Coffee House Scones

Fast and simple to make! I have had some scones that tasted plain and was like eating a hunk of bread. But these scones really blew me away. They were mostly eaten up the day I made them! Have them with jam or make a egg sandwich for breakfast with them.

Total prep/baking time: 20 min

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, cold and cut into pieces

2/3 cup buttermilk

Egg mixture for brushing tops of scones: (optional)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, place rack in middle of oven. Stack two baking sheets together and line the top baking sheet with parchment paper. (This prevents the bottoms of the scones from over browning during baking.) I used a stoneware baking pan and they baked fine without over browning.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat, or roll, the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches round and about 1-1/2 inches thick. Cut this circle in half, then half again then each quarter in half to make 8 pie wedges. Place the scones on the baking sheet. Make an egg wash of one well-beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk and brush the tops of the scones with this mixture.

Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

(Optional for a sweeter scone) Remove from oven and then turn your broiler on high. Sift confectioners(powdered or icing) sugar heavily over the tops of the scones and place them under the broiler. Broil for just a few seconds, turning the pan as necessary, until the sugar has melted and turns golden brown. Make sure to watch the scones carefully as the sugar will burn very quickly. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.Yields: 8