Recipes

[Free2be]

seriouseats dot com has an article on fried scones, sometimes caled Utah scones.

[shortbreadlover]

a fancy name for fried bread dough

[Honeybit]

@Free2be    @shortbreadlover

Thanks -- I'll look online for Utah Scones.  Brand new terminology for me.

[shortbreadlover]

look in the new issue of cook's illustrated.  they have a great recipe for them and for navajo tacos

[loriqvc]

As a Utahn who has had our adapted version of Navajo tacos as my birthday dinner every year for over two decades, I'm happy to share my family's favorite recipe for scones. "Utah scones"—a phrase I just saw for the first time in this forum—are slightly different from authentic Navajo frybread you'd get in New Mexico near or on the reservations, where they make them a bit more like flatbreads the size of a dinner plate instead of puffy little squares or rectangles. To give you an overall idea of my birthday dinner, imagine a tostada taco salad with fried bread instead of a fried tortilla at the base plus sweet pillows of honey-filled dough for dessert. Yummy!

SCONES

1 qt buttermilk
2 packets active dry yeast
1/2 C warm water
8-9 C all-purpose flour, divided
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
*About 2 qts vegetable oil for frying*

Heat the buttermilk in a large microwave-safe bowl on high power for about 3 minutes, until it gets a bit bubbly. Meanwhile, in a small bowl or measuring cup, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add the yeast mixture and all the remaining ingredients—except the frying oil—to the buttermilk bowl, starting with just 6 C of the flour. Beat the dough until smooth; you can use a stand mixer or heavy-duty hand mixer at the beginning, but as the dough comes together and you add 2 C more of the flour, you will likely need to use your hands. The dough will be slightly sticky, but if it seems too sticky, add up to the remaining 1 C of flour in 1/4 C increments. Place the dough in a bowl lightly coated with vegetable oil or nonstick spray and allow to rise until doubled in size. After the dough has risen, stir it down. At this point, the dough can be refrigerated for up to 1 day or used right away.

When ready to make the scones, flour your counter or a large board and roll out the dough until about 1/2" thick. Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes before cutting into squares or rectangles (or other desired shapes) and frying. Place 1.5" of the oil in an electric skillet (recommended) or heavy pot and heat to 375; you'll need to keep it around this level so the scone bottoms don't touch the pan/pot bottom. Preheat your oven to 200, get out a sheet pan to use for keeping the fried scones warm while you're working, and line another sheet pan with paper towels. When the oil is at temperature, drop individual dough pieces into the pan/pot, slightly stretching as you do so, and making sure not to crowd the vessel. Carefully baste the dough with a spoon to help it puff up, and flip to cook through on both sides. When the scones are golden all over, remove them from the pan/pot to the paper towel-lined sheet pan and allow to "drain" for a few minutes before transferring to the preheated oven to stay warm. Repeat the frying process until your dough has all been turned into scones—and there will be a lot of them!

Serve sweet by splitting if desired and buttering and/or using honey and/or honey butter and/or jam and/or powdered sugar. Serve savory by splitting if desired and topping with refried beans, shredded roast beef, lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and a little salsa or hot sauce. You can also use slightly more authentic toppings of simmered and spiced pinto beans instead of the refried ones and just top that with cheese and hot sauce.

This recipe is fairly easy to halve if you're not feeding a crowd, and any leftovers are still tasty (though softer) when reheated in the microwave. If you do halve the recipe, start with just 3 1/2 C of flour and work up from there in 1/4 C increments as needed.

*Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to share, but if you type "Utah scones" into the Google image search, the first dozen or so images show you what you can expect your final product to look like.*

[loriqvc]

FYI: I was just re-reading the recipe, and although it says you can keep the dough in the refrigerator for up to a day before using, I've never left it in there for longer than 10 hours, so I can't completely vouch for that part.