Kellie's Basic, Go Ahead and Mess With It, Scone Recipe

This recipe started as a Lemon Glazed Scone recipe I found in a locally published recipe book, you know the kind sold as a money raiser with personal recipes from community members. Over the years I have adapted it many times. It has become the basic formula I use to make scones for tea with friends, family gatherings or on those mornings when I wake up and find we are out of bread and cereal. I add whatever I have in the cupboard or fridge. It has never let me down. I encourage you to substitute and add stuff. The basic formula is mix together the dry stuff, cut in the shortening, stir in any lumpy additions then mix in the wet stuff. Have fun with it!

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 8 scones

Ingredients

• 2  cups flour
• 4  teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 cup sugar (white or brown)
• 1⁄2 cup shortening
• 1  tablespoon  grated lemon rind (optional)
• 1  egg
• 1⁄2 cup milk

Directions

1. Mix dry ingredients together [flour, baking powder, salt and sugar] and cut in shortening.
2. Stir in lemon rind or other optional ingredient.
3. Create a divot in the centre. Place milk and egg in the divot. Use fork or pasty cutter to break up egg before gently stirring it all together until just moist.
4. Knead a few times just until it all sticks together. [This isn't bread. You want it to remain light and fluffy with layers.].
5. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Shape into circle. Working from the centre out, using heel of hand to flatten, gently pat dough to about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges.
6. Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes, until golden.
7. For special occasions pour on glaze while still warm: Lemon Glaze: Place in jar, a 1/2 cup of icing sugar and 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice. Shake jar until combined. For plain glaze mix icing sugar with milk. For chocolate glaze add cocoa powder. For cinnamon glaze add cinnamon. You get the idea. Be creative.Another way to finish them off nicely is to brush the top with milk and sprinkle on sugar before baking.
8. Optional Ideas: Chocolate chips / raisins or chopped dried apricots or dried cranberries with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and a 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg / 1/4 cup of cocoa / blueberries [try to keep them whole while mixing] / shredded cheddar cheese and herbs [may want to use less sugar] / orange rind / orange rind and dried cranberries/ haven't tried this one yet but would like to: orange rind and chocolate chips and/or cocoa. I would love to hear about your options you've tried. Post them in the comments. Good luck!
9. psst! I tried adding fresh strawberries once and it didn't work. It messed with the liquid content. They were flat and mushy.