Scones

Thanks to Susie Fishbein, author of Kosher by Design Teens and 20-Somethings for sharing this recipe!

Eighteen years ago, when my niece Lauren was born, she had a baby nurse named Eileen. When Baby Lauren would wake to eat in the middle of the night, so would Nurse Eileen. She would shuffle into the kitchen and whip up batches of these delicious scones, leaving some for us family visitors. A gorgeous new baby in the family plus delicious fresh scones made their apartment a popular hangout for our whole family.

Ingredients:

4  cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2  tablespoons baking powder
1  teaspoon fine sea salt
11  tablespoons (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature for 15 minutes
2  eggs, plus one additional for brushing
1/2 cup milk
6  tablespoons mix-ins such as chocolate chips, blueberries, or raisins, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375˚F.
2. Cover 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
4. Cut the butter into small cubes. Add it to the flour mixture and use both hands to knead the dough, rubbing the butter into the flour.
5. Add the eggs and milk, kneading to form a crumbly but somewhat sticky dough.
6. Turn the dough out onto your work surface and knead for another minute or two; the dough should start to become more smooth as the butter softens from the warmth of your hands. Divide the dough into two pieces. Use the heel of your palm to spread each piece into a circle, about 3/4-1 inch thick.
7. If adding any mix-ins, spread them over the circle, then knead and re-roll and press into a circle. Do not over-mix the scones.
8. Using the open end of a drinking glass or a round 2-inch diameter cookie cutter, cut out circles of the dough and place 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Re-roll the scraps, and cut out more scones.
9. With a fork, whisk the remaining egg. Brush generously over the tops of the scones.
10. Bake for 15 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown and tops are light golden.
11. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Dairy. Yields 20-24 scones.

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