Friday, March 7

Into the Kitchen: Black Pepper Scones


Thanks to Kelly's sweet
gift, I'm going to make some of these this weekend!

Black Pepper Scones

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper, or to taste
3/4-1 cup buttermilk
Milk for glazing

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Cut in the butter and cheese. Stir in the pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°F and set a rack on the upper-middle level. Grease a heavy baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.

Gently stir enough buttermilk into the flour mixture to make a soft, sticky dough. Gather the dough into a ball with your hands. On a well-floured surface, roll or pat the dough into an 12-x-8-inch rectangle approximately 3/4 inch thick. Try not to handle the dough too much, and don't worry if it looks rough.

Using a large spatula, transfer the dough to the baking sheet. Use a dough scraper to cut the dough into 40 squares, each 1 1/2 inches. Separate the squares slightly on the baking sheet. Brush each square with a little milk. (Or cut circles out of the dough with the rim of a glass or a biscuit cutter and transfer them to the baking sheet.)

Bake the scones for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are brown on the bottom and very lightly brown on top. Don't overbake. Transfer to cooling racks to cool briefly and then serve as soon as possible. Bacon and eggs are good accompaniments.

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