For those of you with a “Bucket List”, scratch off: Being Kidnapped By Aliens. It’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. For starters, there’s a massive language barrier. There was that anal probe thing. Twice. I don’t share their obsession with Barry Manilow. They don’t drink coffee. But the deal breaker — and the reason I finally had to say “adios” — was THEY DON”T LIKE BACON. Shocking.
The whole time I’m hanging with these guys, all I could think about was a warm bacon and sun dried tomato scone and a hot cup of coffee. Needless to say, when the opportunity presented itself — the death ray was down for maintenance — I “requisitioned” an escape pod and flew the coup. It’s good to be back.
On to the scone…
- ¾ cup dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
- ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¾ cup butter, cut up
- 8 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained, and crumbled
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place tomatoes in a bowl. Add enough boiling water to cover. Let stand 5 minutes. Drain well; chop tomatoes.
- In large bowl combine flour, baking powder, basil, oregano, and garlic salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in chopped tomatoes and bacon. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside. In small bowl combine sour cream, eggs, and milk; add all at once to flour mixture. Stir with a fork just until moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough gently 10 to 12 strokes or until dough holds together. Divide in half. Pat or lightly roll each dough half to a 7-inch circle. Cut each circle in 8 wedges.
- Place wedges 2 inches apart on a large baking sheet, no grease. Bake for 5 minutes. Sprinkle tops of scones with cheese. Bake 7 to 8 minutes more or until tops are lightly browned. Serve warm.
When the recipe calls for crumbled bacon, I use kitchen shears and cut the bacon into 1/2” to 3/4″ chunks, tossing the bacon in a wok over low heat. I find it more efficient than using a skillet or baking sheet, but that’s just me.
For the dry ingredients, I found using a whisk achieved the result I was looking for, and made adding the butter a snap.
When thoroughly mixed, knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until the dough holds together. Form into a 7″ round, and cut into 8 sections. If you’re going for Starbucks sized scones, cut in 3 sections…
Transfer to a baking sheet — I used a silicone liner — and then into the preheated oven. After 5 minutes or so, remove from the oven and add shredded mozzarella over the top, returning to the oven to finish.
10 minutes more, and you’re finished! Let the scones cool a bit, and enjoy with a nice cup of coffee!
Tasty! Sun dried tomatoes always seem to add an air of refinement to a recipe, and it’s certainly the case here. The bacon flavor dominates, though, and that’s what we’re after. Had the aliens offered me coffee and one of these scones, I might have been able to see past the Barry Manilow fascination. Wasn’t going to happen…bless their hearts, they do not know what they’re missing!
Those look awesome!
Thanks, Perry!