Dear readers,
I'm back after a two-week-plus bout of covid. It was a mild case - slight sinus congestion but mostly a lack of appetite and wanting to sleep all the time. I'm still dealing with a tired head. All in all, I'm almost back to normal. Very thankful for the natural supplements I take including homeopathic and a mineral/electrolyte supplement.
My sewing room has been missing me, though I did spend a little time oiling my machine a few days ago and replacing the presser plate on my Singer 221 Featherweight with a vintage one that has seam markings! I'm excited!! My1948 machine was built without the markings on it. Consequently, I resorted to using painter's tape to mark my seam width! It was an expensive purchase for a vintage presser foot, but to me, it was well worth it! Here are a couple of photos. I will post about my wonderful vintage sewing machine another time.
This is the original presser plate I removed from my machine. There are no markings on it for seam widths.
Here is the "new" vintage presser plate with seam width markings.
And a photo of my cute 221 Singer Featherweight sewing machine with the "new" presser plate installed.
And now for my delicious updated chocolate chip scone recipe!
For a number of years now I've been baking with Einkorn all-purpose flour as well as some heritage white and whole wheat flours. Einkorn is my favorite because it's the original wheat from several thousand years ago. Not hybridized and it has a different gluten content than the regular all-purpose flour that is being grown and sold today. So much better and healthier, especially for people who have issues with gluten. Feel free to research it yourself!
I have an Einkorn cookbook called "Einkorn - recipes for nature's original wheat" by Carla Bartolucci. She's the founder of Jovial Foods and Bionaturae. You can get the cookbook on Amazon. What I am sharing today is her recipe for Classic Cream Scones including my optional ingredients for a Chocolate Chip version. Either way, the scones are fabulous when made with Einkorn flour! I have posted in the past my usual recipe for Chocolate Chip scones that I've been using for decades. That recipe originally came from Country Living magazine. That one uses regular all-purpose flour and shortening. I haven't used shortening in a very long time! Butter is better!
Here is Carla's original recipe for Classic Cream Scones using all-purpose Einkorn flour. I tweaked the wording a bit. You may use your regular all-purpose flour but keep in mind that Einkorn flour is a bit different when it comes to absorbing liquids. You will need less liquid with Einkorn flour than with regular all-purpose flour. If you use this recipe with your regular all-purpose flour, you will need to add about a tablespoon more of heavy cream.
Classic Cream Scones by Carla Bartolucci
3 cups all-purpose Einkorn flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 cup sugar, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (I use pink Himalayan)
10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
3/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons cold heavy cream
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Mix together the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal but still has some larger chunks of butter. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Pour in the 3/4 cup heavy cream and squeeze the dough through your hands until the dough barely holds together. I use a fork to mix, then my hands. Knead the dough 5 to 10 times until the flour is absorbed but the dough is very shaggy, not smooth.
Lightly flour your work surface and use a rolling pin or your hands (I use my hands) and roll the dough out in a seven or eight-inch circle. Cut the circle into 8 triangles.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the scones on it, spacing them apart about 1.5 inches. Brush the tops of the scones with 2 teaspoons of cream and dust with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until lightly golden. (For my oven, I usually bake for 13 minutes, then turn the pan around and bake for 3 more minutes so the scones are evenly browned.)
Remove scones to a baking rack to cool and serve warm or at room temperature. Store in a sealed plastic bag for up to 2 days, or freeze up to 1 month. My scones last for several days under a glass cake stand, if you don't gobble them up first!
My optional ingredients and tips:
For CHOCOLATE CHIP SCONES, add 1/2 cup of mini semi-sweet chips
Try adding a half-teaspoon or one teaspoon of ground cardamom (I love cardamom!)
I add one large egg and about a teaspoon of vanilla which doesn't affect the amount of heavy cream when using Einkorn flour.
I skip brushing the scones with cream and sugar.
If you use regular all-purpose flour, add about one tablespoon of heavy cream.
I also use salted butter instead of unsalted. Use what you have on hand.
I have made this recipe with half Einkorn flour and half Heritage all-purpose/whole wheat. Comes out great whatever you do. Just remember if you use something other than Einkorn flour, you may need to add about a tablespoon more of cream.
ENJOY!!
