Why Money Is & Isn’t the Object of a Bake Sale
Rush, rush, rush, bake sale, what? Yep, another great cause asking for donations. It’s tempting to tear open a box and just add egg and oil, but – ew. Don’t cave to convenience. Give yourself the time and space to bake from scratch and get this right. Add the love, that invisible ingredient that makes everything taste really, really good. Walk by the box and reach for a bag of flour instead and make these fluffy (definitely not diet) ham and cheese scones. They taste a million times better and everyone will thank you for them later.
When you drop them off, hang out and strike up a conversation with someone behind the folding table. Go beyond a polite smile and a thank you. You know them in passing and sneak peeks at each other at the grocery store (or maybe the liquor store) so why not? Pull away from your phone and give yourself time to enjoy just being there. Say hello and before you know it an acquaintance becomes a friend. And friends are the ones who are going to be there when things get harder than pulling off something nice for a bakesale.
Wrapped and ready to go in plastic bags, bakers twine and tags cut out from a cereal box.
Dicing the ham. (BTW, this is how you hold a knife, see GET CHEFFY – KNIFE SKILLS below.)
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 8 oz sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 2½ cups)
- 4 oz sliced ham, diced or chopped into ¼" pieces
- 2 cups cream plus more to brush on top
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika in a large bowl.
- Using your fingers, work in diced ham and 2 cups of the shredded cheese. Make sure the slices of ham separate and get coated in the flour mixture.
- Mix in 2 cups of cream, stirring just until blended. The dough will be a little sticky so scrape down the sides of the bowl and turn it out onto a generously floured surface.
- Flatten dough into a rectangular shape about 1" thick and fold it in thirds, one side on top of the other, like you would fold a letter. This is called an envelope fold.
- Turn folded dough 90 degrees, flatten to 1" thick rectangle and repeat the envelope fold.
- Divide dough in half and form each half into a circle about 1" thick.
- Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the circle into eighths. These are the scones.
- Bake 20-25 minutes on a greased baking sheet until they are slightly browned on top.
GET CHEFFY – KNIFE SKILLS
When you hold your chefs knife, put your thumb and forefinger on the blade itself. This will give your more leverage and control when you cut and chop things. At first, it may feel strange to reach beyond the handle, but trust us, it works.
Fresh from the oven.