d Constitutional Cooking: Baking Away the Boredom

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Baking Away the Boredom

For the first time in ages, I've got the weekend all to myself here in the Eastern District of Tennessee, which meant that around 2pm this afternoon, I got really bored. So, I decided to try a new recipe, which wound up being Whole Wheat Cherry Scones I found in one of my cookbooks. About halfway through the admittedly short cooking process, though, I thought about the fact that I don't even like scones - so why in the world was I making them? I discussed it briefly with my manfriend RJM, who made a good point - the scones we tend to eat are over processed, dry-as-a-chip ones from Starbucks and the like, so of course we think we don't like them.

So, armed with confidence from my love that my efforts would likely not be in vain, I persevered. And I am happy to report that the scones are DELICIOUS - the dried cherries are a much better addition than the typical blah raisin, the whole wheat flour gives them a nice heartiness, and they aren't dry in the least. Not only that, but they are actually good for you and really easy to throw together. By the power vested in me as a law clerk, I command you to try these scones!

Whole Wheat Cherry Scones - Makes 12 scones
  • 3/4 cup dried cherries, very roughly chopped
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk (I used skim), plus additional for brushing
  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Place the cherries in a sieve and pour boiling water over them. Transfer the cherries to a bowl and let cool.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
  3. Add the butter and, using a pastry cutter or a fork (or your hands, like I did), cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the cherries.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients. Stir until the mixture just comes together - there should be no dry patches, but don't overmix.
  5. Divide the dough into three equal balls. With the palm of your hand, flatten each ball into a 5-inch rectangle. Using a knife, slice each disk into quarters. Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet, 1 to 2 inches apart. Brush each scone with additional milk.
  6. Bake until the scones are golden on top but not dry, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

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posted by ATP at 8:56 PM

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