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September 18, 2007

The scone master

I can't be bothered writing more about the dosha's, will finish up the series with kapha any day now.

But I do want to talk about cool, moist, heavy, comforting, nurturing scones-very kapha indeed. No wonder a devonshire tea is one of the counseling tools of yesteryear. But scones are one of the most frequently abused members of the baking family. Everyone seems to have their own recipe, but only a few have really mastered the technique of baking light, flaky scones every time.

Now I don't claim to be one of the masters, but here are a few tricks of the trade:
  • sift the flour a few times to really aerate it
  • use very cold butter
  • knead only just enough to combine. Don't let the butter melt or the wheat release it's gluten
  • dip your scone cutter in flour to get those flaky risen edges
The art of the scone is not in the ingredients but in the method, so stick to your own recipe if you like, but here is just one version. It's quite a big batch, about a dozen large scones.

Scones

Ingredients

3 cups flour
3 tspns baking powder
1/3 cup butter
1-1 1/2 cups water
a pinch of salt

Method

Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt a few times. Cut the cold butter into small cubes. Rub the butter into the flour mixture with your hands, till it's like breadcrumbs, don't let the butter melt in your hands too much. make a well and mix the water in a bit at a time till you have quite a stiff dough. Knead for a brief moment to combine and then roll out on a floured surface. Cut scones out with a cookie cutter and place on a greased tray. Bake for 10-15 mins at 200'C.

Scones are great for Vata and Pitta, have for morning tea, or as a main meal with soup or a stew. Wheat is too heavy and moist for Kapha. Try using less butter, and replacing part of the flour with cornmeal or rye flour.

Sorry Kapha, I'm Vata-Pitta, so most of my recipes won't suit you! Oh dear, double blow, I'll create something wonderful for you asap.

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