Given the increase in Coronavirus cases in our area, my husband and I are trying to limit our shopping time to hours when stores are less frequented. That often results in our being out during lunch hours and not returning home until mid-afternoon, which leaves us hungry and cranky! Yes, we could go to a drive-through or find a restaurant but each option has its problems--like too many cars in the drive-through (as well as not-to-healthy fast food) and elevated risk in the eat-in places. We could take a couple of "tide you over" bananas with us, but that hasn't and isn't likely to happen. So, my best plan to deal with the "hangries" are plastic bags with sourdough trail mix scones in them. The scones are filling with dried fruit and protein-rich nuts in them. The scones are tasty and easy to eat directly from the plastic bag (not pretty, perhaps, but no touching with possibly dirty hands is required). The scones also are great for breakfast. I pop the scones into the toaster to warm, and the toaster makes the scones extra crispy on the outside while the interiors stay tender. These scones need no butter or jam. The trail mix provides plenty of taste and sweetness. As for the trail mix, I often use a big bag of the stuff from Costco, but the small bags from Aldi work quite nicely, too. Just use the flavor/variety of trail mix that you like to eat! Stay safe!
Sourdough Trail Mix Scones -- Makes 8
1 cup of flour
1/3 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of non-fat dry milk powder
3 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup of canola oil
1 teaspoon of grated lemon or orange zest
1 cup of sourdough starter/discard
1 cup of trail mix (for the scones in the photos, I used a mix that includes dried mango,
dried cranberries, almonds, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds)
Sugar for sprinkling (optional)
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and milk powder. Cut in the butter, then the canola oil until some large and small bits form. Stir in the citrus zest and the starter, then the trail mix. The dough will be quite difficult to stir. Dump it out onto a piece of baking parchment large enough to fit your baking sheet (the parchment is doing double-duty, here, keeping your counter clean and lining the baking sheet). Knead/pat the dough together and press it into a round about an inch or a little more in thickness. Cut the round into eight triangles, then separate the triangles, spacing them an inch or two apart on the baking parchment. Slide the parchment onto the baking sheet and set the oven at 400 degrees. Sprinkle the tops of the triangles with a little sugar, if you like. Bake the scones for 15-20 minutes or until set and golden. You also can let the scones sit, lightly covered, on the counter for an hour or two before baking them, if you'd prefer (I often do this to get other things--like dinner--ready to go into the oven at the same time). The scone dough will puff a little from the sourdough process, if you do.
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