Saturday, February 23, 2013

Old Fashioned Utah Scones ($0.14 each)



$0.14 each          


 This recipe has some fun history to go with it... but first I'm going to tell you how I was introduced to the "Utah scone."

My (sweet-amazing-handsome-wonderful) husband and I got married the summer of 2005, before starting our senior year of college together. During that summer, we lived in the basement apartment of his parent's home in Kaysville, Utah.

It was perfect!

We had our own little space, could come and go as we pleased, and I had the unique opportunity of getting to know my in-laws really well. Can I just say, I love my in-laws? I seriously (seriously) lucked out. They are the salt-of-the-earth-type people.

One evening, the four of us went out to eat at a little place in Kaysville called, Granny Annie's. The wonderful Ms. Annie had a major handle on all things breakfast... It was the kind of rib-sticking, home-style, no-nonsense, comfort food you dream about.

I had eggs, hashbrowns, and a "scone."

My scone did not in any way resemble what most of the world thinks of when they think "scone." Traditional scones are made of baked quick bread... not fried, yeasty, dough.

It was a plate-sized, golden-fried, puffy piece of goodness served up with honey-butter.

I know, I know, NOT healthy in the least. Feel free to shake your head at me, tsk-tsk me, moan and groan at me, and lecture me for even thinking about these scones. Go ahead. I can take it.

So, why do I even bother posting about them?

Oh, I suppose because they are AMAZING!
AND it's such a fun "secret" recipe that the rest of the world is missing out on.
AND despite their nutritional flaws, these scones are very inexpensive and easy-peasy to make. That's gotta count for something... right?
AND eating a Utah scone is just one of those things that you simply MUST experience to live a fulfilled life. (Only half-way kidding, here.)

I still crave a scone from Granny Annie's once in a while... slathered in honey-butter, or sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar... I've also heard that Utah has a more famous restaurant called Sconecutters... dedicated completely to these beautiful scones.

Man... sometimes I wish I lived in Utah... *sniff *sniff... woe is me...

But, wait!

I have some NEWS!!

My little family will be moving from Illinois to Utah in June! My husband is finally mercifully finishing up his medical residency training, and we are headed to his homestate to complete a 1-year fellowship in Sports Medicine. (If any of you are BYU fans, keep an eye out for the good-looking blonde, blue-eyed, guy on the sidelines.)

Ahem.

So, about these "scones"...

This treasure of a recipe is thought to have originated with the early Mormon settlers of Utah, and remains a regional treat. They resemble a denser, chewier fried doughnut... or fry bread. This recipe can be used for Navajo tacos as well. 

SO.. you can use half the dough for dinner (top with beans, meat, lettuce, tomato, salsa, sour cream, avacado, onion, olive, etc. for navajo tacos), put the other half of the dough in a ziplock bag, and store it in the fridge till morning, when you can use it for breakfast/dessert (scones).

Enjoy!!... Just try not to enjoy too often. *wink, wink


Just the way I like it... fresh, hot, and drizzled in butter and honey. Of course, you can always turn around and try my husband's favorite version below:

Old Fashioned Utah Scones
Printable Version

*Makes 10 scones

INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp dry active yeast
3/4 cup luke-warm water
1/4 cup sugar
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup shortening
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
canola oil (or other high smoke point oil) for frying

DIRECTIONS
Combine water, yeast, and sugar in a bowl. Stir gently, and let sit 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt. Cut in the shortening. Mix it together with a fork, or pastry mixer.

Add the beaten egg to the yeast mixture. Add the flour mixture. Mix thoroughly. Dough should be very smooth and pliable, and only slightly sticky. Cover and let rest 1 hour.

Fill a large pan with 1 1/2 - 2 inches of oil, and heat to 350 degrees. Punch down the dough, and divide it into 10  balls. Use your fingers to stretch the balls of dough into 1/4 inch-thick squares (depending on how thick you like your scones... we like 'em thick). Place the dough in the oil and fry until golden brown on each side.

Place fried scones on paper towels. Serve HOT with butter, honey, cinnamon, powdered sugar, or use for Navajo nacos.


~ Savings ~


Cost Breakdown:
1 gallon vegetable oil - $6.78 = 256 T = $0.026/T = $0.832
25 lb all-purpose flour - $7.20 = 94.5 C = $0.077/C = $0.193
25 lb sugar - $13.94 = 945 T = $0.015/T = $0.06
26 oz. salt - $0.44 = 48 T = $0.004/T = $0.002
2 lb. yeast - $4.68 = 48 T = $0.098/T = $0.098
48 oz. shortening - $4.28 = 227 T = $0.019/T = $0.076
1 dozen eggs - $1.79 = $0.150/egg = $0.150
Total Recipe Cost - $1.41
Cost Per Scone - $0.14

The Contender:
None for now. These babies are kind of a novelty item.

Savings:
N/A

"Over a year" scenario:
Make Old Fashioned Utah Scones 5 times = $7.05

35 comments:

  1. my father grew up eating these in Minnesota so they became a special breakfast to us. we called them Dough Dogs and just made them this Christmas for a new generation of neices and nephews. I'm not sure if it was a German reciped handed down, but I'm pretty sure Grandma never travelled to experience Utah scones. We usually use frozen bread dough, so thanks for the DIY recipe

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    1. Wow! Thanks for sharing! That's neat that your family already has some history with this type of thing. :)

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  2. I grew up on these, but I didn't grow up in UT (though my gma did and the recipe came from her). I didn't know that the rest of the world had a different perspective on scones until someone offered me a scone...that was NOT a scone. :) We make them with 100% whole wheat and I actually like the taste better than the white flour scones. It's still fried, but it's also got fresh ground wheat. That's got to count for something - right? ;)

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  3. Oh, and congrats on the fellowship! What a fun way to spend fellowship! I'd say Cory would be working with my brother (football) but he leaves on his mission May 23rd.

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    1. Amy! How fun to see your name pop up on here! :) I've never actually tried these with whole wheat... I thought it just wouldn't be the same. HOWEVER... I am inspired by your comment above, and will have to try the whole wheat version next time I make these. Congrats to your brother! I hope you and your cute family are doing well. I still have such fond memories of the Kirksville days. Take care!!

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  4. Hi there, these "scones" sound very similar to the "Vetkoek" we made in South Africa which were fried balls of dough then we split them in half filled them with either savory or curried mince and ate them like that very yum "not too often" not good for the waistline, but this way with honey and butter mmm I am going to try your recipe today, thank you.

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    1. Wow! South Africa! That's really cool. I hope you enjoy them!

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    2. I too was thinking it was like the VetKoek. My mother in law taught me to make those and filled them with curried mince, and as a desert, cut in half with butter and jam, she used to make them for her husband when he was an engine driver on the mines.

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  5. Could you please explain the navajo tacos? What is the topping in the photograph and do you make them larger than the scones?

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    1. Sure! I make them the same size as the scones. The topping above uses my homemade refried beans and hamburger than has been browned (mixed together). We like to add cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, etc. on top. I hope that answers your question. If not, let me know. :)

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  6. Here in New Mexico these are very popular. The natives are very particular about using specific type of flour and they are sold at most events, plain as fry bread or as a Navajo taco (Seeing as it is made by the navajo's it is pretty authentic tasty stuff).

    Just recently discovered your blog and am enjoying it. I've not been brave enough to make homemade refried beans, but as we are trying to avoid hydrogenated oils, I decided to finally try and your recipe was the one I tried and we are so happy with it! Thanks for sharing.

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  7. I grew up in Virginia and knew scones as the baked biscuity quick bread. I never really liked them as they seemed to always be hard as a rock. Then I moved to Oregon after college and was completey suprised when I was offered a "scone" that resembled what I grew up eating as "fry bread". I thought these Westerners were just confused. I have always wondered what the difference between these western scones and fry bread is......and now I know. Thanks for sharing!! I am going to make navajo tacos for dinner and then serve the leftovers for breakfast with blueberries. I have been inspired and entlightened :)

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  8. I ate this as a child as far away from Utah as you can get - Buffalo NEW York!! This is fried dough in our very Italian family - we had it every Friday when we came home from school for lunch - Friday was my gramma's bread making day and she always saved dough to fry for us for lunch - then she sugared it and we put mom's homemade strawberry jam on it - An ITALIAN delicacy --- she said her mom made it for her all the time when she was young and my Papa who came to America from Italy when he was 26 (born in the 1890's) said his mom made it too - so not sure it is a Mormon creation!!

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    1. I'm sure you're absolutely right that the concept of "fried bread" did not originate with Mormons, or in Utah... just this particular recipe is thought to have it's origins there. People all over the world fry various bread doughs and serve it in many different ways and call it by many different names. I'm just sharing this one that is supposed to have Mormon/Utah origins. :) Thanks for sharing some of your family history!

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  9. I'm from Montreal, Quebec in Canada and we have these too; however, they're called "Beaver Tails"(or Queus de Castor) and you can get them with a variety of different thingsdrizzled on them: honey; cinnamon sugar (almost everyone's favorite here); Nutella; maple syrup; powdered sugar and I've also had them on an Mohawk Indian reserve nearby that serves them as Indian Tacos....It sounds like everyone has a different version of the same thing! They are super yummy though, so thanks for the recipe!

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  10. These are real scones for sure. My friend's family made these frequently when I was a kid and they are so awesome! I am am homemade strawberry jam and butter topper myself. :) Thanks so much for reminding me of this delicious treat and sharing the recipe!

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  11. I'm from Puyallup, WA--where the popular 'Fair Scone' originates. So where I come from, this is a doughnut. Utah Scones is a pretty cute name for them but this is just a basic doughnut recipe. =) That being said, they turned out good. I hardly had time to get them out of the oil and they were gone.

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  12. Hi =) is it possible to freeze leftover ones for future breakfasts?

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    1. You could, but I can't strongly recommend it... they won't be nearly as good (no crisp outside) if they are frozen and re-heated. You could, however, freeze any extra dough to thaw and fry later.

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  13. Traditional Navajo Tacos are not made with yeast. That is the main difference between these types of scones and Indian Fry Bread. I grew up in AZ and LOVE fry bread. As I have researched making my own through the years that seems to be the main difference. The yeast.Here is a link to smithsonianmag.com it shows how the Navajo indians would have made the bread as they would not have had access to much yeast and made the bread out of the little provision they were given. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/specialsections/heritage/frybread-recipe.html. No matter how you make it. I say YUM

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  14. I am so happy you posted this!!! I have fond memories of scenes from Sconecutter there and have always been confused as to what scones were after having had the biscuit kind too. Now I know!! Can't wait to make these and let our kids experience a fun Utah treat!

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  15. I need to make these! My grandparents are from Utah and my first "scone" was one just like this, that my grandma made. Yummy!!! Imagine my dismay when I ordered a scone as an adult and found it was completely different. ;) I am far more fond of the Utah scone than the standard coffee shop variety. :)

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  16. I grew up in Idaho and we had these all the time. Not sure about the pioneers making them as they used lard and seldom fried even sweets like doughnuts -- however I do know they took bread dough, pulled it out to flatten it very thin and then pan fried it. We had those a lot as to young children. We now live close to Granny Annie's but Sill's in Layton has them beat--especially if you get them with raspberry filling on top. Mmmmmmmmm!

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  17. Ok, don't laugh at me but I have tears in my eyes right now! I'm so happy to have found your recipe, and even happier that you call them "Utah scones". My dad used to take us to Sill's for breakfast when my brother and I would visit him during Summer vacation. (Our parents were divorced.) My dad passed away in 1996 and I haven't been able to get back since. I now have 3 kiddos of my own, and have literally been looking for this recipe for years. Found you through Pinterest, and I cannot WAIT to share these along with some memories of my dad in the morning. I would give you a big ol' bear hug if you were here!! Thank you so much :-)

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    1. OK Carlianna, now you have me crying too! What a sweet memory of your dear dad, so glad you shared it.

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  18. Okay I am so glad that I found this! I lived in UT when I was little but moved to Minnesota when I was 13. As another commenter stated, someone offered me a scone one time and I was so excited to have one. Until I got it. It was NOT a scone. But apparently I had gotten used to Utah Scones! I'm so happy to have found this recipe! Now I can make scones the way I like them!

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  19. I've been looking for this recipe since I've was married in 1969. I know. my husbands step mom made these for us when we visited. I didn't cook much when I first was married. didn't think to ask for the recipe. once she was gone, no one I asked knew how to make these. I've been trying for years, but just couldn't quite get it right. I was looking for a scone recipe. not Utah scones. duh she lived in Utah. anyway i'm gonna make them today. can't thank you enough. kaye winn

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  20. Our recipe is similar: with 2 T. oil instead of shortening, add no sugar, 1 cup whole wheat flour to replace part of the white flour. We call them 'conference scones'. My dear husband's tradition: we have them twice a year while watching lds conference on Sunday morning!!

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  21. I love Granny Annie's Breakfasts!! They have AMAZING cinnamon rolls too. Big enough to fill an entire dinner plate and swimming in yummy glaze! I came online looking for a scone recipe and found your blog. Scones for dinner tonight!!

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  22. This is exactly the same as 'scon' or 'bannok' found in the First Nations communities in Canada. Navaho tacos are called Indian Tacos up here.... even though we don't really use the word Indian much anymore.

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  23. As a First Nations person in Canada, I am glad I stumbled upon your "scone" recipe! I don't know how the heck to make Bannock or "Fry Bread" as the American Natives call it. I'll give this a whirl this weekend!

    I am also just browsing your blog for recipe's, tips and ideas. I really enjoy it!

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  24. These are called 'Vetkoek' in South Africa. They are a traditional dish, which originated many moons ago with the Boer Settlers. Basically, it is deep fried bread dough. And it can be served with a savoury filling - traditionally mince meat - or drizzled with something sweet. My favourite is syrup or honey. If you visit SA, and request a traditional dish you will be served one of the following: Vetkoek and mince, Braaivleis with Pap and Shishebo (Lamb tjops, steak and a traditional sausage called Boerewors grilled on an open wood fire, served with cooked maize meal and a sweet and sour tomato and onion sauce) or Potjie (Lamb neck or oxtail cooked with a variety of marrows, new potatoes, small whole onions, small carrots etc. in a cast iron three legged pot on an open fire, served with rice and a garden salad).

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  25. We call this "fry bread" in Wisconsin.

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  26. Wow were these amazing. My family absolutely loved these as Tacos and they were sure easy for my little ones to pick up! I also adore this blog I read and re-read it. Just love all the money saving tips.

    Thank you for sharing.

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  27. Wow were these amazing. My family loved these and how easy the Tacos were for my little ones to pick up! I adore your blog! Thank you for sharing all your money saving tips.

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