with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar instead.

My sweat (no tears) did pay off...and really well indeed :)

I was rewarded with a kitchen filled with the wonderful aroma of banana, vanilla and cinnamon while the scones were baking. I must be grinning from ear to ear when I took the tray of scones out from the oven. I love the golden browned scones, all nicely puffed up, quite close to what I had in mind...albeit not as gorgeous as those shared by 小小米桶的寫食廚房.

My younger son kept hovering around the scones while they were cooling on the wire rack ;) I had to serve the scones once they were not too hot to touch. The banana, walnut plus hint of cinnamon was a great combo. The scones were so full of flavours and texture...you get everything in one bite...lovely sweet banana morsels, crunchy roasted walnut bits, buttery and fluffy crumbs, and the scent of cinnamon was really a nice touch...pretty much the icing on the cake...or rather scones!

I kept the leftovers in an air tight container for my mid morning tea break the next day. I warm them in the oven before serving and they taste just as good, although, really, nothing beats freshly baked scones, served straight from the oven!



Banana Walnut Scones

Ingredients:
(makes 12)

200g cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
30g brown sugar (I used white caster sugar)
1/4 teaspoons salt
80g unsalted butter, Cold, cut into small cubes
80ml fresh milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
50g walnuts, coarsely chopped
135g banana (skin removed), diced into small cubes

extra 1 tablespoon milk for brushing

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar (optional)


Method:

1. Lightly toast the chopped walnuts in a frying pan over low heat. Set aside to cool completely. 
2. Sieve cake flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add in caster sugar, salt, whisk to combine.
3. Place cold, diced unsalted butter into mixing bowl. With a fork or a dough scraper, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. (It is important that the butter be cold so when it is cut into the flour mixture it becomes small, flour-coated crumbs. If the butter starts to melt away during this process, stop and place the mixture in the freezer for 10-15 mins to prevent the butter from melting further. Continue the process when the mixture is well chilled.)
4. Make a well in the centre and add in milk and vanilla extract. Give a few quick stir with a spatula. Add in the chopped walnuts and diced banana. Fold with a spatula just a few times to make the mixture comes together to form a shaggy mass.
5. Gather up the mixture and place it on a lightly floured surface. Divide the mixture roughly into two portions. Dust hands with some flour. For each portion, gather and pat the mixture to form a combined dough. The dough will be soft, sticky and appear shaggy and lumpy. Do Not over work the dough. (Over handling the dough will cause gluten to develop, and the resulting scones will turn hard.)
6. Place the two doughs (at least 2 inch apart) on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Pat down each dough to form a disk, with a thickness of at least 1 inch. Cut each dough into 6 portions (I used a dough scraper). Move each portions slightly apart leaving a small narrow gap in between each portion.
7. Brush top with milk. Mix together ground cinnamon and sugar, sprinkle the top of the scones with the cinnamon sugar mixture (this is optional). 
8. Bake in preheated oven at 180degC for 28mins or until lightly browned. Transfer to wire rack to cool, serve warm.

Note:
*Scones are best served freshly baked. Any leftovers can be kept in airtight container. Brush or spray some water over the scones and warm them in the oven before serving.
*To enjoy freshly baked scones for breakfast and to save some time, Steps 1 to 3 can be prepared the night before, cover the mixture and leave to chill in the fridge. The following morning, preheat the oven and continue from Step 4 onwards.

Recipe source: adapted from here

towering high

Warm, buttery scones are such a delight to wake up to, especially on a Sunday morning.

The problem with baking away from home is, I could only stick to very simple bakes that require minimal use of baking equipments or tools. Baking up a batch of scones is probably the simplest way to stop my itch for baking. They can be put together without using a whisk nor a spatula.

It was one of those rare occasion when I felt really proud of myself when I took out this tray of towering high scones from the oven.

Look at how tall these scones have rose from a mere 1 inch thick rounds. They have doubled their height after spending not more than 15mins in the oven. These are the tallest scones I have ever made! Thanks to a recipe that I came across not too long ago. The trick for yielding towering high scones lie in 'folding' the dough a few times...almost the same concept as making the pastry dough for croissants. I have came across similar recipes that call for rolling out the dough and making 'envelop' folds and repeating it a few times. However, I was a little skeptical as I have came across too many scone recipes that often warn you not to over work the dough. This recipe that I followed recommends a slightly different method of doing the folds. Instead of rolling the dough out with a rolling pin, the dough is gently pat down lightly before it is cut into halve. Then, one half is stacked over on the other before the stacked dough is pat down again. The process is then repeated a couple of times. I am all for this method as I am confident that I wouldn't over handle the dough too much.

I bought this lovely cookie cutter from a tiny baking supply shop in Sanlitun (三里屯). My children and I were walking towards the bus station after a light lunch at Sanlitun village when I spotted the signage of this shop from a distance. I didn't even notice its existence when I passed by the same lane, twice. There are only three display racks inside the shop, yet I managed to buy 2 cookie cutters, some cocoa power, cake flour, dried cranberries and even birthday candles ;)

I used this cutter to cut out the scones since it is the same size as recommended in the recipe. As expected, the scones didn't retain the flower shape after baking...but the height of the scones more than compensated for the lack of visual appeal.

I actually felt half-hearted when I started working on the dough, which was dry compared to the sticky and softer doughs that I am more familiar with. I was expecting a total failure and I felt like kicking myself for replacing fresh strawberries, as called for in the original recipe, with dried cranberries. However, much to my delight, the scones turned out wonderfully light and fluffy, and very tall! These freshly baked scones were so delicious that they were good even on their own. All I needed was just a cup of hot coffee to go with them. They certainly worth the extra effort to wake up slightly early to make them for my family. I have never woke up to the smell of buttery scones baking in the oven, but I am sure it must be a very nice feeling...


Towering High Cranberries Scones

Ingredients:
(makes about 9, using 4cm cutter)

200g cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
50g unsalted butter, Cold, cut into small cubes
30g caster sugar 1 pinch of salt 90ml milk, I replaced with plain yoghurt
40g dried cranberries, cut into smaller pieces

extra 1 tablespoon milk for brushing
some icing sugar for dusting

 Method:

1. Sieve cake flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. 
2. Place unsalted butter into mixing bowl. With a fork, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. 
3. Add in sugar, salt and dried cranberries, toss gently until just combined. 
4. Add in milk, gather the mixture to form a rough dough. 
5. Place dough on lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough gently for about four to five times. -
6. Pat the dough to a rectangle shape, about 3cm thick. 
7. Cut the dough into half. Stack one half over the other. Pat the dough into 3cm thick rectangular shape again. 
8. Repeat the above step for another 2 times (note: handle the dough lightly, scones will become tough when over handled.) 
9. Finally, pat the dough into 2cm-2.5cm thick. Use a lightly floured cookie cutter (4 cm diameter), cut dough into rounds. To ensure better rise, press the cutter straight down, do not twist the cutter. - Gather the remaining dough, pat into 2cm - 2.5cm thick and cut out the remaining rounds. -
10. Place the rounds on baking tray (lined with parchment paper) about 1 inch apart, brush top with milk, sprinkle with icing sugar (I replaced with caster sugar since I couldn't get icing sugar). 
11. Bake in preheated oven at 200degC for 10-12mins or until lightly browned. Transfer to wire rack to cool, serve warm.

Recipe source: 幸福烘焙工坊， by 本间节子