Fried Scones

I put a plate of scones I had just fried on the counter between my mom and I.  There were five scones on the plate to be exact.  She ate one and commented on how wonderful it was.  Well, you can never eat just one, so she had another.  She went to grab a third and said, "Last one!"  A minute went by and she kept eyeing the last two.  Temptation gave in and she grabbed the fourth-"Last one- promise!"  She gobbled that one down and now that lonely last scone was calling to her.  We looked at each other, then the scone, then back at each other.  I'm not sure what she was thinking, but I had that look that said, Dare ya.  She ate it- no joke!  Five scones in five minutes- I'm pretty sure that's a record!

That's the only problem with these scones-they're irresistible.  You eat one and tell yourself "that's it".  Then somehow you talk yourself into eating another, but only on the terms that it's your last.  Before you know it, you're eating another one (and of course it's going to be your last)!  If you eat more than five, you hold the record :)

RECIPE

1 quart buttermilk

2 TBL yeast

2 TBL sugar

1/4 cup warm water

2 eggs

2 TBL oil

8 C. flour

1 TBL Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 1/2 tsp Salt

* In a Kitchen Aid, combine water, yeast and sugar.  Let that set while you warm the buttermilk in a large sauce pan.  Remove the milk from the heat when it is warm to the touch (I stick my finger in it to test it).  Add eggs, oil and milk to the yeast mixture.  Combine half the flour with the remaining ingredients, then add to the dough mixture.  Add the remaining flour and let it knead for about five minutes, or until all the flour is incorporated.  Put the dough in a large greased bowl or Tupperware container.  Put it in the fridge and let it raise at least all day, preferably overnight.  Heat oil in a large pot to 375 degrees (I have an electric fryer which makes this so much easier).  Heavily flour a counter surface, grab a large handful of dough and roll in in flour until it's all covered.  Roll it out to about 1/4" thick and cut with a pizza cutter into desired shape/size.  Fry for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown (they'll bubble up when frying).  Remove onto a paper towel or cooling rack (see tip below).

Eat them hot with honey butter............

...............or make them into (Mock) Navajo Tacos..........

.......or dip them in cinnamon sugar (this is my personal favorite!)

Tips:

• Don't let the buttermilk get hot- you don't want to cook the eggs.  Warm to the touch is perfect.
• The dough doesn't have a lot of oil since it's fried in oil- so it's super sticky.  Cooled dough is easier to work with and make sure you use lots of flour when rolling it out.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• It will continue to raise in the fridge- a large Tupperware bowl that has a lid is the best.  If you don't have one, just separate the dough into 2 bowls and cover tightly with saran wrap.
• It makes a lot of scones- I forgot to count, but somewhere between 40-50.  I usually make this recipe when we have a family gathering so there's never leftovers.  My friend halved the recipe and it worked great.  You can refrigerate the dough for at least 3-4 days; I'll save my oil and make fresh scones during that time.
• I put a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet and set my scones on that after coming out of the fryer.  It lets excess oil drip off and keeps them crisp.
  
   If I'm frying a bunch and need to keep them warm, I'll turn the oven on to the lowest temperature setting.  When it's done preheating, I'll turn it off- you just want to create a 'warming zone' to keep the finished scones in.  
• For the cinnamon/ sugar I mixed 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon together.  I let the scones cool for 1-2 minutes after coming out of the fryer, then dip them in the sugar mixture.  They taste like doughnuts!
• I have family that like their scones a little thicker- just make sure you fry them long enough to cook the inside.