The fact is that whether or not scones are bread, they are a wonderful way to start your morning. This recipe is actually my older sister Jessie's, and I would assume it originated from the Vegetarian Epicure, an amazing little cookbook from the 60's which also contains one of the world's best pancake recipes (I'll have to share that sometime). I lived with Jessie for six months after college, the best time of my life for breakfasts that I've ever experienced.
There are 3 truly fabulous things about this recipe:
1. If you leave out the sugar, they make great biscuits
2. You can substitute the crystallized ginger for just about any dried fruit and they still taste great.
3. It allows you to circumvent the used of buttermilk, an ingredient I never enjoy, or plain milk, which tends to make baking recipes taste a little bland. I have found the solution of almond milk can solve this at times, but here, yogurt serves to create a creamy, delicious scone.
Scones a la Jessie
4 c flour
1-1/2 c plain yogurt
1/2 c butter
3 tbsp sugar
1 egg
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/3 c chopped crystallized ginger
1/4 c shaved almonds
Preheat oven to 400. Cream butter and sugar together until soft. Add half the flour and mix well. Add the yogurt and egg and mix again before adding the rest of the flour along with the baking powder, baking soda, and the salt. Mix in the ginger. Lightly grease a baking sheet and drop scones onto pan. Remember, they will double in size, so size your dollops accordingly. Sprinkle the almonds on top. You can also roll the scones out and shape them into nice triangles, but I am FAR too lazy for that, and by lazy, I mean HUNGRY! Cook for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy with butter, jam, or plain.
