Simple Scones

By brimfam

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 c. plus 1 tsp. Sugar
• 1 tsp. Baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 8 Tbsp. Unsalted butter, frozen
• 1/2 c. raisins (or dried fruit)
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 1 large egg

Preparation

Step 1

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400°. In a medium bowl, mix flour, 1/3 c. sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in butter to resemble coarse meal. Stir in fruit. In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth. Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (The dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.) Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7-8 inch circle about ¾ inch thick. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp sugar. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15-17 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cranberry Orange Scones- Follow the recipe, adding a generous teaspoon of finely grated orange rind to the dry ingredients and substituting dried cranberries for raisins.

Lemon Blueberry Scones- Follow the recipe, adding a generous teaspoon of finely grated lemon rind to the dry ingredients and substituting dried blueberries for raisins.

Cherry Almond Scones- Follow the recipe, adding ½ teaspoon almond extract to the sour cream mixture and substituting dried cherries for raisins.