Baker Lee loves to make scones and this is the first time he has made them for the Cafe Treats. After he retired, he worked in a bakery for a while and said he learned to make them. As you will see if you stick with this post to the end, that this recipe is very detailed. Please don't let the directions intimidate you.
If you are experienced with making bread, I think you will be able to follow the directions and go with it. If you aren't, but have a little experience, just reread the instructions several times but don't get "hung-up" on being precise, especially with the measurements.
I tried to present the instructions fairly closely to Lee's recipe. The only problem was that Lee added chocolate chips and dried cherries. That means there was about 3 cups of extra in the dough which will then "throw off" the measurements in the original recipe. These scones were thinner than triangular scones I am used to eating which means that Lee rolled the dough out to no more than 1/2 - inch thickness, I think.
Comments were very positive from the participants and I hope to be able to give them a try myself. Any comments you would like to leave at the end, would be greatly appreciated.
CHERRY CHOCOLATE CHIP SCONES
2 cups sifted cake flour, spooned in and leveled
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned in and leveled, plus 1/4 cup additional for kneading and rolling
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
4-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted chilled butter, shredded
1 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 large egg
1 large egg, separated (use the egg white with 1 teaspoon cold water for egg wash)
1-1/2 cups dark (70%) cacao chips
1-1/2 cups dried cherries, chopped
1 tablespoon sparkling sugar
Position the rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Have ready a large, ungreased cookie sheet.
Combine the cake flour, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Add the shredded butter and mix for 2 to 2-1/2 minutes, until mixture forms pea-size bits. Stir in the chips and dried cherries just to distribute.
Whisk together the cream, the egg, and the egg yolk. Trade out the dough hook for the paddle attachment on the electric mixer. Add the creamed mixture to the dry ingredients and blend on low until a dough forms.
Sprinkle a pastry board or flat surface with about 2 tablespoons of the 1/2 cup of flour. Dump the dough onto the surface removing all of it with the use of a small spatula from the bowl. With floured hands (using some of the leftover flour) knead the dough five or six times. Press the dough into a square about 8 inches.
Flour a pastry cloth with about 2 more tablespoons of the flour and place the square on it and roll it into a rectangle 9 x 12 - inches. Roll the rectangle into thirds like a business letter. Lifting one 9 - inch side and fold over toward center about 1/3 of it. Then left the other 9 - inch edge over the folded part so that you have 3 layers of dough. Press the top gently with your hands and then roll the dough into a strip about 15 x 5 - inches. (These measurements are approximates...Lee added the chips and dried cherries so the amount of dough will be more thus producing a larger rectangle. He had 36 finished squares instead of the 12 scones the original recipe made.)
If you have a stainless steel bench scraper and dough cutter (also used as a chopper), cut the strip in half long ways and then cut each strip into squares that will be about 2-1/4 inches. Be sure to dip the cutter in flour as needed.
Place onto cooking sheet about 1-1/2 inches apart and sprinkle with the sparkling sugar.
Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until firm to touch. Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes, before removing with a thin, metal spatula.
Best when served warm, but we served them cold and they were delicious.
Store in an airtight plastic bag for up to 3 days. They may be frozen.
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