Sconage

I want to share my version of a recipe, what my son very affectionately calls "Sconage":

1 1/2 cup flour - white mostly although sometimes I use a little whole wheat as well
1/4 cup soy protein powder
3 tbsp granulated sugar - this can be increased to 1/4 cup for extra sweetness
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt - decrease to 1/4 tsp if using salted butter
1 stick butter - what is that, 1/2 cup?
6 ounces half and half
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla (or dudilla, as my child likes to say)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all dry ingredients, then cut in butter until the sizes of small peas. Combine wet ingredients separately until smooth but not frothy. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in egg mixture. Mix gently until flour is moistened, then using hands fold dough two or three times. I want my dough to make a small cake or ball that can be easily handled into the pan - I don't like crumbs and bits falling everywhere - but this might be over mixing by some standards. Be wary of overusing your hands to mix, as your body heat will melt the butter and all those lovely little pea-size solid bits of butter are necessary to make like and flaky scones. Cut into fours and space evenly in a Pyrex baking dish. Yes, I prefer Pyrex, sorry for the gratuitous plug. Bake for as long as it take for the edges to brown, usually about 15 minutes.

They rise like crazy and will continue to cook for a couple of minutes after they have been removed from the oven. The thicker the original pat, the taller the scone and the longer the cooking time. A batch of these usually lasts all of five minutes in my house, especially when my beloved spouse is home.


We're watching the original Superman movie today, with Christopher Reeve. We have the super crazy big set with all the movies, including the Return with the new guy, so we watched all the extra features including Reeve's screen tests. Does watching him now give anyone else chills? He was so young and sweet when he got his Superman role. What an amazing human being.