The Cheese Board (12 page)
Authors: Cheese Board Collective Staff
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
Combine the lemon peel, lemon zest, and the ¾ cup sugar in a small bowl.
Sift the flour, baking soda, and baking powder together into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl.
If using a stand mixer,
add the salt and lemon sugar to the bowl and mix with the paddle attachment on low speed until combined. Add the butter and cut it in on low speed for about 4 minutes, or until it is the size of small peas. Make a well in the center and add the cream and buttermilk. Mix briefly, just until the ingredients come together; some loose flour should remain at the bottom of the bowl.
add the salt and lemon sugar to the bowl and mix with the paddle attachment on low speed until combined. Add the butter and cut it in on low speed for about 4 minutes, or until it is the size of small peas. Make a well in the center and add the cream and buttermilk. Mix briefly, just until the ingredients come together; some loose flour should remain at the bottom of the bowl.
If making by hand,
add the salt and lemon sugar to the bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the butter and cut it in with a pastry cutter or 2 dinner knives until it is the size of small peas. Make a well in the center and add the cream and buttermilk. Mix briefly with the spoon, just until the ingredients come together; some loose flour should remain at the bottom of the bowl.
add the salt and lemon sugar to the bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the butter and cut it in with a pastry cutter or 2 dinner knives until it is the size of small peas. Make a well in the center and add the cream and buttermilk. Mix briefly with the spoon, just until the ingredients come together; some loose flour should remain at the bottom of the bowl.
Gently shape the dough into balls about 2¼ inches in diameter (they should have a rough, rocky exterior) and place them on the prepared pan about 2 inches apart.
Sprinkle the ¼ cup of sugar on top of the scones. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool.
Pumpkin Scones
We make these all year round. You would think that the pumpkin would make this scone heavy, but the reverse is true. These have a fluffy, cloudlike texture, and their light orange color is unusual.
MAKES 10 TO 12 SCONES
Preparation time including baking: 45 minutes
½ cup heavy cream
¾ cup buttermilk
1 cup canned or homemade pumpkin purée
3½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
Topping
¼ cup sugar
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream, buttermilk, and pumpkin.
Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg together into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl.
If using a stand mixer,
add the salt and sugar to the dry ingredients and mix with the paddle attachment on low speed until combined. Add the butter and cut it in on low speed for about 4 minutes, or until it is the size of small peas. Make a well in the center and add the pumpkin mixture. Mix briefly, just until the ingredients come together; some loose flour should remain at the bottom of the bowl.
add the salt and sugar to the dry ingredients and mix with the paddle attachment on low speed until combined. Add the butter and cut it in on low speed for about 4 minutes, or until it is the size of small peas. Make a well in the center and add the pumpkin mixture. Mix briefly, just until the ingredients come together; some loose flour should remain at the bottom of the bowl.
If making by hand,
add the salt and sugar to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the butter and cut it in with a pastry cutter or 2 dinner knives until it is the size of small peas. Make a well in the center and add the pumpkin mixture. Mix briefly with the spoon, just until the ingredients come together; some loose flour should remain at the bottom of the bowl.
add the salt and sugar to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the butter and cut it in with a pastry cutter or 2 dinner knives until it is the size of small peas. Make a well in the center and add the pumpkin mixture. Mix briefly with the spoon, just until the ingredients come together; some loose flour should remain at the bottom of the bowl.
Gently shape the dough into balls about 2¼ inches in diameter (they should have a rough, rocky exterior) and place them on the prepared pan about 2 inches apart.
For the topping, mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture on the top of the scones. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool.
Over the years I have actually seen some of the customers more than my dearest, closest friends, so in a way they have become dear, close friends, because they are the ones I do get to see on a daily basis.
—VICKI
Maple Pecan Scones
This scone is different from our usual scone because it has an additional step. Maple syrup and confectioners’ sugar are combined to form a glaze that is spooned on top of each scone. It is important to wait 10 minutes before glazing them. If the scones are hot, the glaze becomes too thin and runs off; if the scones have completely cooled, the glaze will sit on top of them instead of spreading over them.
MAKES 10 TO 12 SCONES
Preparation time including baking: 1 hour
3½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
1¼ cups coarsely chopped pecans
¾ cup heavy cream
¾ cup buttermilk
Glaze
⅔ cup maple syrup
1½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
Sift the flour, baking soda, and baking powder together into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl.
If using a stand mixer,
add the salt and sugar to the bowl and mix with the paddle attachment on low speed until combined. Add the butter and cut it in on low speed for about 4 minutes, or until it is the size of small peas. Mix in the pecans. Make a well in the center and add the cream and buttermilk. Mix briefly, just until the ingredients come together; some loose flour should remain at the bottom of the bowl.
add the salt and sugar to the bowl and mix with the paddle attachment on low speed until combined. Add the butter and cut it in on low speed for about 4 minutes, or until it is the size of small peas. Mix in the pecans. Make a well in the center and add the cream and buttermilk. Mix briefly, just until the ingredients come together; some loose flour should remain at the bottom of the bowl.
If making by hand,
add the salt and sugar to the bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the butter and cut it in with a pastry cutter or 2 dinner knives until it is the size of small peas. Using the spoon, mix in the pecans. Make a well in the center and add the cream and buttermilk. Mix briefly, just until the ingredients come together; some loose flour should remain at the bottom of the bowl.
add the salt and sugar to the bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the butter and cut it in with a pastry cutter or 2 dinner knives until it is the size of small peas. Using the spoon, mix in the pecans. Make a well in the center and add the cream and buttermilk. Mix briefly, just until the ingredients come together; some loose flour should remain at the bottom of the bowl.
Gently shape the dough into balls about 2¼ inches in diameter (they should have a rough, rocky exterior) and place them on the prepared pan about 2 inches apart.
Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
To make the glaze, 5 minutes before the scones come out of the oven, pour the maple syrup into a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the confectioners’ sugar to make a smooth mixture.
Line a work surface with newspaper and place a wire rack on top. Transfer the scones to the rack. Let cool for 10 minutes, then pour 1 tablespoonful maple glaze over the top of each scone. Let the glaze set before serving.
When I started working here, I thought that it was just like any other job and that I was an employee. Then people all around me started talking about motivation. They told me to start thinking like an owner. Suddenly, I came to realize that I was a part owner of the business. It was a dream fulfilled. I never thought I would ever own a business, and here it was, part mine.
—ARTEMIO
Ultimately, you know in a collective that if you choose to take a stand and live by it and assert yourself you can’t be fired. It’s not that way in the real world, where you have to do what somebody else tells you to do, and therein lies the difference.
—VICKI
Corn Cherry Scones
A few years ago, we trained a group of people starting a new bakery cooperative. In order to do this, we opened the store on Mondays, a day we had been closed on for years. A lot of experimenting was done on those Monday mornings. This is one of the creations from those hectic training days. We tried the corn cherry scone first as a muffin, then as a biscuit, until its final version emerged, a buttery, sweet scone studded with dried cherries. The cornmeal tends to make the batter heavy and slow rising, so only buttermilk is added. This acts with the leavening to create a lighter scone. The initial high oven temperature also helps give this scone a push so it doesn’t flatten out while baking. It crumbles when eaten, and the crumbs are very
popular with the sparrows and dogs that hang out in front of the store.
popular with the sparrows and dogs that hang out in front of the store.
MAKES 10 TO 12 SCONES
Preparation time including baking: 45 minutes
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
⅔ cup plus ¼ cup sugar
1½ cups medium-grind yellow cornmeal
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
¾ cup dried sweet cherries
1¼ cups buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
Sift the flour, baking soda, and baking powder together into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl.
If using a stand mixer,
add the salt, the ⅔ cup sugar, and the cornmeal to the bowl and mix with the paddle attachment on low speed until combined. Add the butter and cut it in on low speed for about 4 minutes, or until it is the size of small peas. Mix in the cherries. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk. Mix briefly, just until the ingredients come together; some loose flour should remain at the bottom of the bowl. Let the batter stand for 5 minutes.
add the salt, the ⅔ cup sugar, and the cornmeal to the bowl and mix with the paddle attachment on low speed until combined. Add the butter and cut it in on low speed for about 4 minutes, or until it is the size of small peas. Mix in the cherries. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk. Mix briefly, just until the ingredients come together; some loose flour should remain at the bottom of the bowl. Let the batter stand for 5 minutes.
If making by hand,
add the salt, the ⅔ cup sugar, and the cornmeal to the bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the butter and cut it in with a pastry cutter or 2 dinner knives until it is the size of small peas. Using the spoon, mix in the cherries. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk. Mix briefly, just until the ingredients come together; some loose flour should remain at the bottom of the bowl. Let the batter stand for 5 minutes.
add the salt, the ⅔ cup sugar, and the cornmeal to the bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the butter and cut it in with a pastry cutter or 2 dinner knives until it is the size of small peas. Using the spoon, mix in the cherries. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk. Mix briefly, just until the ingredients come together; some loose flour should remain at the bottom of the bowl. Let the batter stand for 5 minutes.
Gently shape the dough into balls about 2¼ inches in diameter (they should have a rough, rocky exterior) and place them on the prepared pan about 2 inches apart.
Sprinkle the ¼ cup sugar on top of the scones. Place the scones in the oven on the middle rack and immediately turn the temperature down to 375°F. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the scones are golden. Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool.
When I first worked here, seeing the overwhelmingly huge mountain of dough was exciting. I’d think, “How many thousands of scones do we have to make before seven o’clock and we open up?”
—JOSÉ
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