a spot of tea

even though these scones did not turn out entirely as expected (they did not rise very much), i still found myself looking forward to a nibble or two. perhaps i didn't handle them quickly enough (being low-fat, they must be touched as little as possible to retain their light texture), maybe the whole-wheat flour was a bit too bulky to be light and fluffy, or maybe i was expecting the steroidal hulks of scones i see at coffee shops and such. these are tender little biscuits; not too sweet. and as reputed, they are perfect with tea.

Simple Scones
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 T. grated citrus zest (i used oranges, anything would be delightful)
2 T. butter, kept cold until use
1 T. vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a baking sheet. Combine sugar, flour, baking powder and soda, and salt. Stir in the zest. Cut the butter into tiny pieces and add it to the flour. Blend it with your fingertips until it forms tiny balls in the flour.

Stir in the oil and buttermilk until a sticky dough forms. Put the dough on a floured surface. Quickly knead into a ball. Flatten into a 1/2 inch-thick rectangle. Cut into 12 pieces, place on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Cool on a rack.