Flaky Scones

If you're going to test out a new (-to-you) recipe, you probably shouldn't do it when you're tired and 'just trying to get it DONE'. On the other hand if you wait to bake them at a good time it might never happen. This was the circumstance in which I made the Flaky Scones from the Bread Bible.

And the short version of the story is that they weren't that successful. Being too slapdash meant that I rolled them out too thinly and generally handled them way too much to maintain the flakiness the recipe is intended to produce.

The resulting scones weren't that bad but they weren't that good either. My pride wouldn't let me take them to work which was a problem because the recipe makes a very large amount. Actually I found it much harder to handle this volume of dough gently. So I consigned them to the freezer.

These scones are richer and sweeter than classic English-style scones. They were certainly very tasty (and I've now eaten quite a few). They're not the kind of scones that need any condiments added. I think they're best served straight out of the oven. They'd make a nice comforting afternoon treat to serve to friends on a cold day with a cup of tea.

If I'd taken more care at this point, things could have been different. For someone who tends to have a heavy hand and gets carried away with the rolling pin, it might have been better to skip the multiple business letter folds and just press out the dough while it still had flakes of butter.

In July the Rose's Bread Bible Bakers are making Caramel Sticky Buns. Yum!

Rugelach and Schnecken

Schnecken. What a great word. I just had to make this entertainingly named variation on the Rugelach: not only for the opportunity to say 'schnecken' a lot but also because I thought the shape might come out better. I was marginally right on the latter. I just don't seem to have the knack with these biscuits. I've made them as Christmas biscuits for several years and mine always look like they've been dragged behind a truck. They do taste lovely though.

Part of my problem might be the amount of this absolutely delicious dough I 'sample' before it gets to the rolling out stage. I think of it as a cheesecake dough. 

I blithely measured out the filling ingredients and mixed them together only to discover I was meant to keep the fruit and nuts separate. 

I think my main problem with these (which I keep repeating) is to pay too little attention to rolling out the dough to the right thickness and size. I probably need to refrigerate it for longer periods in between each step too, to take account of the heat.

The slightly more respectable-looking schnecken waiting for their turn in the oven.

Na na. Na na. Watch out! It's the Crab-elach monster!

Next week we're making crumpets, for something a bit different.

Hungarian Raisin (Sultana) Walnut Tartlets

This last week seemed to be the longest, slowest week, so when I saw Marie's weekly round-up on Friday (as it was in Australia) I was surprised to find it wasn't still Wednesday. Yes, I really missed the boat on posting about this recipe. It was such a tiring week that I have to confess that the Hungarian Raisin Walnut tartlets were not put together with a lot of care.

They turned out pretty well, all things considered. The eggy filling is really delicious - I could have drunk it with a straw - although it was pretty sweet combined with the sultanas and walnuts, and the tartlets were quite large. I liked these best when they were warmed through and drizzled (saturated) with cream, when they tasted more like a pudding. I was surprised they didn't have any spices in them (since they're part of the Hungarian Christmas repertoire) and I guess you could try some cinnamon and nutmeg. 

No prizes for this pastry work but luckily Rose's pastry is slapdash-proof. I'm not sure why but I found the flavour of the pastry really came into its own when combined with this filling.

These are sultanas, which are not raisins in Australia but seem to be raisins in the U.S. This Easter I made Kulich (Russian Easter bread) from a Canadian recipe which specified raisins. I wasn't sure what to use so I put in Australian raisins (which refer to the largest, sweet dried grapes) and they were really too big and sweet - I should have used sultanas. So I used sultanas here and I think it was the right decision.

I was happy to be using walnuts again since I had such a big bag of them which is gradually whittling away and freeing up some fridge space.

The tarts are very easy to put together, especially when you ignore the complicated instructions for preparing the walnuts and just roast them, crush them a bit with your hands and throw them in. The filling is also very easy-care and I just used the stick blender to mix it (so lazy was I feeling).

I over-filled the tarts (even though Rose warns us not to let the filling leak under the pastry) but I baked these in a silicone mould so they weren't difficult to remove. I do recommend putting less filling into the moulds, if you're going to try them.

I found the muffin-size tarts to be a little overwhelming after a couple of bites so I tried them in mince pie-size. Despite overfilling them also (so they leaked all over the oven) they turned out nicely and provided just the right combination of sweetness and pastry for me. I sifted some icing sugar over them mince-pie style and it felt a little bit like Christmas.

 Next up we're making Rugelach.