The University News

Issue date: 10/8/07 Section: Culture

Media Credit: Laura Katzer Wanna get sconed? Try this recipe.

I am not a morning person, but bake me a scone, serve it freshly hot from the oven, and even I will awake cheerfully for such a treat.

The scone originated in Scotland as a hearty quick bread before being borrowed by the British and served as a genteel version with tea.

Then the scone was brought to America where it was reincarnated as a sweet breakfast pastry.

The distinguishing hallmark of any scone is its heavenly texture. All scones should have soft, almost airy, interiors and crumbly exteriors that crunch softly with each bite.

Scottish and British scones are generally unsweetened and resemble an American biscuit. The version found most in the United States is sweet and contains bits of fruits, nuts or seeds.

The American scone, like most truly fabulous breakfast foods, is a delicious morsel made of potentially artery-clogging ingredients: butter and cream.

The butter and cream are important because they provide the classic crumbly texture and mellow flavor that is essential to any proper scone.

My scone recipe employs the full fat ingredients, although I replaced some of the traditional cream with non-fat plain yogurt. I did this to get a tangy flavor, rather than to lower the calorie count.

The resulting scones have a nearly perfect texture and a pleasant mild flavor.

They are studded with dark chocolate chips and dried cranberries that provide deep bittersweet mellowness and a jumpy floral tang.

The scones are simple to prepare. They can be made ahead and baked later.

And if even fresh baked scones cannot make the morning friendly, don't worry, scones can be enjoyed at any time of day.

laurakatzer@kc.rr.com

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 large egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup non-fat plain yogurt
milk
sugar

Essential materials:

Oven
Large baking sheet
Two large bowls
Clean work surface

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Combine and thoroughly mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

Cut both sticks of butter into small bean-sized pieces. Stir the bits of butter into the flour mixture.

Add the chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Toss them to coat.

Stir the egg, cream and yogurt together in a separate bowl.

Pour the egg/dairy mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until a mass of dough has formed.

Separate the dough into two balls. Roll each one into a circle on a floured surface. When the dough is approximately one inch thick, cut each circle into six wedges. Place the scone wedges on the baking sheet (they will not all fit at once and will need to be baked in shifts) and leave generous space between each one.

Pour a small amount of milk into a little bowl and brush the milk on top of each raw scone. Then sprinkle on a small amount of sugar.

Bake for about 25 minutes until the scones are firm and uniformly golden.

Try, if possible to cool for about five to 10 minutes and then eat them. Scones are best eaten warm out of the oven.

Makes 12 scones.

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