Linda's Skillet Scones

For me, cooking has always been about more than just sustenance alone. The foods we eat tell a story, and I am always listening. Every ingredient and technique used in modern kitchens are a daily retelling of the movement of cultures across time. Individual family histories come to life with the recipes that have been passed down from one generation to the next. Perhaps, this could be another way of interpreting the old saying, "you are what you eat."

I can still remember the first time I had these scones. While traveling with friends on the coast, John made a batch and served them with a local cranberry jam. It was a revelation. Cooked on the stovetop, rather than being baked in the oven, they had a distinctive chew within a golden crisp exterior. Having learned this traditional Scottish recipe from Linda, his always delightful and English born mother, he was sharing a little slice of his family's history.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon table or fine grain sea salt

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled

1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat your skillet or griddle to medium-low. See notes.

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar in medium bowl. Sift together with a fork.

Divide the cold butter into small ¼ inch pieces. Add to the dry ingredients and toss with fork to coat in the flour.

Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture. You can also manually do this by quickly rubbing the butter and flour together with your fingertips, until it is all incorporated together into flat pea sized crumbles.

Stir in the buttermilk with a fork until just barely mixed. The dough will be shaggy. Do not overmix.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and divide in two. Form each half into a 1-inch-thick disc, and then cut each disc into 4 scones. There should be 8 total scones. If dough is too sticky, gently pat each scone with flour.

Lightly grease your skillet with oil spray or rub with a paper towel dipped in oil. Place all scones in pan and watch closely to keep from burning. Flip scones every 2-3 minutes, as the outside turns golden brown, on all sides. The scones should be cooked on the top and bottom as well as on the cut sides, giving each scone 5 crisped sides. As the scones brown keep flipping and moving them around the pan to prevent burning. Each side will cook at least twice. Total time should be between 20-25 minutes. Check the inside of one to make sure center is cooked through.

Serve immediately and keep warm wrapped in a kitchen towel nestled in a bowl.

Notes:

Traditionally, this recipe is done on a cast iron skillet or stovetop griddle. You could also use an electric griddle, or a heavy bottomed non-stick skillet.

Careful attention is needed to prevent burning. Don't let heat in pan get hotter than medium. While they cook keep an eye and flip scones repeatedly as they go from light tan to dark golden brown.

Dried fruit can be added to the dry ingredients before mixing in the buttermilk. Start with ¼ cup. Try currants, or my favorite, dried cranberries. A little lemon or orange zest would also be lovely mixed in.

A bowl of these on the table make a delightful addition to a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs, or as a proper tea-time treat. Wonderful served with plenty of butter, jam, or honey on the side.

Enjoy, and remember the Brits pronounce scone like it rhymes with gone.