Mixed Berry Scones

Makes 8 scones

Ingredients

1 ½ cup of self-rising flour, plus some for dusting

1 teaspoon of baking powder

½ stick of butter, cubed

1 pinch of salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup milk

1 egg, beaten

1 cup mixed berries, fresh or frozen

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°F, or 200°C

First combine the flour, baking powder, butter, salt, and cinnamon and put it into a medium bowl. You can do this using a food processor, pastry cutter, or just pinch the butter in until the butter is fully incorporated. I do like the feeling of getting my hand in there, because there is something relaxing about feeling the butter working into the flour. It also saves you less dishes. The food processor is faster though, after processing it, pour it into a medium bowl.

In a liquid measuring cup, place the beaten egg in and pour enough milk in to fill to the ½ cup mark. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the milk and egg. Stir with a wooden spoon till almost combined; add the mixed berries and fold in. It will be a sticky dough.

Form it into a ball and place on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle a little flour on top and press down till it is an eight-inch thick disk. Take a floured knife and cut into eight triangles.

Place triangles, points facing inward, on a well greased pan. You can brush on an egg wash on if you want, but it isn’t necessary.

Place in the preheated oven and turn temperature down to 400F for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. It is very important that the oven is hot. Once baked, remove from oven and allow to rest for one minute on the pan before placing on a cooling rack or serving tray. Serve warm or cooled by itself or with some sweet cream, butter, or jam.

If you do happen to have leftovers, just store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Easter Hot Cross Buns

Makes 15 buns

These buns are traditionally served for breakfast on Good Friday. The cross on the buns reminding us of the cross on which Jesus died. You can make them the day before and toast them the next morning, or just serve them hot out of the oven.

Ingredients

3 cups of bread flour, plus a little extra for dusting

1/3 cup of caster sugar

1 ½  teaspoons of salt

1 Tablespoon or packet of dried yeast

2/3 cup of warm milk

2/3 cup of warm water

1 cup of sultanas (raisins)

Zest of two small oranges

1/3 cup of mixed peel (this is a mix of lemon and orange peel, its okay if you don’t have this)

2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

For the cross piping

1/3 cup of plain flour

1 tablespoon of powdered sugar

1/2 cup of water

Directions

Sift the bread flour, sugar, and salt together in a bowl then mix in the yeast. Mix together the milk and water (make sure it is warm). While stirring, slowly add the milk and water mixture until it forms into a ball of dough. Lightly flour your work surface and knead the dough for 5-6 minutes until smooth. Place back into the bowl, cover with a clean tea towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1 hour somewhere warm.

After 1 hour, knead in the peel, orange zest, sultanas and ground cinnamon into the dough and make sure they are evenly distributed (it does take a little effort, but smells great!). Then leave to rise in the bowl for another hour in a warm space.

Lightly grease a baking sheet and then pull off pieces of the dough and make 15 balls. They should be about 1/3 a cup big. You can use a scale and measure out to about 2 ½ ounces. Place the balls onto the baking sheet, cover, and allow to rise in a warm spot for another hour. At this point you can also store covered in the fridge till the next morning. 

Preheat the oven to 430F.

Make the flour piping by combining the plain flour, tablespoon of powdered sugar and water and mix until the mixture is smooth. Pour into a piping bag and with a small plain nozzle and pipe a cross over the top of the buns.

Bake the buns for 10 minutes at 430F then turn the oven down to 400F and bake for a further 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Place buns on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving them warm. The buns can also be sliced in half, toasted and served with butter and coffee. I would recommend a citrus coffee like from Kenya or Columbia. Enjoy!

Pear & Almond  Scones

These are the perfect scones for a peaceful time of day. The soft flavors remind me of spring. This recipe is inspired by scones that I had at a cafe in Belfast. It is written for those that are in the US. If you are from the UK, I can give you the modifications.

Ingredients

1 ½ cup of self-rising flour, plus some for dusting

1 teaspoon of baking powder

½ stick of butter, cubed

1 pinch of salt

½ cup of natural or Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 egg, beaten in a small bowl

1 pear, peeled and cut into small pieces

¼ cup of flaked almonds

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F, or 200C

First combine the flour, baking powder, butter, and salt and put it into a medium bowl. You can do this using a food processor, pastry cutter, or just pinch the butter in until the butter is fully incorporated. I do like the feeling of getting my hand in there, because there is something relaxing about feeling the butter working into the flour. It also saves you less dishes. The food processor is faster though, after processing it, pour it into a medium bowl. 

Make a well in the center and add the yogurt, vanilla, and most of the egg. (just save a little bit to make an egg wash). Stir with a wooden spoon till almost combined; add the pear and fold in.

It will be a slightly sticky dough.

Form it into a ball and place on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle a little flour on top and press down till it is an eight-inch thick disk. Take a floured knife and cut into eight triangles.

Place triangles, points facing inward, on a well greased pan. I like to have it pretty heavily greased because I like how is crisps the bottom and edges. Using a pastry brush, glaze the tops and the sides with the remainder of the egg. Then take the flaked almonds and place some on top of each scone. 

Place in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Once baked, remove from oven and allow to rest for one minute on the pan before placing on a cooling rack. Serve warm or cooled by itself or with some sweet cream, butter, or jam. 

These are especially good fresh. You can revive that freshness just by placing in a toaster oven or oven for a few minutes to heat them up. If you do happen to have leftovers, just store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Introduction

So here it goes, I am now entering the world of blogging. The purpose that I have in mind is to be able to share some of my recipes (due to popular demand), instead of writing a cookbook. I plan on having one new recipe every week, as well as an occasional musing. I am an American who is currently in Northern Ireland, so a lot of my recipes will be inspired by the culture here. That being said, I love to explore new and exciting things; complete with putting my spin on it. I don't believe in sacrificing quality for quantity - you can have both in a meal. I am also a newly "pretend vegetarian" (i.e. I still eat fish). So I will be posting some of the new discoveries that I have made so far, in adapting my diet. Its not due to philosophical reasons, so you will get a few meat dishes here and there. So put on your apron and let's make something! Enjoy!