Cinnamon scones

Making early morning scones while watching the Ladies Short at the World Figure Skating Championships.

Flaky cinnamon scones
adapted from My Favorite Things

Scones

2 3/4 cups Flour
1 T baking powder

1 t baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup half and half

1/3 cup honey
6 T cup cold butter, cut into pats
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling
3 tablespoons butter, melted

1/3 cup brown sugar

 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Work in the butter just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly;  whisk liquid ingredients together, add to flour mixture. Stir until moistened; careful not to handle the dough too much to keep it flaky.

Lay the dough on a well floured surface (dough will be sticky so make sure it's well-floured) and pat into a 9" square, about 3/4" thick. Make sure the surface underneath the dough is very well floured. If necessary, use a giant spatula (or the biggest spatula you have) to lift the square, and sprinkle more flour underneath.
 

Mix the filling, then spread it over the dough. Fold each edge into the center, so you have a seam in the middle. Press it back to 3/4" thick and repeat along the other axis.  Gently roll or pat it into a 12" square and cut into about 15 2x4" (or so) rectangles.

Tip from My Favorite Things: For best texture and highest rise, place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 425°F.

Bake the scones for 16  minutes, or until they're golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven, and allow the scones to cool  on the baking sheet.

Maiden attempt

Stuck at home today, so I decided to attempt a yeast cinnamon roll. From my favorite cookbook (many of the recipes also available on line).

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls
from the Chicago Tribune, with adaptations (namely, didn't have any buttermilk)

Prep: 25 minutes Rise: 2 hours, 15 minutes Cook: 20 minutes Makes: 12 rolls

1 cup plain buttermilk plus 2 T milk (I used yogurt plus 2 tablespoons sourcream), at room temperature
Zest of 1 orange
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra as needed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) softened butter, cut into cubes, plus 6 tablespoons melted butter

Filling:
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

Glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/4 cup milk

Whisk together the buttermilk, orange zest and eggs in a small bowl. Set aside. Combine the wheat flour, 2 cups of the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, yeast, baking soda, 3/8 teaspoon of the cinnamon, 1 1/4 teaspoons of the salt and the softened butter. Add buttermilk mixture; mix over low speed until the mixture comes together, about 1 minute. Place a towel over the top of the mixture; let rest 15 minutes.

Mix on medium speed until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes, adding up to 1/4 cup more flour if the dough is too wet. Scrape the dough from the bowl; form into a ball. Place the dough in a large buttered bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, for the filling, sift together the brown sugar, remaining 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of the all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a small bowl. Transfer risen dough to a well-floured work surface. Roll into a rectangle 1/4-inch thick and about 17-by-12-inches wide. Brush the dough with 4 tablespoons of the melted butter; sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over, keeping 1 inch clear along one of the long edges.

Loosely roll the dough into a long tube, pressing the clear edge along the length of the dough to seal the tube. Place the tube, seam-side down, on the work surface. Cut the tube crosswise into 12 evenly sized rolls. Place the rolls, spiral side up, on a parchment-lined baking sheet, about 1/2-inch apart. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; let rise until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour. Half an hour into the rise, heat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the rolls until puffed and golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove from the tray; cool on the parchment paper.

Verdict: delicious, but takes too damned long.

Invented scone today

This is a delicious, crumbly scone. Unfortunately, my batch wasn't pretty enough to photograph. Your job is to make some pretty ones and send me the pictures.

Cinnamon marble oat scones

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats, ground fine
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup honey
6 T butter, melted
1/3 cup sour cream, thinned with a little milk

1/2 cup brown sugar (or 1/3 cup cane sugar mixed w 2 teaspoons molasses)
1 T ground cinnamon
4-5 T softened butter
1/3 cup plumped raisins and 1/3 cup crushed walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, oats, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center. In a small bowl, beat egg until frothy, and stir in melted butter, honey, and milk. Pour into the well, and mix to create a soft dough. Roll the dough into a 1/2" thick slab. Dough will be malleable but slightly crumbly.

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, plumped raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, softened margarine.

Spread the butter mixture over the scone dough. Carefully fold the dough over 5- 6 times until you have a "rolled" loaf about 6x10". Using a sharp knife, slice it in half, so you have two 3" loaves, then cut each loaf into about 6 pieces. Gently pat the pieces to shape them slightly (so that the layers don't fall apart when baking).

Using a baking sheet with edges (important, because the butter mixture will leak), line with parchment, place the slices wide side down with 2" between, and bake for 15 minutes, until risen and lightly browned. Allow to cool slightly.