Food and Rationing

Baking In The Blitz: Potato Scones

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Potato Scones

I’m pretty surprised at myself for choosing potato scones—particularly because I was debating between the scones and mocha pudding, and a lot of the time I’m naturally inclined to choose something that has even the slightest bit of chocolate in it—but hey, who doesn’t love a good scone every now and then!

PREPERATION

Ingredients:

*6 oz flour

*1 teaspoonful baking powder

*4-5 tablespoonfuls milk

* 1 oz fat

* ½ teaspoonful salt

* 4 oz mashed potato.

Method: Method-Mix the flour and salt. Add the baking powder and work into the mashed potato. Rub in the fat. Blend to a soft dough with milk. Roll out to ¼ inch thickness. Cut into rounds. Brush the tops with milk. Bake on greased baking sheets for 15 minutes in a hot oven. For a sweet scone add 1 oz sugar.

While combining the ingredients, I was afraid that it might not come together very well and would fall apart as I kneaded the dough. As I rubbed the fat (Crisco shortening) in, however, everything came together quite smoothly. The milk made for a nice touch as it made the dough smooth, while pulling it together very satisfyingly, which resulted in what’s pictured above.

Since the recipe instructed that I cut it into rounds, I used the same cup that contained the baking powder and ended up with 4, 3 inch scones, (as pictured below).

THE BAKING PROCESS

I have to admit that the process of baking the scones was a bit irritating since I ended up popping it back into the oven more than once. The recipe requires the pastries to be baked for 15 minutes. Since there was no suggested temperature in which to set the oven, I stuck to 350 degrees just to be safe. I ended up baking the scones for about 29 minutes.

1st attempt:

After my first try, which was the recommended 15 mins, I was not impressed. The scones had no color and when I did the fork test, it did not come out clean, and so I popped it back in for another 6 minutes. After this second time, I did notice a charming light golden brown color on the scones, but they still didn’t feel completely cooked to the center (as suggested by another fork test) and so I popped them back in again for a third time (more irritated this time). After 5 mins I checked on them again and it seemed as though i had made some progress, but wasn’t completely there. I finally popped them back in (on the lower level of the oven) for a final                                                                   3 minutes and hoped for the best.

*The little one in the middle was made up from the extra dough.

Final product:

I initially though that this product that these were going to come out very bland but they ended up being quite tasty and I believe the credit goes to the salt. They remind me a lot of biscuits (which was what they looked a lot like after the first 15 minutes of baking). During the process of baking I regretted not adding sugar (as suggested if one desired a sweet scone) but I’m relieved that I didn’t, or else it might’ve interfered with the delightful presence of the salt. They had a nice little crunchiness to them and I think the potato held them together perfectly, while making it rather wholesome.

*I can see why potatoes were a definite choice back in WWII, when rations were very little in amount. Though the scones weren’t very big, the potatoes thickened the batch, making it a bit more fulfilling.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I would try this recipe again because of the simple ingredients and easy preparation. Thought the baking process was a bit frustrating, I’m actually kind of pleased at the way the scones came out and I can see myself craving these in the future—there will be some tweaking though–as I was thrown off by the baking time, and though the salt did a lot for the flavor, it was a tad bit overwhelming. All in all, I might just give these potato scones another shot!

 

 

 

 

 

4 Comments

  1. Wow. I’m jealous. They look like thick, fluffy cookies! And I would never guess you made them with potatoes.

    On the cooking process, I do wish the recipe instructions would be a bit more clear. I totally feel you there. Perhaps the oven temperature should be increased next time. Nonetheless, they came out great and I’d love to give it a try sometime!

  2. These look great! I can see how the instructions can be a bit frustrating, but it worked out well in the end.

  3. Hi Saudia,

    Like Deen, I am also a bit jealous your choice was more edible. I think overall the potato dishes have been the tastier of the bunch. You are right to think about the importance of potatoes in the British wartime diet. They were a staple, in part because they were filling, but also because they were healthy and could be grown there. (No need to import them, which would have been difficult with the German U-Boat blockade around the island.) I also very much appreciate the color-coding in the ingredients photo.

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