My house guests think I have some mad baking skills.
They think I spend hours mixing and kneading in the kitchen.
The kitchen exploding into a floury mess, might give them that impression. Flour on the floor. In my hair. On my face. On the dog.
Ya, my dog, he's a character. If he had opposable thumbs, he would be a baker. For sure.
When I'm baking, he never leaves my side. He sits on the ground staring intently at my every move.
True Story - I made banana bread. My dog stole the loaf from the counter. He ate the crust. The delicious sweet, brown, crispy, crust. In my opinion, the best part.
I don't know how he managed to eat the whole outer crust and leave the middle, but he did.
Now, I hide the baked goods.
My dad, he was born in England. He eats things like shepherd's pie, roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, and watches Coronation Street on TV.
When I was in England, I discovered things like curry chips, Ryvita, Ribina, Marmite, and scones. Scones, jam, and cream. With a pot of tea. YUM. So delicious.
I found this recipe. It's from Smitten Kitchen's blog. It's fun. It's easy.
I documented my baking process, step by step, just to show you how easy it really is.
20 minutes. That's all you need. Well, maybe some flour. And butter. And other good stuff.
These scones are the most perfect little fluffy pieces of heaven. I love how they rise and puff up while baking. I love that you can peel off the top layer perfectly. Like it was just meant to be.
Cranberry Cream Scones Recipe {adapted from Smitten Kitchen}
Ingredients
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3 tbsp sugar
5 tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup half and half cream
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. In a food processor, mix the flour, baking powder, and sugar.
3. Chop the cold butter into tiny cubes. Add the butter to the flour mixture and pulse, in the food processor, until the butter is in tiny pea size pieces.
4. Next, add the dried cranberries to the mixture and pulse a few more times until the cranberries are blended.
5. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the cream until the dough starts to form a ball.
6. Place the dough onto a floured surface and knead until it sticks together (approximately 15 - 20 times).
6. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a one inch diameter sheet. With a circle cookie cutter {a glass will work fine}, cut the dough into rounds and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes. Serve warm with butter and/or homemade strawberry jam.
