Cream Scones & Fun at “Baking For Breakfast” Class

 
Those of you who follow me on Twitter or are on my friends list on Facebook must have seen all the updates about this baking class that i went to a couple of weeks ago. Indhu of Thayirsaadham was the one who saw this class on Not Without Salt and asked whether I wanted to go for this. I have followed Not Without Salt for a very long time and absolutely love that site! I have seen the classes there once or twice but the thought of actually attending one never occurred to me. Thanks to Indhu and her love for baked things (especially with cream cheese! ;) ) that I got the opportunity to have gone for this class :)


The class was organized by Julie Hubert of The Golden Piglet at her home and was taken by Ashley Rodriguez of Not Without Salt. It was a well spent half a day. We were about 8 of us and Julie made us feel right at home. Indhu and I arrived a little late and as we entered Julie’s house we could already smell some of the cream scones baking in the oven. We registered, got our name tags and the recipe file and sat down to see what Ashley was making. There already was some coffee and mimosa for us to help ourselves with.




First on it was puff pastry. I always thought making puff pastry was like really really difficult, but Ashley completely changed that for me. Yes, it does require some work, a lot of patience and a whole lot of butter to make puff pastry, but atleast now I know i can make it. The pictures show the different steps involved in making puff pastry. The one at the bottom left is how it looks like with all the butter bits in it, when it is folded. After this it is beaten again and then folded in 3 times. I will someday make this and post the recipe as well. After this, we took a small break and had breakfast. There was a yummy breakfast casserole (Julie specially made a sausage-less one for me – thanks! :) ), fresh cut fruits with a lemon-mint vinaigrette, the cream scones, praline bacon, coffee and orange juice. I was soo stuffed by the end of it, that I kept nibbling on the casserole for a long time :) Just to tempt you, here are some pictures of what we ate. 

 
Ashley went on to make some apple turnovers with the puff pastry that was made. And then some brioche beignets were made which were stuffed with some yummy pastry cream made by Julie. Just seeing them all made itself made me soo full but still I wanted to eat all that was given out! It was overall some fun time that a bunch of girls had – cooking and eating, discussing favorite cookbooks, what brand of knives we think is good, sharing many tips and techniques. Ashley was really awesome in terms of making everything look so simple that you wanna go back home and try it out. Not without salt is coming up with more classes – if you have the time, pls try going for atleast one of them. I know I am going for more :) This post does not exactly do justice to the class but its been a couple of weeks and that’s all the details I remember. I tried out some of the cream scones and they came out perfect! It does help to “see” how something is made.

Cream Scones – Recipe

From “Baking for Breakfast” Class at Not Without Salt – adapted from Cooks Illustrated

2 cups all purpose flour 1 tbsp baking powder 3 tbsp sugar 1/2 tsp salt 5 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes 1/2 cup currants or any other dried fruit – i used prunes as that is what I had in hand 1 cup heavy cream 2 tbsp heavy cream 2 tbsp turbinado sugar, can use regular sugar too – i used demerara sugar.

Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the cubes of butter and with your hands or using a food processor, break up the butter into smaller pieces. Add the cream and stir to combine. Do not over stir!! Dump the mixture out on the counter where a little flour has been sprinkled and gently mix. No need to knead well. The mixture need to just about hold together. It will still be crumbly though. Mound the dough in a rough circle, about 8 inches and press well to just hold together. Brush on the 2 tbsp heavy cream and sprinkle the sugar on top. Cut into 8 triangles and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Chill for 30 mins. Preheat the oven to 375F. Place the scones in the oven. Make sure that the butter is still cold when you put it in the oven, if not, pop it in the freezer for a few mins. Bake for about 15-20 mins till it is golden brown on the edges and the top. Serve while it is still warm, with some jam/preserves or butter or just as it is. Enjoy with some tea or with breakfast!

Tried and Tasted by Others:

Kirbie of Kirbie's Cravings tried this recipe to make Strawberry Scones