I
love a good scone. The scone's roots may be in Britain, but North Americans have made
them their own. Take these Cornmeal Scones. They are not the type of scone to
cut in half and eat with clotted cream and jam. No, these are big and flavorful
and make a great on-the-go breakfast with a steaming cup of coffee.
A Cornmeal Scone is different than Cornmeal Bread which contains lots of cornmeal
and just a little flour. Cornmeal Scones are the other way around. They
contain just 1/3 cup (50 grams) of cornmeal to 2 cups (280 grams) of
flour. But that is all the cornmeal it takes to give these scones a pleasing hint
of nuttiness and grittiness. These scones are also unique in that they do not have any butter in them. Instead,
they contain extra liquid, in the form of cream, which gives them a rich flavor
with a crumbly texture while still being tender and moist. Dried fruit is
also added to these scones. While dried cherries or cranberries are
excellent, I decided on dried currants which are dried tiny dark seedless Zante grapes. They have
a sweet flavor that is excellent in baked goods. If they are nice and soft
nothing needs to be done before adding them to the scone dough. But if they are
a little hard and dry, you may want to soften them first in water, orange juice,
or
even rum or brandy, before adding them to the scones.
Cornmeal is made from corn kernels that have been dried and ground. It
is known as Polenta in Italy and Maize Meal in other parts of the world.
It comes in different colors and textures with 'stone ground' cornmeal
having a coarser grind. Whereas regular cornmeal is made from corn that
has had its germ removed during the milling process, 'stone ground'
cornmeal uses the entire grain. This gives it a more pronounced nutty toasted
corn flavor and crunchy texture. I mention stone ground cornmeal because
that is what I like to use in this recipe although regular fine ground
cornmeal is perfectly good. When buying cornmeal make sure to check the
expiration date on the container and store in a cool dry place.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) and place
the oven rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment
paper.
In a large
bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange
zest. Add the currants to the
flour mixture and stir well. In a small measuring cup whisk together the cream,
egg, and vanilla extract. Add this to the flour mixture and stir just until the
dough comes together.
Transfer to a lightly floured surface and
knead
dough gently four or five times and then pat, or roll, the dough into a circle
that is about 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 1 1/2 inches (3.75 cm) thick. Cut this
circle in half, then cut each half into 3 pie-shaped wedges (triangles).
Place the scones on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with a
little cream.
Bake
for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the
middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Makes 6
scones.
Source:
Daley, Regan. 'In
the Sweet Kitchen'. Random House Canada. Toronto: 2000.
Mushet, Cindy. 'Baking
with the American Harvest Newsletter.' April/May 1994 Issue. Santa Monica.
CA
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