Bacon Cheddar Scones

This was my first attempt at making scones. I've always shied away from them because I was afraid they would be a little on the dry side. I was under the impression they were sort of like dry biscuits. Not these! I knew that bacon and cheese would straighten any scone right up! Annie's Eats is a fabulous blog that I visit regularly. I was browsing around the other day and ran across this recipe. It was perfect to fix this week for my craving for "breakfast for dinner". I halved the recipe below and it still made 4 big scones which I halved for the picture below! Plenty for us and I still have leftovers for breakfast tomorrow!



3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 green onions, thinly sliced (I omitted these)
10 slices bacon, cut into slivers
1 cup buttermilk (plus extra if needed)

For the egg wash:
1 large egg
2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut bacon into bite-size pieces. Cook in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and black pepper; mix briefly to combine. Add the cubes of butter and mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter pieces are about the size of small peas. (Alternatively, this can be done in a regular mixing bowl, using a pastry blender or two knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredients.) Add in the grated cheese and mix just until incorporated.

Mix in the green onions, bacon and 1 cup of the buttermilk into the flour-butter mixture. Stir by hand just until all the ingredients are incorporated. If the dough is to dry to come together, mix in the remaining buttermilk a tablespoon at a time until the dough can be formed into a ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and pat the dough into an 8-inch disk. Slice the dough into 8 to 10 wedges.

In a small bowl combine the egg and water and whisk together. Brush each wedge lightly with the egg wash. Transfer the scones to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

I served mine with Scrambled Eggs.



Enjoy!


(adapted from Annie's Eats)