Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Savory Tomato Scones

After the blogging event at King Arthur Flour, I realized that I hadn't fiddled around with scones very much. There's no good reason why - I mean, they're not that much different than biscuits.

So of course, I went into the kitchen and started messing around with scone formulas.

Most scones I've eaten have been somewhat sweet. I decided to go the other way and make a savory scone. The sun-dried tomatoes I used are the ones you can find in the dried fruit section. I like those better than the ones in jars for this sort of recipe. This way, you're just adding the dried fruit and not any oil or other liquid.

For even more savory flavor, I added some goat cheese. You can use a plain one, or for something more interesting, use one that includes herbs or other flavorings.

This recipe is based very loosely on the recipe from the King Arthur Flour class I attended.

Savory Tomato Scones

2 cups (9 ounces) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
4 tablespoons cold butter
2 ounces goat cheese (chevre)
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes cut in 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Whisk to combine.

Cut the butter and goat cheese into about 1/4-inch chunks and add it to the dry ingredients. Cut it in with a pastry cutter until you have pea-sized pieces, or rub it in with your fingertips until you have flat pieces. Add the tomatoes and stir to distribute them.

In a separate container, combine the milk and egg.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry, and fold it in gently until all the flour is moistened, but without breaking up the butter any more than necessary.

Flour your work surface and turn out the dough. Flour your hands and pat the dough flat. Fold it in half, and pat it down to about an inch thick. If the dough is sticking to the counter, use a bench scraper. Put more flour under the dough, if needed. Fold the dough in half again (in the opposite directions) and pat down as before. Fold it a third time. You should have a smooth rather than shaggy dough. If not, pat and fold one more time.

Form the dough into a disk 7-8 inches in diameter. Transfer it to the baking sheet. Cut dough into 8 wedges. If you prefer a crisp crust on your scones. move the wedges apart. If you prefer softer scones, leave them touching.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes, until nicely browned.
Yum

2 comments:

mc.farine said...

Great idea! I must give it a try. I love the combined flavors of goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes.

KarmaFree Cooking said...

will certainly try these with wholewheat flour and egg replacer and see how they turn out. will report back as soon as I make them!!!

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