SWEET MILK SCONES FROM COOK'S ILLUSTRATED

Sweet Milk Scones from Cook's Illustrated image

Number Of Ingredients 7

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1-2 tablespoons Sugar (optional)
4 tablespoons Unsalted butter-chilled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup Whole Milk

Steps:

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 450º
Whisk flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and sugar (if using) together in large bowl of food processor with steel blade, pulse until just blended. Cut in butter to flour mixture until mixture resembles course meal with a few slightly larger butter lumps.
Pour milk through feed tube; pulse until doug just starts to gather into a rough ball (do not overprocess or scones will be tough). Turn dough onto well floured work surface.
Quickly roll dough to thickness of 1/2 inch. Use a lightly greased and floured 3-inch biscuit cutter to stamp dough with one decisive punch, cutting close together to generate as few scraps as possible. Dip cutter into flour as often as necessary to keep dough from sticking. Push scraps of dough together so that edges join; firmly pinch edges with fingertips to make a partial seal. Pat this remaining dough to 1/2 inch thick; continue to cut 3-inch rounds. Place dough rounds 1 1/2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake until sones are lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve immediately.
Variations: Add 1/2 to 1/3 cup raisins or currents to dry ingrediants.
Variations: Add 1/2 cup chopped crystalized ginger to dry ingredients.
Variations: Omit sugar. Pulse in 1/2 cup grated aged cheddar or Cheshire cheese just before adding wet ingredients.