Scone for One

I don't know about you, but I love a good scone. I don't mean one of those bloated things you get in a chain coffee shop, but the delicate tang of a nice British scone. I thought I'd have to give them up when I became a vegan because of the buttermilk and the egg, but guess again! The first time I got this recipe right, it was so yummy, I made another right away!

½ TBLSP chia seeds

1 ½ TBLSP cold water

1/3 cup flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon sugar

A pinch of salt

2/3 TBLSP vegan butter

1 TBLSP chopped dried fruit (raisins, cherries, apricots)

1 TBLSP almond milk

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

1.      Grind the chia seeds in a mortar and pestle or blender long enough to make a coarse meal (not a flour). (You can skip the grinding—the taste is a little less robust and nutty, but the seeds produce the same goop.) Place the ground seeds in a small container (or leave 'em in the mortar), add 1 ½ TBLSP of cold water (tap cold is fine) and stir briskly. Let sit for five minutes while you mix the rest of the ingredients. The goopy result is a substitute for half of an egg, so if you’re not a vegan, you can use half a beaten egg.

 

2.      Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt) together in a small bowl. A cereal bowl is plenty big enough.

3.       Cut in the butter with a pastry knife or a fork until it’s the texture of cornmeal.

4.       Stir in the dried fruit.

5.      Add in the chia goop and the almond milk. Mix briefly and press into a flattened circle, about 3/4-inch thick on a baking dish or in a shallow cake pan. Score it into wedges (if you like) and brush the top with a little bit more milk.

6.       Bake for 15 minutes.