From Mama’s Kitchen - Sultana Scone
I love scones. I don’t make them too often because I just don’t think about doing it. They are really not much more work than muffins and way quicker than doughnuts. I think the trick to scones is like the trick to biscuits. Don’t overwork the dough.
Note to those who haven’t had a fresh scone: Do not be confused by those scones you find in the coffee shop (hello Starbucks!) or wrapped in plastic wrap at the bakery counter. Sconces should not be hard as a brick. They should not break a tooth when bitten into. They should be soft on the inside with just a bit of crunch on the outside. Like a nice loaf of fresh Italian or French bread, crunchy crust, tender crumb. Excellent fresh out of the oven - warm with butter or honey or a nice fruit curd. Out of this world with a glob of Devonshire Cream.
This recipe is from a 1933 booklet from Arm & Hammer. I don’t know when “Cow Brand Baking Soda” went out of business, but I would love to find an old package of it for my kitchen (no, not to use in cooking). Here’s a copy of the box from the Package Museum website:
From “Good Things to Eat” made with Arm & Hammer Baking Soda; 105th Edition booklet, copyright 1933.
Sultana Scone (Raisin Scone)
4 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoons Arm & Hammer or Cow Brand Baking Soda
2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup Sultana Raisins
1 egg, well beaten
1 cup milk
Sift flour once, measure, add baking soda, cream of tartar, salt and sugar and sift again. Cut in shortening. Ad raisins. Combine egg and milk. Add to flour mixture, stirring quickly to form a stiff dough. Turn onto floured board. Kneed slightly. Divide in two parts. Roll into circles 7 inches in diameter. Cut dough almost through crosswise with a sharp, floured knife. Brush with slightly beaten egg, leaving cuts untouched. Bake in hot oven (475 degrees) for 20 minutes.
