Sunday, February 24, 2013

Sweet Sundays: Cherry Biscones

 

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Picture this………The suns warm rays fall across your sleeping face.  The birds are singing you a good morning song.  You stretch as you get out of bed, your feet gently slipping into your faithful old tattered slippers.  The smell of freshly brewed tea ( or coffee) wafting into your nose.  A plate of warm biscuits with cream and jam waiting for you at the table.  Wait, the biscuits aren’t biscuits they are scones.  Wait, the scones, er, biscuits, um scones? Oh heck who cares what they are!  They look delicious just eat one!!!!!  They are delicious and heavenly and your day is perfect until it’s time to do the dishes.  annnddd…………end scene.

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Wouldn’t it be great if everyday was like that.  The only flaw in the day is figuring out what your breakfast was.  Biscones.  Simple a biscuit scone or a scone biscuit.  A combination of loveliness no matter how you look at it.  Ok, so in my world I had to brew the tea and I had to make the Biscones, but a girl can dream right? 

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I found this fantastic recipe in one of my newest acquisitions.  “The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook”, by Cheryl Day and Griffith Day.  The cover jacket of the cookbook drew me to this purchase.  Husband and wife standing hand in hand, with her holding a plate of delicious cookies.  How cool would that be.  Cheryl and Griffith have created a cool little old time bakery with wonderful creations and they made a cookbook book out of it.  There are so many recipes in this cookbook I want to try!  I guess I will start with recipe number one!

The Biscone is a hybrid between a biscuit and a scone.  Tender, light, moist, and flaky are all words which can be used to describe this most fabulous breakfast dish.  You can vary the recipe how ever you which to choose.  The cookbook suggest:  Bacon Biscones, Blueberry Biscones with Lemon-Zest Glaze, and Cinnamon Biscones with Vanilla Drizzle-all of which are on my to do list.  Here is the recipe for the most basic Biscone.  Like any that has to do with a Biscone is basic.

Please enjoy and I hope in your world you can enjoy the start of the your day just like in my dreams. Oh, I forgot to mention Viggo Mortenson he would be there too and he would be doing the dishes.

 

Cherry Biscones

 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cardamom ( if you don’t have cardamom you can use cinnamon)

1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 cup dried fruit, cherries, cranberries

1 1/2 cups buttermilk, or as needed

1 egg, beaten with a pinch of salt for an egg wash

Sugar to sprinkle on the tops

 

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2.  In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and cardamom and whisk completely until incorporated.

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3.  Add the butter and working quickly, cut it in with a pastry blender or your fingers.  You should have various sized pieces of butter, smaller than a pea.

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4.  Add the dried fruit and toss in.

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5.  Gradually add in the buttermilk and fold until you have a soft dough.  You should still be able to see the lumps of butter in the dough.  (That’s what gives it the flakiness).  If the dough seems to be too dry add more buttermilk.  The dough should be moist and slightly sticky.

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6.  Gently pat the dough with your hands right in the bowl until it resembles a loaf of bread.  Dust the top of dough lightly with flour.  Using a pastry cutter or a sharp knife cut the dough into rectangles.

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7.  Arrange Biscones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, about an inch apart so they have room to puff up and spread out.

8.  Pat done the tops and brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

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9.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway so it bakes evenly.

10.  Serve warm with butter, cream or jam.  I used a ginger spread.   MMMMMMMMMMMMM………………………..

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