Tea -time wonders -- Eggless Scones

Tea-time had always been a very special part of the day for me. Even as a kid I looked forward to evening tea with the entire family since that is when I used to get to eat some of my favorite cookies and cakes. My Dad used to often get certain triangular shaped nutty delight from his favorite bakery. Years later I learned that those were the scones that the British introduced into the Indian tea-time.

I recently came across a recipe for scones and decided to make my own. They had to be egg-less for me so I modified it according to my taste. I added the quintessential Indian flavor of saffron and cardamom to these legacy delights of the Raj!

Here's what you'll need:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk or yogurt or whole milk+ few drops of lemon
5 Tbsps of butter
1/2 cup of chopped almonds
1/4 cup of dried cranberries
1+1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp saffron
1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Pre-heat the oven at 400 F.

Soak the saffron in 1 table spoon of milk.

Sieve the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom and salt in a mixing bowl.

Cut butter into the flour mix to get a crumbly texture.

Mix in the sugar first then add the almonds and cranberries.

Now add the saffron and the buttermilk(or yogurt) little by little to get a soft yet manageable dough. Do not add all 3/4 cup of buttermilk, the dough should be soft but not runny. Grease a baking tray with butter and with oiled hands shape the dough into a 1/2 inch round.

Now take a knife, apply some oil to it and cut through the shaped dough to make eight triangular pieces.

Brush the top with some milk and sprinkle some sugar.

Bake for 15 mins or till it turns light golden brown.

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