Scones

Breakfast

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Ingredients for 12 triangular scones 

  • 3 cups (420 g) flour
  • 1/3 cup (70 g) sugar
  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ sticks (170 g) cold unsalted butter, but into small pieces
  • 1 cup buttermilk (245 ml)
  • 1 tablespoon grated orange or lemon zest
  • 4 tablespoons dried fruits (optional)
  • ½ sick (56g) unsalted butter, melted
  • ¼ cup sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a medium bowl, stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Add the cold butter pieces and, using a pastry blender, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.

Pour in 1 cup buttermilk, toss in zest, and dried fruit and mix until the ingredients are just moistened. Press into two equal discs and, with a sharp knife cut each into 6 wedges.

Brush with melted butter and dust with sugar. Sometimes I mix a bit cinnamon into the sugar.

Bake for 14 – 16 minutes until both the tops and bottoms are golden.

Pancakes

Ingredients for 2 servings

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ cup buttermilk
  • ¼ cup milk (plus a teaspoon or so if the batter is too thick)
  • 1 large egg, separated
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Whisk dry ingredients in medium bowl.
Pour buttermilk and milk into 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup.
Whisk egg white into milk mixture.
Mix yolk with melted butter, then stir into milk mixture.
Dump wet ingredients into dry ingredients all at once; whisk until just mixed.

 

Pretzels

Bread

pretzel

Ingredients for about 12 pretzels

  • 1 ¼ cups warm water
  • 1  tablespoon rapid rise yeast
  • ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 cups bread flour
  • 1 ½ – 2  cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups water
  • 4 tablespoons baking soda
  • Kosher or Sea Salt

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water.  Let the yeast sit for 5 minutes until foaming.  Add the sugar, bread flour and 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour.  Mix by hand or with a dough hook until the dough is smooth and elastic – around 10 minutes, adding the additional ½ cup of all-purpose flour as needed.  Cover the dough and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.  The dough will not necessarily double in size.

Preheat oven to 450°F – 500° F (depending on your oven).  Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Set aside.

Divide the dough into 12 pieces.  Roll each piece into a “snake” around 18 inches long.  Twist the dough into pretzel shapes and firmly pinch the ends to keep them from unfolding in the boiling water.

Bring the 4 cups of water to a boil.  Add the baking soda and stir to dissolve.  Dip each pretzel in the baking-soda/water for 5 to 10 seconds making sure the pretzel is completely immersed.  Shake off excess water, and place the pretzel on the prepared baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt.  Repeat with remaining pretzels.

Bake for 6-8 minutes until golden brown.