Traditional Scottish Scones

This is my favorite scone recipe given to me by a friend whose mom is from Scotland.  It was the family recipe dating back generations.  What I love about this recipe is it is not sickly sweet as many of the scones are I try from various bakeries and coffee shops.  There is no glaze or frosting.  These are scones as they are meant to be.  Unfortunately, I do not have photos today but promise to post some in a future entry with links to this recipe:

Buttermilk Scones

1 3/4 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

5 tablespoons of butter

3/4 cup of buttermilk

Mix the dry ingredients together.  Cut in the butter (Tip: cut the butter up in small pieces).  Add the buttermilk and stir to form dough.  Do not over mix - just enough to moisten the dry ingredients.

** See note below for variations

Lightly flour the working space and pat down mixture in a circle until about 1/2 inch thick.  Cut in 8 pie shaped wedges.  Place scones on an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake at 450 for 10 minutes.

**VARIATIONS: These scones may be made plain as the basic recipe states or you may add one of the following after the dough is ready to form:

1/4 cup of raisins, blueberries, raspberries, grated cheddar cheese, or chocolate chips.  

I have made all of these variations, and there are probably other viable possibilities.  1/4 cup of any addition is perfect for this recipe.

My friend would serve these at her B&B for breakfast.  It is so easy to mix up the dry ingredients the night before, leave the butter out overnight to soften, and mix them up in the morning.  This recipe can be ready to go in the oven in 15 minutes. 

This is a go to recipe for me.  I love making them for breakfast, but I like them even more the next day - if there are any left.  This recipe is easy to make and making two separate batches is no problem.  I do not recommend doubling the recipe.  It is easier to manipulate this size.