English Buttermilk Scones

To my understanding, the scone is more like quick, beautiful bread. People who travel on the train in Britain will see the scone being served with an afternoon tea or with breakfast with jam or butter. Slit the scone and take a spoonful of butter or jam to spread on the scone, and you are in heaven. In an old English movie, the way Britain enjoyed a scone is very elegant. Almost everyone knows the right amount of jam or butter to spread onto the scone. This social custom is not the American way to eat a scone or even making one. Therefore, I think a scone is easy to make and for breakfast, it is best served with a hard-boiled egg and a cup of coffee. Today, I will share a basic scone recipe, but give credit to the English people for knowing how to elevate the scone into elegant bread.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbs baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbs sugar

1/2 cup to 3/4 cup buttermilk

1 stick of butter cut into small slices

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

Directions:

Save 1 tbs of butter to grease a baking pan.

Sift all the dry ingredients into a big bowl. Rub in the butter and vegetable shortening until a moist, sand -like texture is reached. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes make a well in a center and pour in the buttermilk. Start with 1/2 cup and increase, if needed. Use a fork to gently gather the flour,

Lightly flour a countertop and turn out the batter. 

Gently form into a circle or rectangle, whichever shape is easy for you.

Cut into a wedge about 3/4 inch thick. Place each scone onto the prepared baking sheet (lightly touching each other).

Brush with milk or heavy cream.

 Bake in a preheated oven set to 400° for 12 to 15 minutes or until the scones are golden brown.

Serve with your choice of jam.