Mah-Ze-Dahr Sweet Scones

Ingredients:

2 Cups flour (300 grams)

1 Tablespoon baking powder

3 Tablespoons sugar

1/4 Teaspoon salt

5 Tablespoons salted butter, very cold and cut into small chunks

3/4 Cup dried fruit, such as dried cherries, currants, dried blueberries, or chocolate chips

1 1/4 Cups heavy cream

Granulated sugar for sprinkling on top

Baking instruction:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (400 degrees if using a convection oven).

Hand method: Whisk flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Toss in cold butter cubes. Using a bench scraper or pastry cutter, cut in the butter until you get small pea-sized chunks. Stir in fruit or chocolate chips. Add in heavy cream and mix just until incorporated. If the dough seems dry or doesn't come together, add in a little more heavy cream. Dough should stick together but not be too wet.

Food processor method: To the bowl of a food processor fitted with the large blades, add in flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Pulse until mixed together. Add in cubes of cold butter. Pulse until you get small pea-sized piece of dough. remove mixture from food processor bowl and dump it into a large mixing bowl. Stir in fruit or chocolate chips. Add in heavy cream and mix until incorporated. if the dough seems dry or doesn't come together, add in a little more heavy cream. Dough should stick together but not be too wet.

Place dough onto lightly floured surface. Pat into a circle about 1 " tall. Fold in the sides of the circle, patting as you go along. Reshape into a circle and repeat the folding process twice more. Once the final shape has been achieved, cut the round into 8 pieces (like slicing a pie). Place scones evenly spaced apart onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Sprinkle tops of scones with granulated sugar.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until scones turn a light golden brown color. Remove from oven.

yield: 8 scones

Recipe courtesy of Umber Ahmad '94