Identity Crisis – Is it a Scone or a Southern Biscuit???

Being from New Orleans, I grew up eating Southern Biscuits. Hot and steaming from the oven I would slather the puffy gems with butter and jam and stuff them into my mouth.

In the early 1980’s, after a trip to England, I developed a fascination with Scones. Hot and steaming from the oven I would slather them with clotted cream and jam...

Hey wait!

I always thought Scones and Southern Biscuits were different creatures, but are they really different?

Pictured below is a "Scone" and a "Southern Biscuit". Can you tell which is which?

   In researching both Scones and Southern Biscuits I have come to the belief that the Southern Biscuit is just another name for a Scone. (And by Scone I mean traditional English/Scottish/Irish type Scones and not Starbucks style scones.) Some people swear that they are different – that Scones have sugar whereas Biscuits do not. But I have found Biscuit recipes with sugar and Scone recipes with no sugar at all. Other people say that an egg is the difference, but again you can find Scone recipes with and without eggs and you can also find Biscuit recipes with and without eggs. Still others say that buttermilk is the defining ingredient, but invariably you can find Biscuits made without buttermilk and Scones made with buttermilk.

  So if it is not the ingredients that dictate the difference is it the method of preparations? I have never found a Scone that is “layered” with flaky sheets that pull apart (a la Pillsbury Grands), but that criteria can't be used because not all Biscuits are flaky. Copeland’s of New Orleans has the best biscuits I have ever tasted. They are puffy and cloud-like without a layer in sight.

So what is the answer? Is there really an answer?

Over the last few weeks I have come to realize that there are as many Scone/Biscuit recipes as there are cook’s in the kitchen, as many recipes as there are grain of sand on the beach or stars in the sky.

The variations of each are infinite so the defining line between the two is near impossible. So what do you think? Is a Southern Biscuit just another name from a Scone?

Now for the test ---  can you tell which is which?

One is called "Classic Scones" and the recipe is from the BBC, and the other is just called "Southern Biscuits".  So which is which?  Hint: they both have buttermilk (kind of).

(Note: I will post the recipes in later blog entries...  )


Happy Baking,

Carol

Satsuma (Orange) Scones

A few days ago my aunt gave me a big bag of tree ripened Satsumas, and because I've been on a scone baking binge I decided to combine the two and make Satsuma Scones. 

... and if I do say so myself -- they were pretty dog-gone good.  More cakey than a traditional scone, but moist and sweet and packed with a delicious citrus scent.

Now if you have never tasted a Satsuma orange, then you are missing out big time.The Satsuma Mandarin is one of the sweetest citrus varieties, with meltingly soft pulp, huge juice sacs, and paper thin segment walls.  The outer skin peels off easily to reveal the bright, reddish-orange fruit below.  In the United States they are grown mostly in the coastal parishes of South Louisiana, and they are a common sight in New Orleans around Christmas.  Where I live you can find farmers selling their bagged Satsuma on the side of the road from October to late January.

So like I mentioned earlier, I have been experimenting with different scone recipes trying to find the New Zealand Dream scone I tasted 20 years ago.  This time I decided to try a recipe from the British National Trust -- with only a few modifications to use my Satsumas.   My recipe is at the end of the page, and essentially it is the National Trust recipe, with Satsuma juice replacing half the milk. I also added sugar, vanilla, glaze, and increased the butter and shortening but it is the National Trust recipe - No really it is...

I wanted a lot of citrus punch in my scones so I also added some zest.  The skin of a Satsuma is very soft and fragile so I only managed to get about 2 teaspoons of zest.   I would have liked more, but I didn't want to destroy any more Satsumas.

In the end I used 3 Satsumas and got my 2 teaspoons of zest and about 1/2 cup of pulpy fruit.  And take a look at the color of the juice -- isn't the red-orange color amazing.  No Photoshop manipulation here.

The National Trust recipe calls for butter and lard (I used shortening sticks).  I froze both the butter and shortening, and grated it till I got the weight called for in the recipe.  And then I added a little more.  More butter is always better.

The National Trust recipe didn't call for any sugar, but I added 3 Tablespoons and I rubbed the zest with the sugar to bring out even more of the orange scent.  I have been told that the sharp edges of the sugar crystals lacerates the skin and allows more citrus oil to escape.

Next add the sugar-zest to the flour...

And then cut in the frozen, grated butter and shortening with the flour.

The liquids go in next.  Combine the milk, Satsuma juice and a touch of vanilla extract, and then add the liquid mix to the flour a little at a time till the right texture is reached.  I always have trouble with the liquid addition.  Too much and the scones are too cakey, and too little and the scones are dry, crumbly, and get stale very quickly.

Gently pat the dough to the correct thickness and then cut out the scones.  Notice the flecks of zest and Satsuma pulp in the dough.  Yum.

Here are the scones all cut out and placed on a baking stone.  Did you notice some of the scones look a little round and lumpy?  After I cut out the scones I didn't re-roll the dough.  I just gathered it up and formed it into sticky balls.  I also placed the dough scones close together.  I read recently that having the scones close together helps them to rise...

And I think putting the scones close together did help them lift a little higher.  You can see the sides that are touching rose more than the edges that weren't touching.  Also notice the pale, orange color to the scones -- that is real and not a result of my poor photography skill.

While the scones were baking I mixed up a little glaze.  Just confectionery sugar mixed with a little Satsuma juice and touch of vanilla.  Doesn't that juice look like egg yolks?

Drizzling the glaze on the hot scones.

Side view...

Top view.  This is one of the sticky ball scones - It almost looks like a cinnamon roll.

So here is the recipe.  It is highly modified version of the he National Trust's scone recipe.  I also halved the original recipe.  I just didn't want all those scones sitting around begging to be eaten.

Satsuma Scones 

Yield 10 scones (depending on the thickness of dough and size of the cutter)

Ingredients:

175 g  / 1-1/2 cups  All Purpose Flour (I use White Lily Flour)
2-1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt

3 Tablespoons White, Granulated Sugar (use more if you want the scones sweeter)
2 teaspoons Satsuma Zest

45 g / 3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (frozen and grated)
45 g / 3 Tablespoons Vegetable Shortening (frozen and grated) (I use Crisco sticks for easy handling)

1/3 cup Satsuma Juice with pulp
1/3 cup Whole milk
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract


For Glaze:
1/2 cup of Powdered Confectioner's Sugar  (double if you want more glaze)
3-4 teaspoons Satsuma Juice
1/8 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Rub the Satsuma zest into the granulated sugar.  Set aside to allow the sugar to absorb the oils from the zest.
3. Freeze butter and shortening and when frozen solid use a large holed grated to grate the appropriate weight.  Place the grated ingredients back in the freezer until needed.
4. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
5. Add the zest and sugar to flour mixture, and whisk till combined.  
6. Combine the milk, Satsuma juice and vanilla in a measuring cup.
7. Add frozen butter and shortening to flour mixture and using a fork or pastry blade cut the fats into the flour mixture.
8. Add about half the liquid combination to the flour and mix with a fork.  Add more liquid until the dough comes together and is slightly sticky.
9. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat the dough into a 1/2 to 3/4 inch high circle. 
10. Using a 2-1/4 inch circle cutter cut out the scone. Note: don't twist the cutter as you push it down.  Push down in one motion and then pull up.  Twisting the cutter and smearing the edges of the scone will stop it from rising during baking.
11. Place the scones on a baking stone or on a greased cooked sheet.
12. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.  Baking on a stone will take longer than baking on an aluminum cookie sheet.
13. While the scones are baking mix the powdered sugar, vanilla, and just enough Satsuma juice to created a pourable glaze.
14. Removed the baked scones from the oven and place on a cooling rack.  Allow to cool for a few minutes and then drizzle the glaze on top.

So I hope you like these Satsuma Scones.   And if anyone can recommend a scone recipe that is light and moist and bakes up to twice its height -- send me the recipe.  Please...  I'm getting fat testing all these scones.

Happy Baking,

Carol

My search for the perfect British Scone - Strawberry Shortcake

My BFFs brought me to a local Tea House for my birthday, and ever since then I have been searching for the perfect British scone recipe.  British scones are different from their American cousins.  American scones have all the sweetness and fruit baked into the scone, whereas the British scone is pure biscuit and the sweetness and decadence comes from the jam and cream slathered on top.

For me the perfect British scone is light and airy, tall as possible, and just slightly sweet.  The best British scone I ever tasted came from a little tea shop in Christchurch, New Zealand.  Stupid me didn't ask for the recipe, and I've been on a fruitless search for it ever since.  Woe is me.

I've tried several American recipes without being able to duplicate my New Zealand dream, so now I'm going back to the source and trying some English and Scottish recipes.  First up is Suzy Bowler's scone recipe from her book: The Secret Life of SCONES.

The end result was pretty tasty, but too flat to qualify as my "ideal" scone.  But it did make an excellent biscuit for Strawberry Shortcake.

The recipe is pretty standard: self-rising flour, butter, sugar, and milk.  The directions are standard too...

Cold butter rubbed into the flour...

Then add the milk.  But for some reason the volume of milk specified in the recipe didn't seem right to me.  After I added the 100ml of milk, the mix just look way too dry and crumbly.

I ended up adding another 4 tablespoons of milk to get the dough to hold together.

Next up patting the dough into a circle (I don't bother with a rolling pin), and cutting out the circles.  The cutter I use is from Cake Boss and I really like these things.  They are tall enough, strong enough and sharp enough to use on biscuits, sugar cookies or fondant.

All ready for the oven.  I use a baking stone so the bottoms don't burn, and I don't re-roll the excess dough.  I just twirl it into a snake and place it on the stone.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  And out they come all golden brown.  But sadly just a little flat.  I'm really not sure why that happened.  I purchased new self-rising flour just for this recipe, and even added a teaspoon extra baking power just to give it a little more oomph.   But no luck.  They look like flat little hockey pucks. 

But like I said they made excellent biscuits for Strawberry Shortcake, and everyone had seconds so all 8 scones were gone in a flash.

So I'm still searching for that perfect high-rise scone, that will bring back happy memories from my wild and miss-spent youth.  Sniff.


Happy Baking,

Carol



Note:  I don't like to include another person's recipe unless the creator of the recipe has already posted it free of charge somewhere on the web.  I couldn't find Suzy Bowler scone recipe anywhere except in her published book so I didn't post it here.   BUT ... if you preview the book on Amazon the recipe is part of the preview.