Cornmeal scones

These scones are from the Moosewood Cooks at Home cookbook with some adjustments. I have substituted the some of the unbleached flour for whole wheat flour, and I add more cornmeal. Occasionally I use rice milk in place of cow milk; presumably you could use soy milk in its stead, but I don’t use soy. Why not? I discovered some rather unsavory things about soy when I discovered that my oldest son had an allergy to it—an allergy that rather shaped our lives for a few years. He spent his preschool and first two years of elementary school fighting off respiratory infections and battling asthma. Once I figured out that soy was the main trigger for him, I was able to eliminate it altogether and his health dramatically improved. Since then, I’ve also eliminated it in my own diet, when I began to notice certain effects (do I dare talk about perimenopause in a blog about baking? Yeah….maybe not.) AND I found out how much farmland is devoted to the soy monoculture AND that Monsanto Corp. controls most of the soy production in this country and that it is not produced in a terribly responsible fashion. But, as I say to my students, don’t believe anything I tell you--find out for yourself.

So those scones. Fast, delicious and versatile. The original version is sweet, but not sweet enough, so I have added sugar. I make a savory version in which I eliminate the brown sugar and add about 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (packed) and a teaspoon of dried basil (or herb of your choice).

These make a great breakfast and are good for lunch as well. I do advance planning by measuring and combining the dry ingredients at night and setting up the wet ingredients in the fridge. In the a.m. I turn on the oven, microwave the butter, etc., mix it up and pop it all in the oven. Very little time and effort but a lot to show for it.

Cornmeal scones

Note: for a vegan version of this recipe, simply replace the butter with canola, sunflower or safflower oil; the milk with soy or rice milk. They will be slightly less rich, but still delicious and satisfying.

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup milk or cream

2-3 T brown sugar

1/2 cup cornmeal fine grind

1 T coarse or medium grind cornmeal

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup unbleached flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup currants or raisins or dried cranberries (optional)

In a medium-sized bowl, combine all the dry ingredients EXCEPT the brown sugar. I melt the butter with the milk then add the brown sugar to the liquid and combine thoroughly. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and stir until combined, being careful not to overmix. Fold in any dried fruit at this point.

Press the dough into a circle about 9 inches across directly onto a baking sheet. Cut the circle into eights, slightly separating each wedge. Bake until very lightly browned at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

For the savory version, add the herbs and the grated cheese with the dry ingredients. Proceed with the remainder of the steps.

Eat while still warm. These are best the day they are made.