Yeast Scones

I've been on the lookout for a very special scone recipe for over 4 years. My favorite tea room (in Albuquerque) makes divine scones. They're soft, light, and heavenly. Now let me say up front - there's no such thing as a bad scone. But I've longed for the texture and flavor of this one particular kind. I've tried many, many different scone recipes but I've never been able to quite replicate the texture. My friend, AZ Tea Lover, also a fan of these scones, found a gem of a recipe that I think fits the bill. The secret ingredient is yeast. This recipe came from cooks.com.


12/17/11 - Update:  I just made these with 3 cups white flour, 2 cups whole wheat and it worked great!
Yield: 2 dozen

1 pkg yeast
2 tbsp lukewarm water
1 cup shortening (we actually used 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup Smart Balance; 1/2 butter and 1/2 oil also ok!)
5 cups flour
3 tbsp baking powder
4 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk (water is OK!)

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. In a small cup, dissolve yeast in water.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk/sift together dry ingredients (sift flour).
4. Cut shortening into dry ingredients.
5. Blend together yeast, buttermilk and shortening/dry ingredients until sticky.
6. Knead and roll out on floured surface to desired thickness. (We did about 1/2 inch.) Cut with cookie cutters.
7. Bake for ~15 min, until tops are golden.
8. Serve with jam and cream. (My favorite is mock Devonshire cream.)

Notes:

• Recipe can be halved.
• AZ Tea Lover recommends freezing uncooked scones on a baking sheet, then storing them in the freezer in a zipper bag. Take one out and thaw it for 15 min, then pop it into toaster oven for an individual treat!. (The thawing helps it puff up a bit more.)
• You could easily add in dried fruit, nuts, etc. to this recipe.