the scone stands alone

Check out these chocolate chip scones. They are so amazingly large and in charge that I had to begin my blog this week with a picture of their grandness. In case you're wondering, yes, these were the largest scones made in class on Saturday. And while a handful of students were chattering about the grand size of my scones, Chef reminded me that no one else in the class knows more about baking than I do at this point, so I shouldn't worry about what anyone thinks unless it's him. Noted and appreciated, Chef. 

The main reason I was able to make these plus-sized baked goods was because I was in a group by myself. That's right; my one remaining group mate for the term didn't show up. So I made everything just how I wanted it, but I also found myself looking around the room wondering if I was doing everything correctly. It really forced me to trust my instincts as a chef and believe that I was doing things right. It also made me work extra hard because not only did I have to scale all of the ingredients, make all of the dough, pan and bake the breads and watch the timer on the oven, but I also had to keep my area clean and wash every dish I used. Phew. Needless to say, it was an exhausting but very rewarding day.

Our final exam and practical is next week and we were able to whip up another round of practice biscuits this week. Here is my second (and better) attempt at this quick bread.

 
And now for the twist - not only do we have to make biscuits for our final grade, but we also have to make blueberry muffins. Luckily I had chosen these muffins to make from our long list of options. I made a batch using the muffin method, which is a much quicker/simpler method than the more common creaming method. It makes the muffins taste more like bread than cake, which is not desired by most consumers these days, but I thought they were pretty darn good.

I feel pretty confident that I can bake up a few good biscuits and muffins next week, but I might try to whip up a practice batch or two this week just to be sure. Wish me luck!

And just in case you're wondering exactly how grand my scones are...