The Right Taste is YOUR Taste
>> Saturday, 2 August 2008
I know there are folks out there who treat a recipe like an immutable law. They don’t want to mess with the recipe for fear that a Secret Recipe Police will burst into their kitchen and haul them off to the kitchen crimes court. I take a different view. I think a recipe is like a suggestion from a good friend or from someone who has tried out this meal before. It’s your job to play around with that recipe in your quest to get exactly the right taste for you and your family. Click here to read the rest of the column as I discuss my trials in coming up with a Raisin Scone recipe that suits my taste.
Please see my recipe below. It is very flexible and is only offered as a guide. Follow it exactly if you want to but I invite you to play around with it and make it your own.
Yield: 8 Wedges
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 cup (8 oz) cold unsalted butter
3/4 cup raisins
2/3 cup whole milk, chilled
1 egg lightly beaten
Egg Wash
1 egg plus 1 tablespoon water, lightly beaten
Equipment
1 large bowl
1 large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or lightly floured
1 rubber spatula or wooden spoon
1 pastry cutter/blender or 2 table knives
1 small bowl
1 pastry brush
1 knife
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F with rack in the middle of the oven.
Method
- Mix together, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and sugar in large bowl
- Cut in chilled butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs
- Stir in raisins
- Add egg and milk to flour mixture to form a soft dough. Do not knead, all you're doing is bringing the ingredients together
- Turn dough onto a floured surface and pat gently into a 10-inch circle with about 1-inch thickness
- Cut into shapes of your choice: wedges or circles. If you're cutting circles, gather the ends after the first cutting, roll them together and continue cutting
- Transfer to baking sheet, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar
- Bake for 16 - 18 minutes or until golden brown
- Cool on rack and serve at room temperature with jam, jelly, butter or as is
There are times however, when a recipe needs no adjusting to suit your taste, it is good just as is. Such was the case with Chuck's Breakfast Bread. It was moist, savoury and delicious. It was a big hit with my guests and tasters also and will now definitely be a must-make whenever I'm hosting a breakfast, brunch or tea. Click here for his post and click here for his recipe.
This week over at Forgive Me My Nonsense... It's Emancipation Day
73 comments:
It's good you brought this up, nobody has a right or wrong way... growing up, my mother always told me that nothing was gross, even if it wasn't good to my tastes... To this day, I don't let my daughter say food is gross, even if she doesn't like it herself... Your scones look absolutely delicious though, and I'm sure they are suited for a lot of peoples tastes :)
how right you are! i used to be one such person who would even measure out a 1/8 tsp exactly if the recipe said so, and very careful not to leave out or substitute ingredients! but i've changed once i realized that there are no rights and wrongs - only yummy and mmm less yummy! :) lol!
Well you know me. Im more improv in the kitchen than follow to a tee. I like recipes and cookbooks as refrence and inspiration. But I love to tweak , etc. That bread almost looks likes eggs with the rich golden color.
To tell u the truth, in most cases following the recipe to the T has never worked for me.....I use my instince more...I love the scones that you made...
I like to sub and improvise recipes too because it makes the process more fun! Lovely scones you have there, Cynthia. Yummy
When I come across a totally new recipe, I try and stick to it as much as I can, the next time I do my own thing. That bread looks really tasty!
Are you kidding? I almost never stick to a recipe - (only if it's a DB challenge and we are doing bread or something along that lines then I do ;-), but all the fun in cooking comes from experimenting. Both the scones and the bread look simply delicious!
Now, I'm definitely one of those people who favors tinkering with recipes. When it comes to baking, I'm a little less of a tinkerer, however. I'm not a super strict measuring Nazi, but I'm not nearly as loose as I am with the foods I cook.
When it comes to cooking, I use recipes for ideas. I NEVER measure and I ALWAYS tinker!
That bread and those scones look so good!
I never follow recipes exactly - just however much I fancy of something at the time, seems to work for me!
I love Raisin Scones! They bring back wonderful memories... That bread looks scrumptious too! Yummy!
Cheers,
Rosa
Mmmm .. take that scone, add some jam and clotted cream ... heaven!
Love the first pic! I always, always have this urge to tweak something or the other. Its so much fun.
Thanks for a lovely post Cynthia! A pinch of this and a pinch of that is my philosophy too. Ofcourse this is applicable to stove top cooking. Once it comes to baking it becomes a 'science' "people" say.See the last time I followed a recipe to the dot, my scones turned out to be weapons, hard enough to conk somebody.
So these days I look for flavor combinations and approximate ratios, make the dish once or twice and you get where you want to.
Scones look delicious cant wait to try them 'step by step' ;)
-A
I completely agree with you In my point of view all recipe are flexivel, I usually change one thing or another. Love tour scones
Have a nice week Cinthya
i normally get scones for breakfast since my office now is in a posh place and you don't get ordinary stuff like sandwiches around there :D really have to try them at home once!
I think The last time I had scones, they were dry. lol! I bought them from a local supermarket. I wouldn't mind trying them myself to see how they'd come out though. Cynthia, your raisin scones look good. I wish you had posted a picture of them broken in half so we could see how they looked on the inside.
:-)
Couldn't agree more...& I try & tell the kids that too. I love to throw caution to the wind, & experiment big time. I feel confidence playa a much larger role than the recipe sometimes! Great post Cynthia...xoxox...I could do with a scone right now!
Cynthia, scones looks very delicious, as you said I am very nervous about changing any recipe on the baking side for the fear recking it, especially with cakes and cookies. I guess as I start to bake more will get the confidence to play around . nice pics.
Yummy looking scones!
..."Secret Recipe Police"
LOL .. then I need to be reported and arrested because I have never met a recipe I didn't want to tweak to my taste :)
I rarely follow recipes and have said this as well in my posts that's we should adjust a recipe to what we like and not to what others like.
I make a similar recipe as the bread but I call it Pepper Cake and I used to add bacon but now I try to make it healthier and use ham and turkey instead. I haven't posted it yet. Your scones look delicious.
That breakfast bread looks so good!
I love the look of your scones Cynthia they look real tasty and delicious. I sure would love some clotted cream and strawberry jam on one of those yum!
I agree with you that some recipes are perfect as they are, but there is nothing wrong with experimenting with foods. It is great to learn from other cultures and friends. :-)
Cynthia, I feel honored that you wrote about the Breakfast bread. You have an amazing blog and your comment means so much to me.
Thank you!
oh!! I don't really measure the recipe exectly unless the baking is really critical!!hahaha!!I like to change and play with the ingrendients:).Never make scone b4 and going to try out your recipe soon:)Thanks fro sharing:))
Tweeking is what cooking is all about! I get nervous when I have to follow things to a tee. I haven't made scones in years. Theres nothing like a good scone in the morning, yours look so nice and crunchy Cynthia, just the way I like them!
I could not agree with you more. Our taste buds are so different, why should our recipes be the same?
I love agood scone and when you serve them hot from the oven, it makes your guests feel SO special!!!!
The breakfast loaf is a perfect start to a good day!!!
The breakfast bread looks amazing! What a good idea. If only I can wake up earlier to do that. LOL
A recipe must be tinkered with, if only because of things like differences in flour hydration!
The scones are yummy Cynthia. Breafast bread recipe is interesting. Viji
I find it almost impossible to follow recipes! I've only started measurig properly recently - but that's just so I can write down the recipe correctly for my blog!
Both the scones and the bread look great - the bread is so unusual!
I love to improv... thats why I prefer cooking to baking... baking is more of a science...
I usually stick to the recipe the first time I try and then make changes, if necessary, from next trial onwards, mainly to see how the original taste should be....and the bread...oh my...it looks so good....cant go wrong with all that ham -cheese combo right :)
I had an old, old, english cookbook that produced the most delicious and flavorful scones. I actually had a few scone recipes in that book to choose from but it was one that incorporated yogurt that I loved the most. In one of our moves I lost the book and haven't been able to duplicate the recipe. I have been disappointed since with every attempt I have made. I'll look forward to trying this scone recipe Cynthia, they look so moist and yummy! :)
I totally agree! Everyone's tastes are so different, so what is perfect to one person may not be perfect to another!
I think that many wonderful things can come from changing recipes. Too bad not everyone shares our opinion, Cynthia.
These scones... Are wonderful!
if it looks as your gorgeous as your creations, it has gotta taste awesome. i want to lick my screen.
Very rarely do I follow a recipe to the T. I always try to give my own touch to a recipe and make it my own.
Your scones look scrumptious! :D
I am partial to savory breads. Yours look nice and bright. You have the recipe included in the post. See, I noticed :)
I wholeheartedly agree, Cynthia.
What's the point of sticking to a recipe and cooking something if no one will eat it.
Your post title says it all.
Having said that, I'm a true "tweaker" of recipes!:)
Wow...this looks amazing! You know I am one of those people who follow the recipe to a T, when it comes to baking. i guess I should experiment more :(
Those scones look beautiful. Mine always turn out looking like a cone shaped asteroid. And my kids love scones. And, I've been looking for a good recipe. Thanks!
How true Cynthia.. We should always be brave and go ahead with tweaking recipes around..
Having said that I will try your breakfast bread as it is ;))
dear cynthia
we think alike...i like your thought of picking up the idea and doing it your way...this raisin scones have come nicely !
i've been meaning to make a batch of scones for a while and keep on seeing excellent recipes for them! i think it must be fate...
Bravo Cynthia. Once a cook knows the basics, recipes should not be more than a set of guidelines or the never develops beyond imitating the work of others. Three cheers for you!
I love raisin scones and yours look delicious!
I'm always changing recipes to suit our tastes.
I totally agree, recipes are always evolving and changing, there is no right or wrong.
I really dislike those who are so anal retentive and harass someone because of a recipes. I once had someone accuse me of not being Vietnamese because my fish sauce dish was wrong. I used 1 teaspoon less sugar than they did! Do you believe that?
I told them a few choice words and to go "get a life you moron!". Those are the people who don't really cook, but love to judge and criticize. I'd love to meet them face to face and do a cook-off. Actually I challenged this IDIOT to a face to face discussion on food and he/she never answered back. COWARD! They hide behind the anonymity of a computer screen but have no guts or knowledge to back it up in person.
OK, that's my vent. Lovely raisin scones!
wow, that breakfast bread looks so delish.. and you're right about recipes.. i rarely stick to a recipe (except for when I bake coz I don't want to mess it up)...
how good looking do both of them look. I think that kitchen is also a place for creation. there has got to be a bit of freedom.; o )
I want to try these recipes. Will do it as soon as I get some time...Thanks dear.
For my life, I can't follow a recipe exactly :).
I am one of those people who can't follow a recipe to save her life! I agree, recipes are made to be modified :) These scones look so yummy. I am such a scone fanatic. And the breakfast bread is beautiful! Thanks for the recipes!
That has to be a delicious breakfast! I love the blog title!
Cynthia - This is going to sound so mean but I really can't cook with people like that, lol! That just gets on my nerves and ruins the whole experience of the kitchen. Your scones look so marvelous (and I don't even like raisins too much!). They got such a nice lite golden brown crust from the eggwash.
I love the theme of this post! Makes me want to go mess up a few traditional recipes right now - just because I can!
The breakfast bread looks pretty damn good (sans the ham, for me)!
Love that yummmmmmmm scones, mouth-drooling pics too!!!
Love scones...must try these out.
Love the sound of that Breakfast Bread too...it would make a crowd sized breakfast easy or it sounds like the perfect dish for a potluck brunch.
I totally agree about the title of this post. The right taste is your taste indeed! I like more salt in my bread so I always crank that ingredient up a notch whenever I am making one. But I tend to measure ingredients with tsp and tbsp and cups.....I guess its a learning curve and one day I'll be able to (hopefully!) put everything with my hands like a wizard makes his/her potions :D
I love tweaking recipes, quite a lot...anfd yes, haven't been arrested so far :-P
...love, love, love the bread :-)
Hi Cynthia - I read this post last weekend, I thought I commented. Maybe I just salivated. Oh well, just want to say I agree, and those scones are calling me, I think it is that light brown exterior. They look perfectly crusty and simultaneously moist.
i can never stick to the recipe....i try my best especially if i am baking...but mostly it is to suit what is on hand.....the scones look good....but my heart is set on the bread....i have bookmarked this....thanks for sharing this
fun recipes and you're quotable.
Girl Cynthia those are some great recipes you got there. I remember that Guyanese style corn. It's delicious!! Connor would love those scones and that breakfast bread.
P.S. Are you coming to Miami soon? Also,I was wondering if you and I attended Sacred Heart around the same time. I left after writing Common Entrance in 1988.
I could eat loafs of those! Hahaha...Help! Carbo overload but then, I like (so torn in between, hahaha..)
Hmm, must be scone season! Great looking scones, I forgot how much I enjoy raisins in them, they'll certainly be in my next batch. Some cinnamon raisin peanut butter ones oughta do the trick. Love the breakfast bread idea too. Great stuff!
love that picture of the grapefruit! so pretty
Wow! I just found your blog and I am hooked. Bookmarked for sure. Wonderful pictures too.
Hi Cynthia, first time visiting your blog and I couldn't take my eyes off from the Breakfast Bread! I like savory things for breakfast and hhmm..that just looks too yummy!
Thank you Cynthia
for this bread, and for links with breat recipes.
It is excellent!!!
I have to send links to my mom.
She loves to bake bread!
The bread is looking awesome cynthia.. so are the scones...
I totally love to play with recipes especially since I'm lactose intolerant and alot of recipes call for dairy. I think by playing around with it you can surely get a better product. Now you make me want one of those delicious raisin scones! The breakfast bread looks amazing also! I bet my husband would LOVE that.
the scones look scrumptious cynthia.
This one is fantastic..am going to try it!!
I am still here on your blog, just drooling away.
I am stealing this bread recipe; I must try this and I'll tell you how it turned out. This is just breakfast comfort food at its best.
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