Breakfast Scones

Breakfast Scones
Dorcas Annette Walker

My henhouse was in an uproar last week when a strong gust of wind blew open the door to the pen and my curious hens and one rooster decided to investigate the world outside the fence. I was inside when I heard my dogs making a big racket. I discovered the dogs having the time of their life chasing hens all over the yard. I jumped into the midst of squawking hens and barking dogs in time to rescue my rooster, but when the dust cleared three of my hens were dead and the rest had disappeared into the woods. At dusk my husband spotted two hens in the woods so we coaxed them back into their pen. The next day I rescued two more hens, but one died the next day. Our flock is now reduced to one large rooster missing all of his tail feathers, two normal looking hens, and one hen without any tail feathers. Talk about a sorry looking bunch of fowl. Meanwhile in another area life is buzzing with twenty-four baby chicks. By fall we should be getting lots of eggs once more. There is nothing more satisfying to a cook than having a good supply of eggs on hand.

Contrary to common belief there is no nutritional difference between brown and white eggs. You can tell what color of egg a hen will lay by its ear lobes: red for brown, white for white, and black for colored or green eggs. A hen must eat about four pounds of feed to produce one dozen eggs and it takes 24-36 hours to make one egg. Research has showed that people can eat an egg a day without raising cholesterol, boost brain health, promote strength, and reduce inflammation. Eggs provide essential nutrients for a balanced diet containing protein, minerals, iron, calcium, and multiple vitamins. The egg yolk contains Vitamin D. The U.S. production of eggs totals more than 600 million dozen per month with Tennessee producing around 30 million dozen. The largest egg had five yolks and was 31 cm long while the heaviest egg weighed 454 grams. The world’s biggest omelet was made from 5,000 eggs in Madrid weighing 1,320 pounds. The longest throw of a fresh egg without breaking was achieved at 98.51 meters.

My Breakfast Scones are great for a weekend brunch; any leftovers can be frozen and quickly microwaved during the week for an instant breakfast. These filling scones with a biscuit-like texture are a perfect companion with a glass of milk or coffee. They can also be served under a fried egg for a more hardy breakfast. Preparation time for the Breakfast Scones is fifteen minutes and this recipe makes sixteen scones.

Breakfast Scones

6 slices of bacon
2 c self-rising flour
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 tb minced garlic, or scallions
1 egg
½ c milk

In an iron skillet fry the bacon until brown and crispy. Stir together in a small bowl flour, cheese, onion, egg, and milk. Crumble the cooled bacon, add to the dough, and pour in the bacon grease. Mix well and spread out on a greased 12 inch round pizza pan. Score dough with a pizza cutter to make sixteen scones. Bake at 350º for thirty minutes until lightly browned. Serve scones hot or cool!

Weekly tip: Place bacon in a cold skillet when frying to prevent shrinkage or dip bacon in milk and roll in flour before frying for an improved flavor!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com