So, it's going to become reeeeaaaalllly obvious that I am addicted to scones, since I make them for breakfast at LEAST twice a week. I use this recipe for my scones . . . so quick and easy. I never thought I'd be able to handle scones; they tasted too delicious to be within my ability level. I love making them, and I love eating them. I am not fast AT ALL in the kitchen, so it sometimes takes me 20 minutes to put together a batch, plus the baking time. If I have it together (a rare situation), I can get a batch into the oven in just 10 minutes.
What's special about the scones I made today? Other than the fact that we have eaten almost all of them? I added the zest of an orange to the dough and used the juice of the orange to make a glaze that I applied after they came out of the oven. I was concerned that it would end up being too much, but it totally wasn't. They were awesome. I loved them! My husband loved them! My son keeps going back out to the kitchen to take a bite of his second scone and announcing, "MMM, delicious!"
I am planning to bake another batch for breakfast tomorrow, but I'm going to add almond extract and poppy seeds instead of orange. Maybe the next batch after that will have cinnamon and sugar. I hope this recipe continues to adapt itself to the variations I come up with. Amazing.
Here's the cost breakdown:
1 3/4 c. flour -- $.58 (I figured this by taking the $2.99 price for 5 pounds and dividing by 9 cups -- the amount I think I get out of each bag -- then multiplying by 1.75.)
1/3 c. real butter -- $.65 (Butter is ridiculously expensive, isn't it? Crazy.)
3 T sugar -- $.15
2 1/2 t baking powder -- $.20 (total estimation; I have no idea how much that can of powder cost me.)
1/4 t salt -- $.00 (I received a giant canister of Himalayan sea salt as a gift and have been using it. How much could 1/4 t of salt cost, anyway? Maybe $.02?)
1 egg -- $.15
4-6 T milk -- $.06
A bit of milk for brushing over scones, and a teaspoon of sugar for dusting over milk-brushed scones -- $.05
1 orange -- $.80
Total for this delicious batch of Orange Scones -- $2.64!
Showing posts with label Bread. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bread. Show all posts
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Basic Scones
Check out my new favorite cooking blog: http://www.ourbestbites.com/. I have been visiting this blog more than once daily for the past couple of months and have tried many (MANY) recipes. Most of them have been total winners. I'm sure that there has been something we didn't like, but I can't think of anything right now.
Today, I made the recipe for Basic Baked Scones. I guess a LITTLE back story is appropriate here. I LOVE scones. I fell in love with the scone the first time I tried one, which was when I was about 25 years old at an afternoon tea held in celebration of my best friend's upcoming wedding. Since then, whenever I've found a scone, I've tried it. I enjoy the cranberry orange scones I get at the Publix bakery. I've had scones at Disney World. I bought a packaged scone mix from Harry and David's and tried that. All good. I looked up a scone recipe and bought the supplies to make them, but the directions were so complicated that I didn't have the heart to try. Then the buttermilk I had to buy for the recipe went bad, and that was the end of my desire to make scones.
Then, I stumbled on the our best bites website. Those girls are incredible. I have browsed through the recipe index so often that I know the repertoire of recipes almost by heart. When I found the scone recipe, I was intrigued but cowardly. Then, just last night, I decided that today I would give them a try. I have a rare weekday off and knew we could run to McD's if I totally failed.
I didn't.
As soon as the dough came together, before I even patted it into a circle, sprinkled with sugar, or cut into wedges, I smelled it. I love the smell of dough, and wanted to see what this one was like. It smelled scone-y! I was elated by the intoxicating scent of what was created by the purposeful mixture of ingredients in certain proportion. The ingredients are not unlike what I would put in the bread I make about every other morning, but the smell is so different! (Of course, I do use yeast in the normal morning bread batch. Obviously, the smell would be different -- not yeasty -- but it was so very different than what I expected.) And I didn't have to purchase any special ingredients. All the ingredients are staples in any well-stocked (or even moderately-stocked) pantry. I am THRILLED with the results and can't wait to make them again. I'm making some for my husband's work crew soon. They will think I am a goddess; they already think I'm a bread-baking fairy.
I hope to figure out how to upload pictures from my iphone to this new blog so you can see the beauty that is the scone. (I did upload the picture to my other blog: http://www.wannabecheapskate.blogspot.com/) In the meantime, here's the approximate cost breakdown:
1/3 c. real butter -- $.66 (Why is butter so darned expensive these days? I need to check the price at Sam's again, and see if we can't get a better deal. It's almost $4 a pound at Publix! Walmart might be better, but I just refuse to shop there unless desperate. Who's with me?)
1 3/4 c. flour (I used bread flour.) -- $.78
3 T sugar -- $.02
2 1/2 t baking powder -- $.04 (estimation)
1/4 t salt -- $.01 (estimation; I used pink Himalayan sea salt that I received as a gift, so it didn't cost me anything.)
1 beaten egg -- $.14
6 T milk -- $.06
Total cost for the batch of 8 scones: $1.71
Cost per scone: $.22
Considering that I happily pay $1.75 for ONE scone at Publix, I think this clearly qualifies as a cheapskate meal! I should note that, while I coupon almost obsessively, I am using non-coupon prices here. These are all basic ingredients that I have a hard time finding coupons for. Sometimes butter goes on sale at Publix; I think it needs to do so again so I can stock up! I go through enough flour (about 5 lb. a week) that I wish I could buy it in a not-quite-bulk size. I bought the giant industrial sized bag from Sam's last year and still have some of it, but I don't get good results anymore when I use it. I think I just need to pitch it. Anyway, all that was to say that the cost might be significantly less when using coupons!
We ate them plain and loved it. The girls at http://www.ourbestbites.com/ say to serve right out of the oven with butter and jam, lemon curd, or honey-butter; but I really liked them plain.
On my next shopping trip, I will price dried cranberries and orange to see if I can come up with a Publix-like version. (I really do love those overpriced cranberry orange scones from the bakery.)
Thanks for reading my first post on this new blog endeavor. Check out my other blog, which I don't update nearly as much as I should. For more info about me and my family, see our family blog: http://www.fltupua.blogspot.com/.
Today, I made the recipe for Basic Baked Scones. I guess a LITTLE back story is appropriate here. I LOVE scones. I fell in love with the scone the first time I tried one, which was when I was about 25 years old at an afternoon tea held in celebration of my best friend's upcoming wedding. Since then, whenever I've found a scone, I've tried it. I enjoy the cranberry orange scones I get at the Publix bakery. I've had scones at Disney World. I bought a packaged scone mix from Harry and David's and tried that. All good. I looked up a scone recipe and bought the supplies to make them, but the directions were so complicated that I didn't have the heart to try. Then the buttermilk I had to buy for the recipe went bad, and that was the end of my desire to make scones.
Then, I stumbled on the our best bites website. Those girls are incredible. I have browsed through the recipe index so often that I know the repertoire of recipes almost by heart. When I found the scone recipe, I was intrigued but cowardly. Then, just last night, I decided that today I would give them a try. I have a rare weekday off and knew we could run to McD's if I totally failed.
I didn't.
As soon as the dough came together, before I even patted it into a circle, sprinkled with sugar, or cut into wedges, I smelled it. I love the smell of dough, and wanted to see what this one was like. It smelled scone-y! I was elated by the intoxicating scent of what was created by the purposeful mixture of ingredients in certain proportion. The ingredients are not unlike what I would put in the bread I make about every other morning, but the smell is so different! (Of course, I do use yeast in the normal morning bread batch. Obviously, the smell would be different -- not yeasty -- but it was so very different than what I expected.) And I didn't have to purchase any special ingredients. All the ingredients are staples in any well-stocked (or even moderately-stocked) pantry. I am THRILLED with the results and can't wait to make them again. I'm making some for my husband's work crew soon. They will think I am a goddess; they already think I'm a bread-baking fairy.
I hope to figure out how to upload pictures from my iphone to this new blog so you can see the beauty that is the scone. (I did upload the picture to my other blog: http://www.wannabecheapskate.blogspot.com/) In the meantime, here's the approximate cost breakdown:
1/3 c. real butter -- $.66 (Why is butter so darned expensive these days? I need to check the price at Sam's again, and see if we can't get a better deal. It's almost $4 a pound at Publix! Walmart might be better, but I just refuse to shop there unless desperate. Who's with me?)
1 3/4 c. flour (I used bread flour.) -- $.78
3 T sugar -- $.02
2 1/2 t baking powder -- $.04 (estimation)
1/4 t salt -- $.01 (estimation; I used pink Himalayan sea salt that I received as a gift, so it didn't cost me anything.)
1 beaten egg -- $.14
6 T milk -- $.06
Total cost for the batch of 8 scones: $1.71
Cost per scone: $.22
Considering that I happily pay $1.75 for ONE scone at Publix, I think this clearly qualifies as a cheapskate meal! I should note that, while I coupon almost obsessively, I am using non-coupon prices here. These are all basic ingredients that I have a hard time finding coupons for. Sometimes butter goes on sale at Publix; I think it needs to do so again so I can stock up! I go through enough flour (about 5 lb. a week) that I wish I could buy it in a not-quite-bulk size. I bought the giant industrial sized bag from Sam's last year and still have some of it, but I don't get good results anymore when I use it. I think I just need to pitch it. Anyway, all that was to say that the cost might be significantly less when using coupons!
We ate them plain and loved it. The girls at http://www.ourbestbites.com/ say to serve right out of the oven with butter and jam, lemon curd, or honey-butter; but I really liked them plain.
On my next shopping trip, I will price dried cranberries and orange to see if I can come up with a Publix-like version. (I really do love those overpriced cranberry orange scones from the bakery.)
Thanks for reading my first post on this new blog endeavor. Check out my other blog, which I don't update nearly as much as I should. For more info about me and my family, see our family blog: http://www.fltupua.blogspot.com/.
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