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Finally, the perfect scone

On the spur of the moment, a batch of scones were promised at a get-together later that night. After eating dinner, I had a less than an hour to prepare them, which produced a…frenzy. Running around the kitchen like someone possessed, I nearly made various accidents of ingredients and, from time to time, of my person. For whatever reason, the scones tasted better than any I’ve made (and I’ve probably made ten batches or so, as well as six from this same recipe). They were absolutely mind-blowing, mouth-watering, taste-tastic, in fact.

I still don’t know what I did right.

Many variables could have influenced this rapid change for the better. Because of my time constraints, I handled the measurements and dough-handling a bit differently. The scones could have tasted better from one of the following reasons, or from a mix thereof:

• More sour cream than usual (1 c and 1 tbs, not just 1 c)
• Room-temperature eggs
• Used chocolate chips
• Used fancy unbleached flour
• New measuring spoons (perfectly hemispherical, not ovoid)
• Less refrigeration time between adding ingredients and rolling out
• Mixed vigorously with a spatula (not carefully with hands)
• Rolling out extra-thin
• Brushing whisked egg on tops very, very quickly
• Spread out dough on extra-large cookie sheet with plenty of room in between each one

If I were a true scientist, I’d test out the variables one by one. I would patiently isolate the responsible factor, instead of acting like someone who has to wear his lucky blue shirt to secure that great new job or win “the big game.” I’d try out the techniques one by one and locate the real culprit, rather than superstitiously recreating the entire series of events.

But why tempt fate?

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