Sunday, September 19, 2010

Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Scones


I was “cleaning up” my picture folders and I found the pictures of the ‘Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Scones’ that I made back in the States. It was delicious and hearty, perfect for breakfast. And so, I would like to share the recipes that I found for these savory scones.

When I think of scones I usually think of them being sweet, not savory. But one morning, when my sister was eating the cranberry scones I made, she said something like, “Wouldn’t it be nice if I just fried an egg and some bacons and sandwiched them between the scones?”

It started giving me ideas since she said that, so I decided to search for some savory scones recipes. I just randomly typed “bacon and egg scones” and viola! Tons of recipes popped out.
So, among the many recipes, I referred to Leite’s Culinaria and King Arthur’s recipes.

I modified the recipes to suit our taste and also to make it less fat/calorie (or so I hope).

Original recipe of ‘Bacon, Egg, and Cheddar Scones’ by Leite’s Culinaria
Original recipe of ‘Bacon-Cheddar-Chive Scones’ by King Arthur Flour

My modified version (not highly recommended):

Ingredients

2 cups              all-purpose flour

1 tbsp              baking powder

1 tsp                salt

2 tsp                sugar

Pepper to taste (may omit if you don’t like pepper)

3 tbsp              butter, cubed and cold

1 cup               mozzarella cheese, shredded (2% fat)

3 large             eggs, scrambled and broken up into pieces about 1 inch square
                        (I used Egg Beater)

6 strips             bacon, cooked and cut into pieces about 1 inch square (about 1 cup)
                        (I used Turkey bacon)

3/4 cup            milk (or just enough to form a dough)

Method

1.      Preheat oven to 425 F degree ( 210 C degree). Line baking sheet with parchment.
2.      Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and pepper together. Stir them until they are well mixed.
3.      Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.* Do not  overmix.
         You can do this using pastry blender, two knives, your hands, food processor, or stand mixer.
4.      Mix in the shredded cheese, scrambled eggs, and bacon pieces till evenly distributed.
5.      Add in half of the milk first, stir to combine. Keep adding until a dough is formed (no crumbs left at the bottom of the bowl). The dough will be sticky and chunky.
6.      Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface. Pat the dough into a smooth rectangle, about 1 inch thick. Cut the dough into 6 portions.**
7.      Place the scones at least 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.
8.      Brush the scones with a bit of milk.***
9.      Bake the scones for 15 – 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove and serve warm.

*          Because I used less butter, my mixture usually did not turn out like coarse breadcrumbs. I always stop mixing when the butter lumps are about the size of small peas.
**        It can be in any shape (round, rectangle, square, triangle) or size you prefer
***      You can use egg wash or even heavy cream; this is just to help their crust brown.

I highly recommend everyone, especially scone-lovers, to try the original recipes. I am sure it will be delicious. (If anyone out there happens to try them, do share with me on how it turned out)

In my honest opinion, my version is not the best tasting “bacon, egg, and cheese” scones but it is a “healthier” alternative. Well, actually, it is to cut down the calories so we will feel less guilty for consuming such hearty scones. Haha. Like my Mum always said, “Things with less oil [fat] are less tasty.” And I find myself agreeing with that statement more often than not. Though I can think of a few less fat/less calories food that are more delicious…

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